‘America’s Got Talent’ lifts NBC past cable’s Fox News in ratings

Two episodes of “America’s Got Talent” and two nights of sporting events enabled NBC to be the only network to draw a larger prime-time audience than cable’s Fox News Channel last week.

The two-hour Tuesday “America’s Got Talent” episode was the top-ranked prime-time program between Aug. 23 and Sunday, averaging 6.809 million viewers, while the hourlong Wednesday episode was third, averaging 5.79 million.

An “America’s Got Talent” episode has been at the top of the prime-time ratings seven times in the 11 weeks it has aired this summer.

An edition of the CBS News magazine “60 Minutes,” with three previously broadcast segments that were updated for Sunday’s broadcast, averaged 6.754 million viewers to finish second for the third consecutive week following the conclusion of NBC’s coverage of the Tokyo Summer Olympics.

Former President Donald Trump’s second appearance in two weeks on the Fox News Channel political talk show “Hannity” was fourth for the week, averaging 5.445 million viewers.

NBC’s coverage of the Cleveland Browns’ 19-10 victory over the Atlanta Falcons in an NFL preseason game Sunday was fifth, averaging 5.063 million viewers.

NBC averaged 3.41 million viewers for the week, 34.8% more than its 2.53 million average the previous week, when it was third behind Fox News Channel and CBS and its seven hours of weekend programming included six hours of reruns of alternative programming.

Fox News Channel was second, averaging 3.062 million viewers, 4.3% more than its 2.936 million average the previous week, when it topped all the broadcast networks.

CBS was third, averaging 2.71 million, followed by ABC, which averaged 2.64 million.

Fox averaged 1.41 million viewers to finish fifth.

ABC’s highest-rated program was a rerun of “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” seventh for the week, averaging 4.757 million viewers.

“Hell’s Kitchen” had Fox’s biggest audience for the second consecutive week, averaging 2.538 million viewers, 46th for the week.

Canadian crime drama “Coroner” was The CW’s ratings leader for the second consecutive week, averaging 715,000 viewers, 156th among broadcast programs. Its overall rank was not available.

The CW again was fifth among the five major English-language broadcast networks, averaging 440,000 viewers.

The week’s only premiere on the five major English-language broadcast networks, ABC competition series “The Ultimate Surfer,” was 74th among broadcast programs, averaging 1.432 million viewers.

Fox News Channel finished first in prime time among cable networks for the eighth consecutive week, averaging 3.062 million viewers.

MSNBC was second among cable networks for the third consecutive week, averaging 1.376 million viewers, 15% more than its 1.197 million average the previous week.

ESPN was third, averaging 1.248 million viewers, and HGTV fourth, averaging 1.145 million. CNN was fifth for the second consecutive week, averaging 985,000, 4.5% more than its 943,000 average the previous week.

The CW high school football drama “All American” was the most-streamed program according to Nielsen’s latest report, with viewers watching 1.433 billion minutes of its 51 episodes between July 26-Aug. 1.