Christiane Amanpour‘s debut as host of ABC’s “This Week” finished third in total viewers behind NBC’s “Meet the Press” and CBS’ “Face the Nation” according to Nielsen Fast Nationals early ratings numbers. The program was, however, able to top “Face” in the A25-54 demo rating. “MTP” was remained the top show in both categories:

The new host enters the Sunday show fray in the middle of the summer, typically a period of lower overall viewership, and on the heels of an unusual seven month anchor rotation for that program, much of which was filled by interim anchor Jake Tapper. Still, some may view her inability to win the day as a slow start.

That’s not the case at ABC, at least outwardly. “We are very pleased with the broadcast on Sunday, and we’re exactly where we thought we’d be,” says “This Week” EP Ian Cameron. “It’s been a solid start all around.”

If the numbers hold, “This Week” will have posted the most week-to-week growth compared to the NBC and CBS competition. Check back Thursday for the Nielsen final numbers and more analysis.