Final ‘Sopranos’ rivals top broadcast show

The 11.9 million viewers who watched “The Sopranos” finale brought HBO to the edge of a historic feat: A show on a pay cable network available in about 30 million homes was more popular last week than all but one show on the far larger world of broadcast television.

Only the premiere of NBC’s “America’s Got Talent,” with 13 million viewers, did better, according to Nielsen Media Research.

ABC, CBS and Fox are all available in 111 million homes for no extra charge, and nothing they aired last week did better than “The Sopranos.”

It topped both Game 2 of the NBA Finals (8.6 million) and the Tony Awards (6.2 million) in direct competition Sunday night

It was the fourth most-watched episode of “The Sopranos” since the epic mob drama premiered on HBO in 1999, and best since the 2004 season premiere.

With on-demand services, multiple showings on HBO this week and DVR recording, it’s almost impossible to draw a bead on precisely how many people will actually watch the finale.

Early return for ‘Loser’

NBC will kick off its 2007-08 season a bit early with the return of another of its popular reality shows.

The network will begin the fourth season of its weight-loss show “The Biggest Loser” on Tuesday, Sept. 11, a few days before the Nielsen-approved official start of the season.

NBC is also planning a “Where Are They Now?” special featuring past contestants and how they’ve done since their time on the show; it’s scheduled for Sept. 4.

“This is an innovative way to re-introduce an audience favorite and answer the question everyone asks: ‘Did they keep the weight off?’ ” says new network chief Ben Silverman, who’s also an executive producer of the show.