NBC, TRYING HARDER, IS NOW IN SECOND PLACE

It’s rare when any company boasts about being No. 2 — Avis’s long-running ad campaign notwithstanding — but NBC, which in recent years has finished last in the ratings during the regular season, sent out a news release Tuesday proclaiming its No. 2 status in last week’s ratings. Once again, most of its ratings strength came from its America’s Got Talent episodes on Monday and Tuesday, but, it noted, three other shows landed in the top 20 among adults 18-49, Minute to Win It, tied for 13th place, Law & Order: SVU at No. 15, and Last Comic Standing, tied for 16th place. ABC had its own spin on the ratings, saying in a statement that it was “enjoying its most-watched summer in 9 years.” Overall for the week, CBS remained well out in front, averaging 6.3 million viewers. NBC’s shows averaged 5.1 million viewers. ABC placed third with 4.9 million, while Fox trailed with 4.3 million.

The top ten shows of the week according to Nielsen Research:
1. NCIS, CBS, 7.0/13; 1. (Tie) America’s Got Talent (Tuesday), NBC, 7.0/12; 3. America’s Got Talent (Wednesday), NBC, 6.7/12; 4. The Bachelorette, ABC, 6.0/10; 5. The Mentalist, CBS, 5.7/10; 6. NCIS: Los Angeles, CBS, 5.6/9; 7. Two and a Half Men, CBS, 5.2/9; 7. The Big Bang Theory, CBS, 5.2/9; 9. Wipeout, ABC, 4.8/8; 10. CSI: Miami, CBS, 4.7/8.