NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” was the primetime ratings champion on Tuesday. The first live show of the season boosted the broadcast to an impressive 0.74 rating in the key 18-49 demographic, which was by far the highest rating of the night. The episode was also the most-watched fare of the night with 6.5 million people tuning in.
The network netted the highest rating and the biggest audience overall on Tuesday night, but it wasn’t just because of “AGT.”
The Keke Palmer-hosted game show, “Password,” debuted at 10 p.m. with a strong showing as well. The premiere episode notched a 0.48 in the demo and held onto 4.2 million total viewers.
Many of the other broadcast networks opted for reruns, which resulted in fairly depressed ratings overall.
Here’s how primetime shook out across the broadcast networks:
NBC was first in ratings with an average 0.65 rating in the key demo and in total viewers with an average of 5.7 million, according to official live plus same-day Nielsen data.
“America’s Got Talent” kicked things off with a 0.74 demo rating and 6.5 million total viewers at 8 p.m. At 10, the premiere of “Password” took home a 0.48 demo rating and 4.2 million total viewers.
ABC was second in ratings with an average 0.33 in the demo, and CBS was second in total viewers with an average of 3 million. CBS was third in ratings with an average 0.2 in the demo. ABC was third in total viewers with an average of 2.1 million.
On ABC, reruns ruled the night. “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune” was first with a 0.38 demo rating and 2.8 million total viewers at 8 p.m. At 9, “Generation Gap” drew a 0.3 demo rating and 1.8 million total viewers. “Celebrity Family Feud” received a 0.3 demo rating and 1.6 million total viewers at 10.
CBS also had a slate of reruns, beginning with “FBI,” which earned a 0.27 demo rating and 3.6 million total viewers at 8 p.m. At 9, “FBI: International” secured a 0.24 demo rating and 2.9 million total viewers. “FBI: Most Wanted” rounded things out with a 0.23 demo rating and 2.7 million total viewers at 10.
Fox was fourth in ratings with an average 0.16 in the demo and in total viewers with an average of 815,000. A rerun of “So You Think You Can Dance” scored a 0.17 demo rating and 805,000 total viewers at 8 p.m. At 9, an encore of “Fantasy Island” had a 0.15 demo rating and 824,000 total viewers.
The CW was fifth in ratings with an average 0.05 in the demo and in total viewers with an average of 268,000. A re-airing of “Superman & Lois” had a 0.05 demo rating and 287,000 total viewers at 8 p.m., while a rerun of “Mysteries Decoded” got a 0.04 demo rating and 249,000 total viewers at 9.
Neither The CW nor Fox air original primetime programming at 10.
Among the Spanish-language networks, Univision was first in ratings with an average score of 0.3, and eked out a lead in total average viewership with 997,000. “Mexicana y El Guero” kicked off primetime at 8 with a 0.3 ratings score and 879,000 total viewers. From there, “La Herencia, Un Legado de Amor” notched a 0.3 demo rating and 1.2 million total viewers. “Mujer de Nadie” closed out primetime with a 0.2 demo rating score and 915,000 total viewers.
Telemundo came in second with a 0.2 rating and 995,000 total viewers. The premiere of “Top Chef VIP,” which aired from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., cooked up a 0.3 demo rating and 1.1 million total viewers. “Amor Valiente” fell to a 0.2 in the demo and 843,000 total viewers at 9. “Infiel: Historia de Un Engaño” followed with a 0.2 rating and 941,000 total viewers.
