The New York Times
With help from a huge lead-in audience thanks to the finale of the talent competition, “Americas Got Talent,” Jay Leno bounced back up Wednesday, the third night of his new prime-time hour, adding about 2.5 million viewers from his Tuesday show.
On Wednesday, Mr. Leno attracted 13.1 million viewers in what are known as the overnight ratings, which measure the country’s largest cities. That was up from 10.7 million the previous night.
Among the viewers NBC most seeks, adults between the ages of 18 and 49, Mr. Leno also ticked up a bit from his previous night, hitting a 3.4 rating, up from a 3.3.
Both numbers defied conventional expectations that Mr. Leno would decline steadily this week from his first hugely watched night. More…