NBC TV Show Ratings for Thursday, October 18, 2012

The peacock network spins last night’s ratings for 30 Rock, Up All Night, The Office, Parks and Recreation, and Rock Center with Brian Williams.

Thursday Results (ABC carried NFL football in San Francisco):

* At 8 p.m. ET, “30 Rock” delivered a 1.3/4 in 18-49 and 3.3 million viewers overall, maintaining its rating of the prior week in a highly competitive half-hour versus CBS’s “Big Bang Theory,” ABC’s “Last Resort” and Fox’s Baseball Playoffs .

* Note that last season “30 Rock” added an average 45 percent to these next-day “live plus same day” ratings when Nielsen reported “live plus seven day” results.

* At 8:30 p.m. ET, “Up All Night” (1.4/4 in 18-49, 3.2 million viewers overall) jumped week to week by 27 percent in 18-49 rating (to a 1.4 from a 1.1) and 12 percent in total viewers (3.240 million vs. 2.883 million) in a highly competitive time period versus CBS’s “Two and a Half Men,” Fox’s Baseball Playoffs and ABC’s “Last Resort.”

* “Up All Night” is currently building on its 18-49 lead-in by 8 percent, the show’s top performance relative to lead-in so far this season, and also built on lead-in by 18 percent in adults 18-34 (with a 1.3 rating vs. a 1.1). The only other 8:30 comedy on ABC, CBS, NBC or Fox this season to build on its 18-49 lead-in has been NBC’s “Guys With Kids.”

* Keep in mind that last season, “Up All Night” added an average 51 percent to these next-day “live plus same day” ratings when Nielsen reported “live plus seven day” results, the biggest percentage increase for any comedy on ABC, CBS, NBC or Fox.

* From 9-9:31 p.m. ET, “The Office” (2.0/6 in 18-49, 4.3 million viewers overall) delivered its biggest overall audience since September 20. “The Office” built on last night’s lead-in by 43 percent in 18-49 rating and 32 percent in total viewers in a competitive time period versus ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy,” CBS’s “Person of Interest” and Fox’s Baseball Playoffs. This week’s “Office” is #1 in the half-hour among ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox in men 18-34.

* Note that last season “The Office” added an average 50 percent to these next-day “live plus same day” ratings when Nielsen reported “live plus seven day” results.

* From 9:31-10 p.m. ET, “Parks and Recreation” (1.6/4 in 18-49, 3.4 million viewers overall) retained 80 percent of its lead-in from “The Office,” up from last season’s average of 77 percent in this slot. In a challenging time period versus the concluding half-hours of ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy” and CBS’s “Person of Interest,” as well as Fox’s Baseball Playoffs, “Parks” is currently ranking #1 among those networks in men 18-34 (pending updates).

* Keep in mind that last season “Parks and Recreation” added an average 39 percent to these next-day “live plus same day” ratings when Nielsen reported “live plus seven day” results.

* At 10 p.m. ET, “Rock Center” delivered a 0.9/3 in 18-49 and 3.4 million viewers overall opposite Fox Baseball Playoffs, as well as the time period’s regular competition of CBS’s “Elementary” and ABC’s “Scandal.”