NBC RANKS #2 IN ADULTS 18-49 FOR THE WEEK OF APRIL 14-20, PACED BY 'THE OFFICE,' 'SVU' AND 'THE BIGGEST LOSER'

NBC RANKS #2 IN ADULTS 18-49 FOR THE WEEK OF APRIL 14-20, PACED BY 'THE OFFICE,' 'SVU' AND 'THE BIGGEST LOSER'

'THE OFFICE' DRAWS ITS BIGGEST TOTAL VIEWERSHIP OF THE SEASON AND DELIVERS ITS HIGHEST 18-49 RATING SINCE PREMIERE WEEK, RANKING #1 IN PRIMETIME'S KEY DEMO AMONG ALL PROGRAMS ON THURSDAY

'THE OFFICE' RANKS #5 AMONG ALL PROGRAMS FOR THE WEEK IN ADULTS 18-49, #3 AMONG ADULTS 18-34 AND #1 AMONG MEN 18-34

'THE BIGGEST LOSER 5' FINALE SCORES HEAVYWEIGHT RESULTS AGAINST FIERCE COMPETITION, MATCHING NBC'S TOP 18-49 RATING IN ITS SLOT SINCE NOVEMBER 2005, EXCLUDING OLYMPICS, AND BIGGEST TOTAL VIEWERSHIP OF THE SEASON

ALSO ON TUESDAY, A DOMINANT 'LAW & ORDER: SVU' RETURNS TO ORIGINAL EPISODES, BEATING THE ABC-CBS COMPETITION COMBINED IN ADULTS 18-49 AND OTHER KEY DEMOS

'MEDIUM' ON MONDAY WINS ITS HOUR IN ADULTS 18-49, 25-54 AND KEY FEMALE DEMOS, WITH AN 18-49 RATING 35 PERCENT HIGHER THAN NBC'S AVERAGE IN THE SLOT THIS SEASON PRIOR TO 'MEDIUM'

'DATELINE' PACES NBC TO A FRIDAY WIN IN ADULTS 18-49 AND TOTAL VIEWERS

VERSUS THE SAME WEEK LAST YEAR, NBC IS UP BY 14 PERCENT IN 18-49 WHILE THE OTHER MAJOR NETS ARE ALL DOWN BY DOUBLE-DIGIT PERCENTAGES

BURBANK, Calif. � April 22, 2008 � Paced by strong performances from "The Office," "The Biggest Loser" and "Law & Order: SVU," NBC ranked #2 in primetime's key demographic of adults 18-49, averaging a 2.4 rating, 7 share in adults 18-49 and 7.3 million viewers overall for the week of April 14-20, according to in-home viewing figures from Nielsen Media Research.

"The Office" was NBC's top show of the week in numerous key demographic measures. Among all primetime programs this week, "The Office" ranked #5 in the key demo of adults 18-49. Among adults 18-34, "The Office" (5.7/17) was the #3 program of the week, trailing only the Tuesday and Wednesday editions of "American Idol." And, in the elusive demographic of men 18-34, "The Office" was the #1 program of the week, delivering a 5.7/17 in that demo, topping all other programs including both "American Idol" telecasts.

Overall, NBC programmed three of the top 10 and six of the top 20 programs of the week in adults 18-49, with "The Office" (#5), "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (#6, tie), "The Biggest Loser 5" (#8), "Scrubs" (#13), "Medium" (#18, tie) and "ER" (#20, tie). In the valuable demographic of adults 18-34, NBC had four of the top 10 shows, with "The Office" (#3), "Scrubs" (#5), "SVU" (#7) and "The Biggest Loser" (#8).

Through 30 weeks of the 2007-08 season, Fox leads in primetime's key demographic of adults 18-49, with the race for #2 extremely tight. Season-to-date averages in adults 18-49 for the period September 24, 2007 through April 20, 2008 are Fox (4.3/11), ABC and CBS (3.0/8), NBC (2.9/8), Univision (1.5/4), CW (1.0/3) and Telemundo (0.4/1).

Through the first 30 weeks of the 2007-08 season, NBC is the only network to have grown younger in primetime, and NBC is now the "second-youngest" of the major broadcast networks. NBC's median age has moved to 48.1 years this season from 48.2 years at this point last season. In this same comparison, ABC's median age has increased by 2.2 years (to 49.1 from 46.9), CBS's median age has increased to 52.7 years old from 51.9 and Fox's median age has increased by 1.3 years to 43.9 from 42.6 years old at this point last season.

Primetime averages for the week of April 14-20 in adults 18-49 were Fox (3.2/9), NBC (2.4/7), ABC and CBS (2.3/7), Univision (1.5/4), CW (0.9/3) and Telemundo (0.5/1). In overall total viewers the weekly averages were Fox (8.8 million), CBS (8.5 million), ABC (7.9 million), NBC (7.3 million), Univision (3.5 million), CW (2.3 million) and Telemundo (1.2 million).

Versus the same week last year, NBC is up 14 percent in 18-49 rating (2.4 vs. 2.1) while the other major networks are all down by double-digit percentages -- Fox by 18 percent (3.2 vs. 3.9), CBS by 12 percent (2.3 vs. 2.6) and ABC by 30 percent (2.3 vs. 3.3).

NBC highlights for the week of April 14-20:

* On Monday, "Medium" won its hour in adults 18-49 and other key measures, including the key female demographics of women 18-49 and 25-54. Monday's "Medium" was up 35 percent in 18-49 rating versus NBC's season average in this time period prior to "Medium's" debut.

* Also on Monday, despite competition from ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" and CBS's first-run comedy lineup, a two-hour "Deal or No Deal" grew by 68 percent in 18-49 rating and by 62 percent, or 4.8 million persons in total viewers from its first to its final half-hour.

* On Tuesday, despite fierce competition from "American Idol" and "Dancing With the Stars," the season finale of "The Biggest Loser" matched NBC's highest 18-49 rating in this time period in nearly two-and-a-half years, excluding Olympics, and weighed in with NBC's heftiest total viewership in the slot since November 2005, excluding Olympics.

* In its climactic final hour, when Alison Vincent was named the first female "Biggest Loser," the series finale ranked #1 in adults 18-49, topping ABC's "Dancing With the Stars," Fox's "Kitchen Nightmares" and CBS's "Big Brother" in adults 18-49 and other key measures. Despite the fierce competition, "Loser" gained from its first to its fourth half-hour 51 percent in 18-49 rating and 43 percent, or more than 4.0 million persons, in total viewers.

* Also on Tuesday, "Law & Order: SVU" returned in original episodes, dominating its time period by beating the ABC-CBS competition combined in adults 18-49 and all other key demographics. "SVU" also won the hour handily in total viewers.

* On Wednesday, "Deal or No Deal" delivered NBC's highest 18-49 rating in its time period in nine weeks. "Deal" was the top-ranked non-news program in the hour in adults 18-49, total viewers and other key measures, trailing only coverage of the Democratic debate

* On Thursday, "The Office" hit its highest 18-49 rating since its season premiere in September and attracted its biggest overall viewership of the 2007-08 season (and highest since February 2007).

* "The Office" was the highest-rated program on television Thursday in adults 18-49, winning its slot in that demo and other key measures. In adults 18-34, "The Office" beat the ABC-CBS-Fox-CW competition in the time period combined.

* Also on Thursday, "30 Rock" scored its biggest-ever increase in 18-49 rating versus its lead-in from "My Name is Earl." "30 Rock" finished #2 in its time period in adults 18-49 and #1 in men 18-34.

* Additionally on Thursday, both "Scrubs" and "ER" won their respective slots in adults 18-49 and other key measures. "Scrubs" delivered its highest 18-49 rating since November 1, 2007 and its largest total viewership of the current season.

* On Friday, a two-hour "Dateline" won its time period in adults 18-49, total viewers and other key measures, pacing NBC to its ninth Friday victory of the season in 18-49 and fourth Friday win in total viewers.

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 April 14-20:

On Monday, April 14 from 8-10 p.m. ET, "Deal or No Deal" (2.9 rating, 7 share in adults 18-49, 9.7 million viewers overall) scored NBC's highest 18-49 rating and total viewer tally in this time period in seven weeks. "Deal" grew from its first to its final half-hour by 68 percent in 18-49 rating (to a 3.2/8 from a 2.2/6) and 62 percent or 4.8 million persons in total viewers (to 12.6 million from 7.8 million).

Monday at 10 p.m. ET, "Medium" (3.2/8 in 18-49, 9.8 million viewers overall) won its time period in adults 18-49 and 25-54, as well as in the key female demographics of women 18-49 and 25-54, topping ABC's first-run "The Bachelor" and CBS's encore "CSI: Miami" in those measures. This week's "Medium" was up 35 percent versus NBC's season average in the time period prior to "Medium's" January 7 debut (3.1 vs. 2.3, "live plus same day").

On Tuesday, April 15 from 8-10 p.m. ET, the live finale of "The Biggest Loser 5" (4.4/11 share in adults 18-49, 11.4 million viewers overall) matched NBC's highest 18-49 rating in this time period in nearly two-and-a-half years (since November 29, 2005, excluding Olympics) and weighed in with NBC's heftiest total viewership in the time period since August 21, 2007

In this ferociously competitive two-hour time period, "The Biggest Loser" ranked #2 in adults 18-49 behind only Fox's "American Idol"-led lineup and well ahead of ABC's "Dancing With the Stars"-led lineup.

In the climactic 9-10 p.m. ET hour, when Alison Vincent became the first female "Biggest Loser," the series finale ranked #1 in adults 18-49, topping ABC's "Dancing With the Stars," Fox's "Kitchen Nightmares" and CBS's "Big Brother" in adults 18-49 and other key measures. In the 8-9 p.m. ET hour, "The Biggest Loser" delivered NBC's highest 18-49 rating (a 3.7) in this Tuesday time period versus "American Idol" in more than four years (since February 17, 2004, excluding Olympics).

Despite the fierce competition, "Loser" gained, from its first to its fourth half-hour, 51 percent in 18-49 rating (to a 5.3/13 from a 3.5/10) and 43 percent, or more than 4.0 million persons in total viewers (to 13.4 million from 9.4 million).

For its full cycle, "The Biggest Loser 5" improved versus "The Biggest Loser 4" by 3 percent in 18-49 rating (3.4 vs. 3.3 in "live plus same day" ratings) and by 9 percent in total viewers (8.5 million vs. 7.8 million), a remarkable achievement in that "Biggest Loser 5" faced competition from "American Idol" that "Biggest Loser 4" did not face.

Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET, "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (4.7/13 in 18-49, 13.3 million viewers overall) dominated the time period, beating the ABC-CBS competition combined in adults 18-49 and all other key demographics. "SVU" also won the hour handily in total viewers

"SVU" returned on this night to original episodes with its second-highest 18-49 rating since October 23, 2007 and second-highest total viewer result of the 2007-08 season. "SVU" was up 4 percent in 18-49 versus its prior season average for original episodes (4.7 vs. 4.5).

NBC ranked #2 for the night in adults 18-49, total viewers and other key measures with the network's second-highest Tuesday average of the season in 18-49. This marks the 12th time in the last 14 Tuesdays, that NBC has finished #2 in adults 18-49, behind only "American Idol"-boosted Fox

On Wednesday, April 16 from 8-9 p.m. ET, "Deal or No Deal" (2.6/8 in 18-49, 9.7 million viewers overall) delivered NBC's highest 18-49 rating in this slot in nine weeks (since February 13). In total viewers, "Deal" hit a five-week high. "Deal or No Deal" was the #1 ranked non-news program in the hour in adults 18-49, total viewers and other key measures, trailing only ABC News' coverage of the Democratic debate.

"Deal" surged from its first to its second half-hour by 32 percent in 18-49 (to a 2.9/8 from a 2.2/7) and by 25 percent, or about 2.2 million persons, in total viewers (to 10.8 million from 8.6 million).

Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET, a rebroadcast of "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" averaged a 1.4/3 in 18-49 and 4.3 million viewers overall. At 10 p.m., an encore telecast of "Law & Order" (1.8/5 in 18-49, 6.2 million viewers overall) built on its lead-in from the previous hour by 29 percent in 18-49 rating and 43 percent in total viewers.

On Thursday, April 17, at 8 p.m. ET, "My Name is Earl" (2.7/9 in 18-49, 6.9 million viewers overall) ranked #2 in the time period in adults 18-49 and #1 in men 18-34.

At 8:30 p.m. ET, "30 Rock" (2.8/8 in 18-49, 6.5 million viewers overall) scored its biggest increase ever in adult 18-49 rating versus its "Earl" lead-in. "30 Rock" matched its highest 18-49 rating from the show's last six original telecasts, dating back to November 15, and delivered its largest overall viewership since that date. "30 Rock" ranked #2 in the time period in adults 18-49, finished within one-tenth of a rating point of the lead in adults 18-34 and won its slot among men 18-34. "30 Rock" improved its 18-49 rating versus the same night last year by 12 percent (2.8 vs. a 2.5 on April 19, 2007 at 9 p.m.). In total viewers, the year-to-year improvement for "30 Rock" was 26 percent (6.5 million vs. 5.2 million).

Thursday from 9-9:32 p.m. ET, "The Office" (5.0/13 in 18-49, 9.9 million viewers overall) hit its highest 18-49 rating since its season premiere on September 27 and attracted its largest total viewership of the 2007-8 season (since February 1, 2007).

"The Office" was the highest-rated program on television Thursday night in adults 18-49, winning its time period in that demo and other key measures. Among adults 18-34, "The Office" topped the combined ratings of ABC, CBS, Fox and CW in the time period (5.7 for "The Office" vs. a 5.3 for the four networks combined).

From 9:32-10:01 p.m. ET, "Scrubs" (3.7/10 in 18-49, 7.2 million viewers overall) ranked #1 in the time slot in adults 18-49, adults 18-34 and all key adult-male demos. This was the highest-rated "Scrubs" in adults 18-49 since November 1, 2007 and the "most watched" episode of "Scrubs" in total viewers since January 11, 2007. "Scrubs" was up 16 percent in 18-49 rating versus its pre-strike average for original episodes (3.7 vs. 3.2, "live plus same day").

Thursday, from 10:01-11 p.m., "ER" (3.1/9 in 18-49, 7.8 million viewers overall) won its time period in adults 18-49 and other key demographics.

On Friday, April 18 from 8-8:30 p.m. ET, an encore telecast of "Most Outrageous Moments" delivered a 1.4/5 in 18-49 and 5.0 million viewers overall. From 8:30-9 p.m., a second encore "Most Outrageous Moments" delivered a 1.7/6 in 18-49 and 5.5 million viewers overall. The back-to-back episodes of "Most Outrageous Moments" posted NBC's top 18-49 result in this time period in six weeks (since March 7) and biggest total viewership in the slot in eight weeks (since February 22). For the hour, they ranked #2 in total viewers and adults 25-54 and #1 among men 25-54 (tied).

Friday from 9-11 p.m. ET, "Dateline NBC" (1.9/6 in adults 18-49, 7.1 million viewers overall) won the time period in adults 18-49, total viewers and other key measures.

NBC won Friday night in adults 18-49 and total viewers. This marks NBC's ninth Friday win of the season in 18-49 and fourth in total viewers.

On Saturday, April 19, at 8 p.m. ET, a rebroadcast of "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" averaged a 0.6/2 in 18-49 and 3.2 million viewers overall. At 9 p.m. ET, a second encore telecast of "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" delivered a 0.9/3 in 18-49 and 4.3 million viewers overall. At 10 p.m., an encore "Law & Order" averaged a 1.2/4 in 18-49 and 5.1 million viewers overall.

NBC's primetime performance increased steadily half-hour to half-hour on Saturday, building by 140 percent in 18-49 rating (to a 1.2/4 from a 0.5/2) and by 90 percent in total viewers (to 5.4 million from 2.8 million) from the first to the final half-hour of primetime.

On Sunday, April 20 from 7-8 p.m. ET, "Dateline NBC" delivered a 1.2/4 in 18-49 and 5.0 million viewers overall. At 8 p.m., "Monk" averaged a 1.2/3 in 18-49 and 5.6 million viewers overall. From its first to its second half-hour, "Monk" built by 27 percent in 18-49 rating (to a 1.4/4 from a 1.1/3) and by 18 percent in total viewers (to 6.0 million from 5.1 million). At 9 p.m., "Psych" delivered a 1.1/3 in 18-49 and 4.0 million viewers overall.

At 10 p.m. ET, an encore telecast of "Law & Order: SVU" delivered a 1.6/4 in 18-49 and 6.0 million viewers overall. From half-hour to half-hour, "SVU" increased by 20 percent in 18-49 rating (to a 1.8/5 from a 1.5/4). "SVU" ranked #2 in the time period in adults 18-49 and other key demographic measures.