RANK
NAME
NETWORK
DAY
VIEWERS (P2+)

1
AMERICAN IDOL-TUESDAY
FOX
TUESDAY
23,261,000

2
AMERICAN IDOL-WEDNESDAY
FOX
WEDNESDAY
22,369,000

3
DANCING WITH THE STARS
ABC
MONDAY
19,285,000

4
MENTALIST, THE
CBS
TUESDAY
17,113,000

5
NCIS
CBS
TUESDAY
16,698,000

6
CSI
CBS
THURSDAY
15,542,000

7
DANCING W/STARS RESULTS
ABC
TUESDAY
14,720,000

8
TWO AND A HALF MEN
CBS
MONDAY
14,163,000

9
GREY’S ANATOMY-THU 9PM
ABC
THURSDAY
14,115,000

10
CRIMINAL MINDS
CBS
WEDNESDAY
13,611,000

Source: The Nielsen Company (April 27, 2009 – May 3, 2009)

RANK
NAME
NETWORK
DAY
VIEWERS (P2+)

1
AMERICAN IDOL-TUESDAY
FOX
TUESDAY
24,941,000

2
AMERICAN IDOL-WEDNESDAY
FOX
WEDNESDAY
24,825,000

3
MENTALIST, THE
CBS
TUESDAY
19,699,000

4
NCIS
CBS
TUESDAY
18,031,000

5
CSI
CBS
THURSDAY
17,938,000

6
GREY’S ANATOMY-THU 9PM
ABC
THURSDAY
15,159,000

7
TWO AND A HALF MEN
CBS
MONDAY
14,995,000

8
WITHOUT A TRACE
CBS
TUESDAY
14,308,000

9
PRIVATE PRACTICE
ABC
THURSDAY
14,097,000

10
DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES
ABC
SUNDAY
14,010,000

Source: The Nielsen Company (February 9, 2009 – February 15, 2009)

The New York Times reports that the Summer Olympics in Beijing was the most-viewed event in American television history, according to data provided by Nielsen Media Research.
The Beijing Games surpassed the old record- 209 million viewers of the 1996 Games in Atlanta- on Saturday night. Through Saturday, 211 million viewers had watched at least some of the Games on any of NBC Universal’s networks.
On Saturday, 43 million viewers tuned in to at least a portion of NBC’s coverage. The average audience from 9 to 11 p.m. on Saturday night was 16.5 …