TV ratings: Olympics soar Tuesday with Michael Phelps, women's gymnastics

Fast National ratings for Tuesday, July 31, 2012

The team finals in women's gymnastics and Michael Phelps' pursuit of an all-time Olympic record fueled a ratings surge for NBC's coverage of the London games Tuesday night.

Just about everything airing opposite the Olympics was a repeat, but curiously, one of the two shows that aired a new episode, The CW's "The L.A. Complex," actually drew a bigger audience than last week.

NBC averaged 37.5 million viewers and a 21.1 rating/33 share among households in primetime, up significantly from Monday's numbers. CBS was the best of the also-rans with 5.4 million viewers and a 3.7/6. ABC (2.6 million, 1.7/3) came in third, a little bit ahead of FOX (2.25 million, 1.5/2). The CW drew about 670,000 viewers and a 0.4/1.

The Olympics gave NBC a 12.2 rating among adults 18-49, up almost two points from Monday. The other networks barely registered, with CBS scoring a 1.0, FOX a 0.9, ABC a 0.6 and The CW a 0.2.

Tuesday hour by hour:

8 p.m.

NBC: Summer Olympics (29.8 million viewers, 17.2/28 households)
CBS: "NCIS" rerun (6.8 million, 4.6/8)
ABC: "The Middle" rerun (2.8 million, 1.9/3)/"Last Man Standing" rerun (2.3 million, 1.5/2)
FOX: "Masterchef" rerun (2.3 million, 1.5/2)
The CW: "Hart of Dixie" rerun (780,000, 0.5/1)

18-49 leader: Summer Olympics (9.0)

9 p.m.

NBC: Summer Olympics (40.5 million, 22.6/34)
CBS: "NCIS: Los Angeles" rerun (5.2 million, 3.6/5)
ABC: "Wipeout" rerun (2.4 million, 1.5/2)
FOX: "Masterchef" rerun (2.2 million, 1.4/2)
The CW: "The L.A. Complex" (550,000, 0.4/1)

18-49 leader: Summer Olympics (13.3)

10 p.m.

NBC: Summer Olympics (42.2 million, 23.6/37)
CBS: "Person of Interest" rerun (4.35 million, 2.9/5)
ABC: "NY Med" (2.8 million, 1.9/3)

18-49 leader: Summer Olympics (14.2)

Ratings information includes live and same-day DVR viewing. All numbers are preliminary and subject to change. Source: The Nielsen Company.

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