'BIGGEST LOSER' AND 'THE OFFICE' PACE NBC'S PRIMETIME WEEK OF MARCH 23-29

'THE OFFICE' TIES FOR #5 AND 'BIGGEST LOSER' TIES FOR #7 AMONG ALL PROGRAMS THIS WEEK IN ADULTS 18-49

ON TUESDAY, 'THE BIGGEST LOSER: COUPLES' WINS ITS TWO-HOUR SLOT IN ADULTS 18-49 AND OTHER KEY DEMOS, SCORING ITS HIGHEST 18-49 RATING IN EIGHT WEEKS

'LOSER' GAINS 17 PERCENT IN ADULTS 18-49 AND 19 PERCENT IN TOTAL VIEWERS VERSUS ITS YEAR-AGO CYCLE

'THE BIGGEST LOSER: COUPLES' IS THE BIGGEST 'LOSER' CYCLE IN TOTAL VIEWERS SINCE THE FIRST 'BIGGEST LOSER' IN 2004-05

ON SUNDAY, 'CELEBRITY APPRENTICE' GROWS FOR THE SECOND STRAIGHT WEEK IN 18-49 AND TOTAL VIEWERS, DELIVERING ITS TOP RESULTS IN BOTH MEASURES SINCE ITS MARCH 1 PREMIERE

'CELEBRITY APPRENTICE' SURGES 67 PERCENT IN 18-49 AND 51 PERCENT IN TOTAL VIEWERS FROM ITS FIRST HALF-HOUR TO ITS FOURTH, TO WIN THE FINAL HOUR OF PRIMETIME IN ALL KEY DEMOS � ADULTS, MEN AND WOMEN 18-34, 18-49 AND 25-54

ON THURSDAY, 'THE OFFICE' AND '30 ROCK' POST WEEK-TO-WEEK GROWTH IN ADULTS 18-49

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. � March 31, 2009 � Paced by strong results from "The Biggest Loser: Couples," "The Office," "30 Rock," "ER" and "Celebrity Apprentice," NBC averaged a 2.2 rating, 6 share in adults 18-49 and 6.4 million viewers overall for the week of March 23-29, according to in-home viewing figures from Nielsen Media Research.

This week, "The Office" ranked #5 (tied) among all primetime programs in adults 18-49 and "The Biggest Loser: Couples" ranked #7 (tied). Among adults 18-34, "The Office" ranked #3 among primetime programs and its Thursday slot companion "30 Rock" ranked #6.

Primetime averages for the week of March 23-29 in adults 18-49 were Fox (3.8/10), CBS (3.3/9), ABC (2.8/8), NBC (2.2/6), Univision (1.7/5), CW (0.8/2) and Telemundo (0.6/2). In overall total viewers the weekly averages were CBS (11.4 million), Fox (10.2 million), ABC (9.4 million), NBC (6.4 million), Univision (4.3 million), CW (2.0 million) and Telemundo (1.4 million).

Through the first 27 weeks of the 2008-09 season, NBC is the only one of the major broadcast networks to decrease its median age versus the prior season. NBC is now the "second youngest" of the major broadcast networks, with a median age of 47.1 years (versus 47.8 years at this point last season), only 2.2 years "older" than Fox (44.9 years). By comparison, ABC's median age this season is 49.1 and CBS's median age is 53.8.

Season to date, NBC is running within 0.7 of a rating point of first place in primetime's key demographic of adults 18-49, versus a deficit of 1.3 points at this time last season.

NBC highlights for the week of March 23-29:

* On Sunday, "Celebrity Apprentice" grew week-to-week for the second straight week, delivering its highest 18-49 rating and biggest overall viewership since its March 1 premiere. "Celebrity Apprentice" this week was up 43 percent in adults 18-49 rating versus NBC's non-sports average in the time period this season prior to the "Apprentice" debut.

* "The Celebrity Apprentice" exhibited dramatic growth from its first half-hour to its fourth, gaining 67 percent in 18-49 rating and 51 percent or 3.4 million persons in total viewers. This surge propelled "Celebrity Apprentice" to a dominant demo victory in the Sunday 10-11 p.m. hour, which it won in all key demographic measures � adults, men and women 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54.

* On Tuesday, "The Biggest Loser: Couples" won its two-hour time period in adults 18-49, adults 18-34 and other key demos, with its highest 18-49 rating in eight weeks. Versus the prior week's "Loser," which faced competition from "American Idol," this week's edition was up 28 percent in 18-49 rating and 23 percent or more than 1.8 million persons in total viewers

* "The Biggest Loser: Couples" is up 17 percent in adults 18-49 and 19 percent in total viewers versus its year-ago cycle. Through 12 weeks, the current, seventh cycle of "The Biggest Loser" is the biggest "Loser" cycle in total viewers since "The Biggest Loser 1" in the 2004-05 season.

* NBC won Tuesday night in adults 18-49, adults 18-34 and other key demographics.

* On Thursday, "The Office" finished within 2 shares of the time-period lead in adults 18-49, and was #1 in adults 18-34 and men 18-34, topping ABC's "Grey's Anatomy," CBS's NCAA basketball and Fox's "Hell's Kitchen" in those demos. Versus the prior week, "The Office" was up 13 percent in 18-49 rating and 7 percent in total viewers

* Also on Thursday, "30 Rock" was up 6 percent in adults 18-49 versus the prior week and up 26 percent in 18-49 versus its average in this post-"Office" time period last season

* Additionally on Thursday, the penultimate episode of "ER" attracted the show's second-biggest overall audience in the last two years, with only this season's March 12 episode delivering a higher viewership over that span.

Ratings reflect "live plus same day" data unless otherwise noted. Season-to-date figures are averages of "live plus seven day" data except for the two most recent weeks, which are "live plus same day."

Additional NBC highlights for the week of March 23-29:

On Monday, March 23 from 8-9 p.m. ET, "Chuck" averaged a 2.2 rating, 6 share in adults 18-49 and 6.2 million viewers overall. From its first half-hour to its second, "Chuck" increased by 5 percent in adults 18-49, 9 percent in men 18-49 and 13 percent in both adults and men 18-34.

Monday from 9-10 p.m. ET, "Heroes" (2.9/7 in 18-49, 6.5 million viewers overall) built on its lead-in from the previous hour by 32 percent in adults 18-49 and by 63 percent in adults 18-34 (to a 2.6/7 from a 1.6/5). It is worth noting that "Heroes" ratings have increased by an average 23 percent in adults 18-49 when going from "live plus same day" to "live plus seven day" measures through the season's first five months, one of the biggest increases for any major-network primetime series. In total viewers, "Heroes" has been adding an average 21 percent or 1.7 million viewers to its previously reported "live plus same day" numbers when "live plus seven day" viewing is counted.

Monday from 10-11 p.m. ET, "Medium" averaged a 2.2/6 in 18-49 and 6.6 million viewers overall.

On Tuesday, March 24 from 9-11 p.m. ET, "The Biggest Loser: Couples" (4.1/11 in 18-49, 9.8 million viewers overall) won its two-hour time period in adults 18-49, adults 18-34 and other key demos, ahead of CBS's two-hour averages for its original dramas and ABC's combination of "Dancing With the Stars" and "Primetime: What Would You Do."

From its first half-hour to its fourth, "Loser" gained 24 percent in 18-49 rating (to a 4.6/12 from a 3.7/10) and 20 percent or 1.7 million persons in total viewers (to 10.7 million from 9.0 million).

"Biggest Loser: Couples" scored its highest 18-49 rating in eight weeks (since January 27) and its biggest overall viewership in four weeks (since February 24). Versus the prior week's two-hour "Loser," which aired from 8-10 p.m. and faced competition from "American Idol," this week's edition was up 28 percent in 18-49 rating (4.1/11 vs. 3.2/9) and 23 percent or more than 1.8 million persons in total viewers (9.8 million vs. 8.0 million).

From 8-9 p.m. ET, NBC carried live coverage of the Presidential News Conference, which was sustaining and was not included in the nightly or weekly averages.

NBC ranked #1 on Tuesday night in adults 18-49, adults 18-34 and other key demographics.

"The Biggest Loser: Couples" is up versus its year-ago cycle by 17 percent in 18-49 (4.1vs. 3.5, "most current") and 19 percent in total viewers (10.3 million vs. 8.6 million) versus the same weeks last year, while the Tuesday edition of "Idol" is down 14 percent in 18-49 (10.2 vs. 11.9, "most current") and down 11 percent in total viewers (26.8 million vs. 30.0 million).

Through 12 weeks, the current, seventh cycle of "The Biggest Loser" is the biggest "Loser" cycle in total viewers (10.3 million) since "The Biggest Loser 1" in the 2004-05 season. Among adults 18-49, the current cycle (averaging a 4.1/10) is currently tied with "Biggest Loser 2" as the highest-rated cycle since "The Biggest Loser 1."

On Wednesday, March 25 from 9-10 p.m. ET, "Life" (1.4/3 in 18-49, 4.4 million viewers overall) built by 56 percent in 18-49 rating and 71 percent in total viewers on its lead-in from the previous hour -- a 0.9/2 in 18-49 and 2.6 million viewers overall for "Chopping Block" from 8-9 p.m. From its first half-hour to its second, "Life" increased by 7 percent in adults 18-49, 13 percent in adults 25-54 and 18 percent in adults 18-34.

It is worth noting that "Life" has added an average 23 percent in adults 18-49 over the season's first five months when going from "live plus same day" to "live plus seven day" results, one of the biggest increases for any show on the major networks.

Wednesday at 10 p.m., "Law & Order" (2.2/6 in 18-49, 7.3 million viewers overall) built on its lead-in from the previous hour by 57 percent in 18-49 rating and 66 percent or more than 2.9 million persons in total viewers. "Law & Order" ranked #2 in the time period in adults 18-49, total viewers and most other key measures.

On Thursday, March 26 from 8-8:31 p.m. ET, "My Name is Earl" averaged a 2.1/6 in 18-49 and 5.9 million viewers overall in a highly competitive time period that included Fox's "American Idol," CBS's NCAA basketball coverage and ABC's premiere of "In the Motherhood."

From 8:31-9 p.m. ET, an encore telecast of "The Office" (2.0/5 in 18-49, 4.8 million viewers overall) attracted NBC's biggest overall viewership in this slot in five weeks. The "Office" encore topped ABC's first-run time-period premiere of "Samantha Who" in adults 18-34 and all key adult-male demographics.

Thursday from 9-9:31 p.m. ET, "The Office" (4.5/11 in 18-49, 8.6 million viewers overall) finished within 2 shares of the time-period lead in adults 18-49 and was #1 in adults 18-34 and men 18-34, topping ABC's "Grey's Anatomy," CBS's NCAA basketball and Fox's "Hell's Kitchen" in those demos.

Versus the prior week, "The Office" was up 13 percent in 18-49 rating (4.5/11 vs. 4.0/10) and 7 percent in total viewers (8.6 million vs. 8.1 million). "The Office" built on its lead-in from the encore telecast in the previous half-hour by 125 percent in 18-49 rating and by 82 percent or more than 3.8 million persons in total viewers.

Season-to-date, "The Office" is the #11-ranked primetime program in adults 18-49, despite airing in head-to-head competition with the #1 show on the CBS schedule ("CSI") and one of the two top shows on the ABC schedule ("Grey's Anatomy"). Among adults 18-34, "The Office" is primetime television's #4 show (averaging a 5.5/14 season-to-date in that demo), behind only "Grey's Anatomy" and the Tuesday and Wednesday editions of "American Idol."

Thursday from 9:31-10 p.m. ET, "30 Rock" (3.4/8 in 18-49, 7.2 million viewers overall) was up 6 percent in adults 18-49 versus the prior week (3.4 vs. 3.2) and was up 26 percent versus its average in this post-"Office" time period last season (3.4 vs. 2.7).

Thursday from 10-11 p.m. ET, "ER" (3.5/9 in 18-49, 10.4 million viewers overall) attracted its second-biggest overall audience in the last two years (since February 15, 2007), with only this season's March 12 episode delivering a higher viewership over that span. "ER" finished within one share of the time-period lead in adults 18-49 and ranked #1 among adults 25-54 (tied with CBS's NCAA basketball coverage).

Week-to-week, "ER" was up 9 percent in both 18-49 rating (3.5 vs. 3.2) and total viewers (10.4 million vs. 9.5 million).

On Friday, March 27 from 8-8:29 p.m. ET, a rebroadcast of "Howie Do It" averaged a 1.0/4 in 18-49 and 3.7 million viewers overall. From 8:29-9 p.m., a second encore telecast of "Howie Do It" delivered a 1.0/3 in 18-49 and 3.5 million viewers overall.

Friday from 9-10 p.m. ET, "Friday Night Lights" (1.3/4 in 18-49, 4.0 million viewers overall) built on its lead-in by 30 percent in adults 18-49 and by 14 percent in total viewers. It is worth noting that so far this season, "Friday Night Lights'" 18-49 rating has been increasing by an average of 22 percent when going from "live plus same day" to "live plus seven day" results. The current third season of "Friday Night Lights" has previously run on DirecTV.

Friday at 10 p.m. ET, "Dateline NBC" (1.6/5 in 18-49, 5.5 million viewers overall) increased from its first half-hour to its second by 38 percent in adults 18-49 (to a 1.8/5 from a 1.3/4), 28 percent in adults 25-54 (to a 2.3/6 from a 1.8/45 and 26 percent or more than 1.2 million persons in total viewers (to 6.2 million from 4.9 million).

On Saturday, March 28 from 8-9 p.m. ET, an encore telecast of "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" averaged a 0.7/2 in 18-49 and 3.8 million viewers overall. From its first half-hour to its second, "Criminal Intent" increased 33 percent in 18-49 rating (to a 0.8/3 from a 0.6/2).

Saturday from 9-11 p.m. ET, "The World Figure Skating Championships" averaged a 0.6/2 in 18-49 and 3.7 million viewers overall. From its first half-hour to its fourth the telecast grew by 40 percent in 18-49 rating (to a 0.7/2 from a 0.5/1), by 67 percent in adults 25-54 (1.0 vs. 0.6) and by 57 percent in women 25-54 (1.1 vs. 0.7).

On Sunday, March 29 from 7-8 p.m. ET, an overrun of NBC Sports' coverage of the Arnold Palmer Invitational from the Bay Hill Club and Lodge in Orlando averaged a 2.6/8 in 18-49 and 10.6 million viewers overall. This marks NBC's top performance in this time period in seven weeks, since the February 8 telecast of the NFL Pro Bowl.

Sunday from 8-9 p.m. ET, "Kings" averaged a 1.3/3 in 18-49 and 4.5 million viewers overall, matching its prior week's performance in adults 18-49.

Sunday from 9-11 p.m. ET, "The Celebrity Apprentice" (3.3/8 in 18-49, 8.7 million viewers overall) delivered dramatic growth from its first half-hour to its fourth, gaining 67 percent in 18-49 rating (to a 4.0/11 from a 2.4/6) and 51 percent or 3.4 million persons in total viewers (to 10.1 million from 6.7 million).

This steady growth propelled "Celebrity Apprentice" to a dominant demographic victory in the 10-11 p.m. hour, which it won in all key demographics � adults, men and women 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54.

"Celebrity Apprentice" grew week-to-week for the second straight week, increasing 10 percent in adults 18-49 (3.3 vs. 3.0) and 17 percent or 1.1 million persons in total viewers (8.7 million vs. 7.4 million) versus its March 22 telecast. "Celebrity Apprentice" logged its highest 18-49 rating and biggest overall audience since its March 1 premiere, and was up 43 percent in 18-49 rating versus NBC's non-sports average in the time period this season prior to "Apprentice's" debut (3.3 vs. 2.3, "live plus same day").