RATINGS RISE FOR AMERICA’S GOT TALENT FINALE

The season finale of NBC’s America’s Got Talent drew 11.34 million viewers Wednesday night, partially reversing last year’s plunge in the ratings for the talent contest when 10.59 million viewers tuned in. The two-hour telecast peaked in the final half hour with 12.21 million. Still, it was a far cry from AGT‘s highest-rated season finale in 2010 when it attracted 16.41 million viewers. Several critics had commented that the series also presented more engaging acts this year than it had in past and lavished praise on the 39-year-old Japanese-born winner, Kenichi Ebina, a dancer/choreographer/mime/comedian, who prompted a standing ovation after each performance. For his victory, he receives a $1-million cash prize and a starring booking in Las Vegas. While AGT was the most-watched show of the night overall, it ranked second to the season premiere of Survivor on CBS among the key 18-49 age group and barely edged out the season finale of CBS’s Big Brother. The result was that NBC was ranked No. 1 among total adults for the night but CBS wound up as No. 1 among 18-49-year-olds.