‘America’s Got Talent’ dominates the ratings competition

LOS ANGELES: In a week dominated by competition shows, “America’s Got Talent” dominated the competition.

NBC’s variety showcase brought in 9.7 million viewers last week according to the Nielsen company’s ratings. The show chose the singers, comedians, dancers and beatboxers that will be on its season-ending live episodes.

That was well clear of second-place “60 Minutes” on CBS, which brought in 6.8 million viewers.

“Celebrity Family Feud” on ABC was a distant third with 4.8 million as game show revivals, reality shows, news shows and talent contests squeezed dramas and comedies almost entirely out of the top of the rankings as they have for most of the summer.

“Beverly Hills 90210” made a splash in its revival on Fox, finishing 12th with 3.84 million viewers as it brought back most of its original cast, scoring a rare high finish for a “new” show this summer.

“Blue Bloods” and “Instinct,” both on CBS, were the only other scripted shows in the Nielsen Top 20.

NBC rode “America’s Got Talent” to win the week among broadcast networks with an average of 3.3 million viewers. CBS had 3 million, ABC had 2.9 million, Fox had 1.7 million, ION Television had 1.4 million, Telemundo had 1 million, Univision had 940,000 and the CW had 690,000.

Fox News was first among cable networks with an average of 2.4 million viewers. MSNBC was a distant second with 1.5 million. HGTV had 1.2 million, TLC had 1.1 million and Hallmark Channel had 1 million.

ABC’s “World News Tonight” topped the evening newscasts with an average of 8 million viewers. The “NBC Nightly News” had 5.7 million and the “CBS Evening News” had 3.9 million.

For the week of Aug. 4-11, the top 10 shows, their networks and viewerships: “America’s Got Talent,” NBC, 9.66 million; “60 Minutes,” CBS, 6.76 million; “Celebrity Family Feud,” ABC, 4.78 million; “The $100,000 Pyramid,” ABC, 4.67 million; “American Ninja Warrior,” NBC, 4.63 million; “Big Brother” (Sunday), CBS, 4.58 million; “Bachelor in Paradise” (Monday), ABC, 4.38 million; “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” ABC, 4.33 million; “Bring the Funny,” NBC, 4.21 million; “Big Brother” (Wednesday), CBS, 3.99 million.

ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company. CBS is owned by CBS Corporation. CW is a joint venture of Warner Bros. Entertainment and CBS Corporation. Fox is owned by 21st Century Fox. NBC and Telemundo are owned by Comcast Corporation. ION Television is owned by ION Media Networks.