"Talent" still tops with TV viewers

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - The NBC talent show "America's Got Talent" was the top choice among viewers for a second week, again fending off ABC's new reality series "Wipeout," according to Nielsen Media Research ratings data issued Tuesday.

"Talent" averaged 12.04 million viewers during its two-hour run last Tuesday, up 362,000 viewers from the week ended June 23.

"Wipeout" (9.46 million viewers), which kicked off primetime Tuesday, was down slightly from its strong premiere episode (9.98 million). Its lead-out, "I Survived a Japanese Game Show" (6.31 million), was down 21 percent week-to-week.

CBS won the week, averaging 6.25 million viewers, followed by NBC (5.85 million), Fox (5.44 million) and ABC (4.55 million). But CBS was a distant fourth among adults 18-49, the demographic coveted by advertisers. Fox narrowly won that race over NBC.

CBS had the No. 3 show among total viewers with a rerun of "Criminal Minds" (9.13 million), and four other shows in the top 10. Fox's top show ranked No. 4 overall, Wednesday's episode of "So You Think You Can Dance" (8.76 million).

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter