Tuesday's 9-11 PM. ET premiere of NBC's new “For Love Or Money” reality program has generated strong numbers, equaling the network's second-highest adult 18-49 rating in that time period in the eight weeks since April 2.

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For Love Or Money” built its 18-49 rating and overall viewer total with each succeeding half-hour and took over first place in the 10 p.m. ET hour among adults 18-49, adults, men and women 18-34 and all key adult-female demographics. According to updated in-home viewing figures from Nielsen Media Research, “For Love Or Money” (4.7 rating, 12 share among adults 18-49, 10.2 million viewers overall) built its 18-49 rating by an outstanding 42 percent from its first half-hour to its fourth (to a 5.4/14 from a 3.8/10) and by 2.0 million viewers overall. “For Love Or Money” nearly matched the 4.8 rating with which Fox’s “American Idol” debuted Tuesday, June 11, 2002, the second-highest 18-49 rating for any reality premiere last summer (excluding “Idol’s” first Wednesday episode, the show’s second telecast overall).

For Love Or Money” is the fourth impressive launch of a first-run summer series on NBC over the past seven nights. The others have been: the season premiere of “Dog Eat Dog,” which earned NBC’s highest Tuesday 8-10 p.m. ET 18-49 rating since April 8; the series debut of “Fame,” which scored NBC’s strongest Wednesday 8-10 p.m. ET result in 18-49 since Dec. 11; and Sunday’s season premiere of “Crime & Punishment,” which retained 100 percent of its 18-49 lead-in from “Law & Order: Criminal Intent.”

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