Moving into what promises to be a tough Tuesday timeslot, the two-hour premiere of NBC’s “The Biggest Loser” got off to a solid start last night, two weeks ahead of most of the competition.

“Loser” averaged a 3.1 adults 18-49 rating from 8 to 10 p.m., according to Nielsen overnights, even to last year’s season opener on Wednesday night. Among total viewers, the show was up 11 percent over last year, from 7.2 million to 7.9 million.

The show won its timeslot on both measures, and its viewership rose by more than 40 percent from its first to its final half hour in both.

“Loser” will shrink back to 90 minutes in the following weeks, when it will start to see tougher competition. At 8 p.m., the show faces the CBS hit “NCIS” as well as CW’s young-skewing “Beauty and the Geek,” while at 9 it will square off against ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars” and Fox’s “House,” the night’s two top programs.

“Loser” led NBC to first for the night among viewers 18-49 with a 2.8 average overnight rating and an 8 share. CBS was second at 2.2/6, Fox third at 2.1/6, ABC fourth at 1.7/5, Univision fifth at 1.5/4 and CW sixth at 0.5/1.
 
At 8 p.m. NBC led with a 2.6 for the first half of “Loser,” followed by ABC with a 2.1 for “Just for Laughs.” CBS was third with a 1.8 for “Power of 10,” Fox fourth with a 1.7 for a repeat of “Bones,” Univision fifth with a 2.1 for “Amar sin Limites” and CW sixth with a 0.5 for a repeat of “Gilmore Girls.”
 
NBC was on top again at 9 p.m. with a 3.6 for its second hour of “Loser,” while CBS moved to second with a 3.0 for “Big Brother.” Fox was third with a 2.5 for a repeat of “House,” Univision fourth with a 2.1 for “Destilando Amor,” ABC fifth with a 1.3 for “i-Caught” and CW sixth with a 0.4 for a repeat of “Beauty and the Geek.”
 
NBC made it a nightly sweep at 10 p.m., leading once again with a 2.2 for a repeat of “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.” CBS was second with a 1.9 for a repeat of “NCIS,” ABC third with a 1.8 for “Primetime” and Univision fourth with a 1.1 for “S.O.S. Sexo y Otros Secretos.”
 
Among households, CBS was first for the night with a 5.2 average overnight rating and a 9 share, followed by NBC at 4.8/8. Fox was third at 4.6/8, ABC fourth at 3.6/6, Univision fifth at 1.8/3 and CW sixth at 1.0/2.