| Scoreboard | CBS | UNI | FOX | NBC | ABC | CW |
| Adults 18-49: rating/Share | 3.7/10 | 1.7/4 | 1.1/3 | 0.8/2 | 0.8/2 | 0.4/1 |
| Adults 18-34: Rating/Share | 2.3/7 | 1.6/5 | 0.6/2 | 0.7/2 | 0.6/2 | 0.4/1 |
| Total Viewers (million) | 14.895 | 4.200 | 2.915 | 2.523 | 3.250 | 0.996 |
CBS won the night in adults 18-49 and in Total Viewers.
On CBS, The Big Bang Theory matched its series high with a 6.0 adults 18-49 rating up 11% from a 5.4 on December 13. Your predictions were pretty close. Two and a Half Men earned a season high 4.6 among adults 18-49 up 12% from a 4.1 on December 13. Person Of Interest equaled its series high with a 3.4 adults 18-49 rating up 17% from a 2.9 on December 13. Elementary notched a 2.5 adults 18-49 rating up 9% from a 2.3 on December 13.
On FOX, Mobbed earned a 1.0 adults 18-49 rating at 8PM, even with last night, and a 1.2 among adults 18-49 at 9PM, up 9% from last night’s 1.1.
Late-night ratings are below the primetime data.
Overnight ratings for Thursday, January 3, 2012:
| Time | Net | Show | 18-49 Rating/Sh | Viewers (Millions) |
| 8:00 | CBS | The Big Bang Theory | 6.0/17 | 18.98 |
| FOX | Mobbed | 1.0/3 | 2.74 | |
| NBC | 30 Rock - R | 0.8/2 | 2.47 | |
| ABC | Nashville - R | 0.7/2 | 3.19 | |
| CW | The Vampire Diaries - R | 0.4/1 | 1.12 | |
| 8:30 | CBS | Two and a Half Men | 4.6/12 | 15.39 |
| NBC | Up All Night - R | 0.8/2 | 1.96 | |
| 9:00 | CBS | Person Of Interest | 3.4/9 | 16.14 |
| FOX | Mobbed | 1.2/3 | 3.09 | |
| NBC | The Office - R | 0.9/2 | 2.15 | |
| ABC | Scandal - R | 0.7/2 | 2.91 | |
| CW | Beauty And The Beast - R | 0.3/1 | 0.87 | |
| 9:30 | NBC | Parks and Recreation - R | 0.7/2 | 1.69 |
| 10:00 | CBS | Elementary | 2.5/7 | 11.36 |
| ABC | Scandal - R | 0.9/3 | 3.65 | |
| NBC | Rock Center - R | 0.8/2 | 3.43 |
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Late night ratings:
NOTE: All ratings are "live plus same day" from Nielsen Media Research unless otherwise indicated.
Nielsen TV Ratings: ©2012 The Nielsen Company. All Rights Reserved.
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You can see TV ratings from other recent Overnight ratings reports here.
Definitions:
Fast Affiliate Ratings: These first national ratings, including demographics, are available at approximately 11 AM (ET) the day after telecast, and are released to subscribing customers daily. These data, from the National People Meter sample, are strictly time-period information, based on the normal broadcast network feed, and include all programming on the affiliated stations, sometimes including network programming, sometimes not. The figures may include stations that did not air the entire network feed, as well as local news breaks or cutaways for local coverage or other programming. Fast Affiliate ratings are not as useful for live programs and are likely to differ significantly from the final results, because the data reflect normal broadcast feed patterns. For example, with a World Series game, Fast Affiliate Ratings would include whatever aired from 8-11PM on affiliates in the Pacific Time Zone, following the live baseball game, but not game coverage that begins at 5PM PT. The same would be true of Presidential debates as well as live award shows and breaking news reports.
Rating: Estimated percentage of the universe of TV households (or other specified group) tuned to a program in the average minute. Ratings are expressed as a percent.
Share (of Audience): The percent of households (or persons) using television who are tuned to a specific program, station or network in a specific area at a specific time. (See also, Rating, which represents tuning or viewing as a percent of the entire population being measured.)
Time Shifted Viewing – Program ratings for national sources are produced in three streams of data – Live, Live+Same Day (Live+SD) and Live+7 Day. Time shifted figures account for incremental viewing that takes place with DVRs. Live+Same Day (Live+SD) include viewing during the same broadcast day as the original telecast, with a cut-off of 3:00AM local time when meters transmit daily viewing to Nielsen for processing. Live+7 Day ratings include incremental viewing that takes place during the 7 days following a telecast.
For more information see Numbers 101.
The Big Bang Theory is a monster!
I knew it would break a 6.0 in the ratings!
OMG!
Big Bang? More like Big Beast! I can see this going to AT LEAST 10 seasons.
Wow! All the numbers are so high for CBS! Go TBBT!!
WOW THE BIG BANG THEORY!
I said 6.0, and about a mil off from 20 million.
wow. congrats to CBS and NBC. they aired stuff this first week of the year and it paid off for them. i remember the same thing happened for ABC last season when grey’s hit a season high for its first episode in january.
WOW at TBBT. Amazing ratings.
POI will go right back down next week.
WOAHHH TBBT! WHAT A BEAST!!!
Just wow at the big bang theory… For a show to hit a 6.0 in this day and age, it’s incredible. I am so happy that is a show as deserving as the big bang theory, it always cracks me up, and this season has been one of my favorites yet. It will go on for a decade, for sure.
On another note, Elementary has to be a let down. Sure, it was up, and a 2.5 is respectable, but that is the same rating chicago fire got last night on nbc, from a 2.1 lead-in and going up against american horror story. I still say the show will be a poor long-term bet for cbs, alhtough yeah, it will be renewed. But they will struggle with it 2 years from now when they want to get it syndicated…
GO TBBT, POI AND 2.5 MEN.
BBT is doing incredibly. POI is doing well also. Elementary also did well last night. I know that they were pretty much the only new game in town, but with BBT the competition isn’t that great even when not reruns. Congratulations CBS.
How high can they go??
TBBT is a ratings deity! It’s bound to be this season’s number one scripted show and has a sure spot in the top 5. Probably behind Sunday Night Football. It’s the new death star of network television!
Rob60990- Person of Interest might go back down to what high 14 millions? Big deal. It averages 14 million and it probably just peaked because of the cliff hanger episode. I thought it was the finale too but maybe not.
A 6.0…wow. I believe the series high is a 6.1??
i dont see why so many people watch big bang and two and half men. two of the least funny shows on tv.
wow.wow.wow.
It deserved it and more but…WOW.WOW.WOW.
seriously.
WOW.
VEST PROGRAM ON TELEVISION TODAY.
SECOND IN HISTORY AFTER WONDERFUL Seinfeld.
WOW.6.0
WOW!!!! TBBT got soooo high!!!! Now it’s even bigger than TWD premiere
Yeah TBBT hit 6.1 when it was the post-2.5 Men show. This is just impressive! American Idol better watch out
The 18.98 million is easily a series high for The Big Bang Theory surpassing the old series high of 17.63 million & the 6.0 ties its series high attained on the Monday after the Super Bowl in 2009. Just incredible ratings.