TV Ratings: 'America's Got Talent' lets NBC return to the top on Tuesday

'Hotel Hell' and 'MasterChef' make FOX a close second in the demo

By Daniel FienbergWednesday, Aug 15, 2012 12:08 PM

This happened on Tuesday's "America's Got Talent"

Credit: NBC

Are you a fan of TV Ratings?

Sign up to get the latest updates instantly.

Fast national ratings for Tuesday, August 14, 2012.

Two hours of "America's Got Talent" helped NBC dominate the start of Tuesday primetime, holding off FOX's Gordon Ramsay block.

For the night, NBC averaged a 2.3 rating among adults 18-49, nipping the 2.2 rating for FOX in the key demographic. CBS was a distant third with a 1.1 rating, followed by ABC's 0.8 rating and the 0.3 key demo rating for The CW.

Overall, NBC had a little more breathing room with 7.88 million viewers and a 4.7 rating/8 share for Tuesday primetime, beating CBS' 4.4/7 and 6.47 million viewers. FOX was third with a 3.2/5 and 5.39 million viewers, beating ABC's 2.1/3 and 2.98 million viewers. The CW averaged 647,000 viewers and a 0.4/1 for the night.

8 p.m. - "America's Got Talent" started primetime with 9.42 million viewers and a 2.5 rating among adults 18-49 for NBC in the 8 p.m. hour. CBS' "NCIS" repeat was second overall with 7.16 million viewers and third with a 1.1 key demo rating. FOX's "Hotel Hell" averaged 5.09 million viewers and improved on its Monday premiere with a 2.1 key demo rating. ABC was fourth with 2.985 million viewers and a 0.8 key demo rating for repeats of "The Middle" and "Last Man Standing." The CW averaged 768,000 viewers and a 0.3 key demo rating for a repeat of "Hart of Dixie."

9 p.m. - The second hour of "America's Got Talent" kept NBC in the lead for 9 p.m. with 10.22 million viewers and a 2.9 rating among adults 18-49. CBS' repeat of "NCIS: Los Angeles" was second overall with 6.34 million viewers and third with a 1.1 key demo rating. FOX's "MasterChef" averaged 5.7 million viewers for third and a 2.4 key demo rating for second. ABC was fourth with repeats of "Happy Endings" and "Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23" averaging 1.76 million viewers and a 0.6 key demo rating. The CW's new "The L.A. Complex" averaged 527,000 viewers and a 0.2 key demo rating.

10 p.m. - A repeat of "The Mentalist" was first overall in the 10 p.m. hour for CBS with 5.9 million viewers and finished second with a 1.1 rating among adults 18-49. ABC's "NY Med" rose to 4.195 million viewers and a 1.0 key demo rating after two weeks getting crushed by Olympic competition. NBC's encore of "Stars Earn Stripes" averaged 3.99 million viewers and won the hour with a 1.4 key demo rating.

All ratings information comes from preliminary Fast National Nielsen data, which includes live and same-day DVR viewing. All numbers are subject to change.

Daniel Fienberg
Executive Editor

A long-time member of the TCA Board and a longer-time blogger of "American Idol," Dan Fienberg writes about TV, except for when he writes about movies or sometimes writes about the Red Sox. But never music. He would sound stupid talking about music.