or


[10/10/08 - 01:21 PM]
Up Against CBS' Premiere Thursday, ABC Earns Second in Viewers and All Key Adults
ABC spins the numbers for Thursday, October 9.

[via press release from ABC]

Quick Take for Thursday, October 9, 2008 (Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Ratings)

Up Against CBS' Premiere Thursday, ABC Earns Second in Viewers and All Key Adults, While Ranking a Dominant No. 1 on the Night in Women 18-34

Growing Week to Week in Viewers and Young Adults, "Ugly Betty" Takes Second At 8pm in Viewers and Wins the Hour for the 3rd Straight Week in Women 18-34

ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" Tops the Season Opener of "C.S.I" in Adults 18-34 And Stand as the Thursday's No. 1 Television Program in Women 18-34

ABC's "Life on Mars" Opens as TV's No. 1 New Drama Debut This Season In Adults 18-49, Qualifying as the Highest-Rated Fall Drama Opener in 1 Year

In the 10pm Hour, "Life on Mars" Beats CBS' Debut of "Eleventh Hour" in Key Adults

Thursday Night (8:00-11:00 p.m.)

Against the premiere of CBS' Thursday dramas, ABC earned second place in Total Viewers (11.5 million) and across all key Adult demos: AD18-34 (3.4/10), AD18-49 (4.0/10) and AD25-54 (4.6/11). ABC posted a dominant first place on the evening in Women 18-34, besting its nearest competition by 26% (4.9/14 vs. 3.9/11 - NBC).

"Ugly Betty" (8:00-9:00 p.m.)

Growing week to week, ABC's "Ugly Betty" took second place in its hour among Total Viewers (8.5 million) to CBS' "Survivor: Gabon," topping NBC's comedies which included the debut of "Kath & Kim" by 1.2 million viewers ("My Name is Earl"/"Kath & Kim" = 7.3 million). Leading its nearest competition in the hour by 16% in Women 18-34 (3.6/11 vs. 3.1/10 - CBS), "Betty" ranked No. 1 in its time period for the 3rd week in a row among young women.

� "Ugly Betty" was up week to week in both Total Viewers (8.5 million vs. 8.3 million) and Adults 18-49 (2.6/7 vs. 2.5/7).

"Grey's Anatomy" (9:00-10:00 p.m.)

Opposite the season premiere of CBS' "C.S.I. in the 9 o'clock hour," ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" took second in the hour to stand as Thursday's No. 2 TV show in both Total Viewers (14.5 million) and Adults 18-49 (5.5/13). "Grey's" beat the "C.S.I." premiere by 20% among Adults 18-34 (5.3/14 vs. 4.4/12). The ABC medical drama led the hour by 47% (7.8/19 vs. 5.3/13 � CBS and NBC tied) and registered as Thursday's No. 1 TV show with Women 18-34.

"Life on Mars" (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

TV's highest-rated drama debut of the season, ABC's series debut of "Life on Mars" topped CBS' series premiere of "Eleventh Hour" by solid margins in the 10 o'clock hour across all key Adult demos: AD18-34 +23% (2.7/8 vs. 2.2/7), AD18-49 +15% (3.8/10 vs. 3.3/9) and AD25-54 +14% (4.8/12 vs. 4.2/10). In addition, "Life on Mars" ranked No. 1 in the hour in AD25-54, M25-54 and W25-54, and was the top-rated broadcast show in the slot with Teens 12-17 (1.4/6).

� "Life on Mars" stands as TV's No. 1 drama debut of the season in Adults 18-49, and the highest-rated Fall drama opener in 1 year � since 10/3/07.

� "Life on Mars" improved the time period for ABC over the same night last year (w/"Big Shots") by 3.1 million viewers (11.6 million vs. 8.5 million), by 6% in Adults 18-49 (3.8/10 vs. 3.6/10) and by 17% in Adults 25-54 (4.8/12 vs. 4.1/11).

� "Life on Mars" retained a strong 93% of its lead-in among Men 18-49 (2.8/8 vs. 3.0/8) and built on Grey's Anatomy by 6% in Men 25-54 (3.7/10 vs. 3.5/8).

A note about increasing DVR penetration and year-to-year rating comparisons: Year-to-year rating comparisons based on the Live + Same Day data stream are distorted by the level of DVR penetration in the Nielsen sample, which has jumped up to 28% currently, from 20% at the same point in 2007. More viewers are watching shows on their own timetables, which may not be reflected in the overnight next day numbers. The only truly valid year-to-year comparison would be one based on the Live + 7 Day metric, once those stats are released by Nielsen.

Source: Nielsen Media Research (Fast Affiliate, Live + Same Day Ratings), 10/9/08.





  [october 2026]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
    


· BIG SHOTS (ABC)
· CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION (CBS)
· ELEVENTH HOUR (CBS)
· GREY'S ANATOMY (ABC)
· KATH & KIM (NBC)
· LIFE ON MARS (ABC)
· MY NAME IS EARL (NBC)
· UGLY BETTY (ABC)





[10/21/26 - 04:01 PM]
USA Sports' Coverage of Dream-Valkyries Game 2 Is Most-Watched WNBA Finals Game 2 Ever on Cable
Monday night's coverage averaged 1.33 million viewers across USA Sports' linear platforms (USA Network, CNBC and E!).

[10/21/26 - 03:31 PM]
BET Renews "ComicView: Rooftop Series" for a Second Season
The 20-episode order puts 60 comedians on the Hollywood rooftop and cements the series as an anchor of the network's Comedy Fun Night.

[10/21/26 - 03:15 PM]
It's Back to School at "Abbott Elementary" as Show Returns with Over 6 Million Total Viewers
The premiere episode scored the show's best streaming performance since Season 4, based on views over seven days on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+.

[10/21/26 - 02:31 PM]
Commanders-49ers on "Monday Night Football" Delivers 17.9 Million Viewers
Six weeks into ESPN's Super Bowl LXI season, "Monday Night Football" is up 23% compared to the same point in 2025, averaging 19 million viewers.

[10/21/26 - 11:31 AM]
"Tyler Perry's Beauty In Black" Season 4 Kicks Off Production in Atlanta
"'Beauty in Black' is back for Season 4 and the Bellarie family's story is far from finished," said Perry.

[10/21/26 - 11:30 AM]
Esther McGregor and Emilio Sakraya to Star in "Fourth Wing" on Prime Video
McGregor will play the fiercely intelligent and often underestimated Violet Sorrengail; while Sakraya will play the enigmatic and ruthless Xaden Riorson.

[10/21/26 - 11:21 AM]
"Blue Lights" Season Four Chronicles a Changing Belfast as the Acclaimed Drama Returns to BritBox
Other November highlights include the return of "Death Valley" on November 17.

[10/21/26 - 11:06 AM]
Sabine Grace, Logan Kim, Marin Ireland and Intae Kim Have Joined the Cast of "Pagans," Alongside Steven Yeun
A father becomes the sole caretaker of his two children after the tragic loss of his wife. What starts as a strained father-daughter relationship soon evolves into something far more sinister.

[10/21/26 - 11:01 AM]
Top 10 Most-Watched Prime Original Films & Series for the Week of October 12
"Carrie," "Neagley," "Reacher," "Off Campus," and "Sterling Point" led all original series worldwide.

[10/21/26 - 10:01 AM]
Hulu Announces Tinx as Host of "The Circle," Featuring Celebrity Contestants and Audience Voting
Beginning November 17, "The Circle" will debut three new episodes weekly, airing Tuesday through Thursday for five weeks, culminating in the season finale on Friday, December 18.

[10/21/26 - 09:30 AM]
Video: It Has All Led to This - Forging The One Ring to Rule Them All in Season 3 Trailer for "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" from Prime Video
The first four episodes of season three will premiere on November 11, 2026.

[10/21/26 - 09:07 AM]
FOX Sports Expands Year-Round Horse Racing Coverage with Gulfstream Park Championship Meet
As part of the agreement, the $1 million EquiTrack Florida Derby will air live on FOX broadcast network on March 27, 2027.

[10/21/26 - 09:00 AM]
Versant Announces Licensing Agreement to Stream E!'s "The Golden Life" on Hulu
The first two episodes will be available on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers in the U.S. beginning November 3, with remaining episodes available seven days after premiering on E!.

[10/21/26 - 08:31 AM]
Video: "Avedon" - Official Trailer - Netflix
The life and work of legendary photographer Richard Avedon come into focus through archival footage and new interviews in this intimate documentary.

[10/21/26 - 08:30 AM]
Prime Video Unveils Key Art and Premiere Date for Docuseries "The Boy Who Stole Billions?" Premiering November 30
The series delves into one of the biggest frauds in U.S. history with unprecedented access and exclusive firsthand accounts from Sam Bankman-Fried himself from prison.