Primetime Ratings Report For the week of September 28, 2009 (Based on National Live + Same Day Program Ratings)

Up Over the Same Week Last Year in Viewers and Young Adults, ABC Finishes a Strong No. 2 to an NFL-Overrun-Inflated Fox in Adults 18-49

ABC Delivers 5 of the Top 20 TV Shows for the Week in Adults 18-49, Airing the No. 1 Scripted Series for the 2nd Straight Week with "Grey's"

For the 2nd Week in a Row, ABC's "DWTS" is Monday's Most-Watched TV Show

Producing its Best-Ever "DWTS" Retention, "Castle" Beats NBC's "Jay Leno" in Viewers and Adults 18-49 and is Up Over its Season Premiere in Key Women

Drawing its Biggest Audience since August, "Shark Tank's" Tuesday Premiere Grows from its Last Sunday Airing by 14% in Viewers and 7% in Adults 18-49

Showing Impressive Compatibility Throughout, ABC's Wednesday 8-10pm Freshman Comedy Block Finishes No. 1 in Adults 18-49

The Most-Watched TV Show Wednesday at 8pm, "Hank" Opens with ABC's Biggest Audience in the Slot with Regular Programming in Nearly 2 Years

The Most-Watched TV Show in its Half-Hour, "The Middle" Boosts its Slot for ABC by 2.8 Million Viewers and by 30% in Adults 18-49 Over the Year-ago Night

"Modern Family and "Cougar Town" Tie as Wednesday's No. 1 Show in Adults 18-49

ABC's "Eastwick" Defeats NBC's "Leno" for the 2nd Week in a Row and Grows Over its Week-Ago Debut in Women 18-34 to Win Wednesday's 10pm Hour

"FlashForward" Delivers Strong Retention of its Big Week-Ago Series Debut, Finishing No. 1 in Adults 18-49 and Greatly Improving its Hour for ABC

Thursday's No. 1 TV Show in Adults 18-49, "Grey's Anatomy" Marks its Best 1-Hour Telecast Since November and Outperforms its 2nd Airing Last Season

Season 3 Premiere of "Private Practice" Takes Full Control of its Hour In Adults 18-49 and Posting Big Gains Over its Year-Ago Season Opener

For the 2nd Straight Week, ABC News' "20/20" is No. 1 in its Hour in Adults 18-49

For the 3rd Week in a Row, ABC Wins with "Saturday Night Football"

ABC's "Home Edition" Generates the Series' Biggest Audience in Nearly 1 Year

Sunday's Most-Watched Non-Sports Show, "Desperate Housewives" Builds on its Season Premiere for the First Time Ever to Notch its Best Numbers Since March

WEEK No. 2:

ABC finished a strong second during the week of September 28, 2009 among Total Viewers (9.6 million) and Adults 18-49 (2.9/8-tie), pacing within two-tenths of a rating point of tying an NFL-overrun-boosted Fox (3.1/9) for No. 1 with young adults. Please Note: Fox's weekly Adult 18-49 number was inflated 3-tenths of a rating point by a substantial Sunday NFL primetime overrun (Dallas-Denver from 7:00-7:30 p.m. ET), and without the half-hour boost to its weekly averages would have finished at a 2.8 rating, trailing both ABC and CBS for the week. ABC won the week by 6% among Women 18-49, over second place CBS (3.6/10 vs. 3.4/10).

� ABC was up over the same week last year (w/o 9/29/08) in both Total Viewers (+4% - 9.6 million vs. 9.2 million) and Adults 18-49 (+4% - 2.9/8 vs. 2.8/8). Year to year, ABC and Fox were only broadcast nets to grow in Adult 18-49 audience.

Rankings: ABC claimed 5 of the Top 20 TV shows during the week in Adults 18-49, including the No. 1 scripted program for the 2nd week in a row with "Grey's Anatomy": "Grey's Anatomy" � No. 3, "Desperate Housewives" � No. 7, "Private Practice" � No. 12, while "Cougar Town" and "Modern Family" tied at No. 19. The Network placed 3 of the Top 10 most-watched television shows overall during the week: "Dancing with the Stars" � No. 4, "Grey's Anatomy" � No. 8 and "Desperate Housewives" � No. 10. With "Modern Family," "Cougar Town" and "FlashForward," ABC aired 3 of the Top 5 highest-rated freshman series in Adults 18-49 (Top 3 new non-spinoff series). The Network delivered the Top 3 TV shows of the week with Women 18-49, with "Grey's," "Private Practice" and "Housewives," respectively.

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 33% currently, from 27% at the same point in 2008. 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.

Monday

ABC stood as the most-watched TV network on Monday, outperforming CBS by 2.5 million viewers (14.5 million vs. 12.0 million).

"Dancing with the Stars" (8:00-10:02 p.m.)

For the second week in a row, ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" led its time period and stood as Monday's most-watched TV show (17.0 million). "DWTS" saw its audience increase in Total Viewers (16.9 million to 17.2 million) and Adults 18-49 (3.6/9 to 3.8/9) from its first hour to its second hour. In fact among Adults 18-49 from 9:00-10:00 p.m. "DWTS" dominated the season premiere of Fox's "Lie to Me" (+31% - 2.9/7) and NBC's series opener of "Trauma" (+73% - 2.2/5).

"Castle" (10:02-11:00 p.m.)

Producing its strongest "DWTS" retention ever, ABC's "Castle" topped NBC's "Jay Leno" by 3.7 million viewers (9.2 million vs. 5.5 million) and by 29% in Adults 18-49 (2.2/6 vs. 1.7/4).

� "Castle" was up from its week-earlier season premiere in Women 18-34 (2.1/6 vs. 2.0/6) and Women 18-49 (3.2/9 vs. 3.1/8).

Tuesday

ABC's Tuesday lineup attracted 8.4 million viewers, outdrawing both NBC (8.3 million) and Fox (5.9 million).

"Shark Tank" (8:00-9:00 p.m.)

The Tuesday premiere of ABC's "Shark Tank" was up from its most recent Sunday airing (9/13/09) by 14% in Total Viewers (4.8 million vs. 4.2 million) and by 7% in Adults 18-49 (1.5/4 vs. 1.4/4). In fact, "Shark Tank" saw its largest audience since 8/30/09, topping its last 2 Sunday telecasts.

� Opposite established time period competition, the "Shark Tank" time-slot premiere gained 23% among Adults 18-49 (1.3/4 to 1.6/4) from start to finish.

"Dancing with the Stars the Results Show" (9:00-10:00 p.m.)

Surging from its lead-in (+8.2 million viewers & +80% in AD18-49), ABC's "Dancing with the Stars the Results Show" outperformed its unscripted competition in the 9 o'clock hour in Total Viewers (13.0 million), defeating the second hour of NBC's "The Biggest Loser" by 3.3 million (9.7 million) and Fox's "So You Think You Can Dance" by 7.8 million (5.2 million). In addition, "Dancing with the Stars" topped the Fox dance program in the hour in Adults 18-49 by 13% (2.7/7 vs. 2.4/6). Model, actor, author, Sunday School teacher and CEO of Kathy Ireland Worldwide, Kathy Ireland, was the third dancer to leave the competition this season.

"the forgotten" (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

"the forgotten" took second in the 10:00 p.m. hour among Total Viewers (7.5 million), beating NBC's "Jay Leno" (6.6 million) by nearly 1.0 million viewers.

Wednesday

ABC's debut of its 2-hour Wednesday comedy block ranked No. 1 from 8:00-10:00 p.m., beating Fox's primetime line-up by 3% (3.1/9 vs. 3.0/9 � "So You Think You Can Dance"/"Glee"). The Net's comedies exhibited impressive compatibility and audience flow, surging a substantial 81% from start to finish in Adults 18-49 (2.1/7 to 3.8/10) against fierce established competition on the other nets.

� The Wednesday comedy block registered year-to-year improvements for ABC of 1.8 million viewers (9.0 million vs. 7.2 million) and 15% in Adults 18-49 (3.1/9 vs. 2.7/7) over the Net's performance in the 2-hour time period on the same night last year with season premiere programming ("Pushing Daisies"/"Private Practice"). In Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, ABC was up in all 4 half-hours over the same night last year.

"Hank" (8:00-8:30 p.m.)

Debuting as the most-watched TV show at 8:00 p.m. (8.3 million), ABC's "Hank" also stood as the No. 1 comedy in its half-hour among Adults 18-49 (2.1/7), beating CBS' time period veteran "Old Christine" (6.7 million and 1.9/6) by 1.6 million viewers and by 11% in young adults. The new ABC comedy also delivered first place in the slot with Adults 25-54 and Men 18-49.

� "Hank" generated ABC's largest overall audience in the half-hour with series programming in nearly 2 years � since 11/14/07.

"The Middle" (8:30-9:30 p.m.)

Jumping from its lead-in by 24% in young adults (2.6/8), ABC's "The Middle" also debuted as the most-watched television program overall (8.7 million) in its time slot and as the No. 1 comedy, outpacing CBS' veteran sit-com, "Gary Unmarried," by solid margins. Like its lead-in, "The Middle" also took top honors in its half-hour with Adults 25-54 and Men 18-49.

� "The Middle" substantially boosted its time slot year to year for the Network, topping the year-ago "Pushing Daisies" premiere by 2.8 million viewers (8.7 million vs. 5.9 million) and by 30% in Adults 18-49 (2.6/8 vs. 2.0/6).

"Modern Family" (9:00-9:30 p.m.)

Building on "The Middle" at 9:00 p.m. by 46% in Adults 18-49, the second week of "Modern Family" delivered strong retention of its big week-ago series debut among Adults 18-49 (90%) and built on its week-earlier debut by 3% in Adults 18-34 (3.2/10 vs. 3.1/10). "Modern Family" won its half-hour over "Criminal Minds" (finishing No. 1 in the slot for the 2nd week in a row) to stand as Wednesday's No. 1 show in the key young adult sales demo (3.8/10-tie).

"Cougar Town" (9:30-10:00 p.m.)

Showing perfect young adult lead-in retention (100% in both AD18-34/AD18-49), ABC's "Cougar Town" qualified as Wednesday's No. 1 TV program for the 2nd week in a row among Adults 18-49 (3.8/10-tie).

"Eastwick" (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

Opposite CBS' time-period veteran "CSI: NY," ABC's freshman "Eastwick" earned second place in the 10 o'clock hour, defeating NBC's "Jay Leno" for the 2nd week in a row in both Total Viewers (+8% - 6.6 million vs. 6.1 million) and Adults 18-49 (+21% - 2.3/7 vs. 1.9/5).

� Growing from its week-ago series debut by 8%, "Eastwick" won its time period among Women 18-34, beating "CSI: NY" in the hour by 12% (2.8/8 vs. 2.5/8).

Thursday

ABC won its 2nd Thursday in a row among Adults 18-49 (4.8/13), beating out runner-up CBS by 23% (3.9/11), third-place Fox by 92% (2.5/7) and fourth-place NBC by 109% (2.3/6). In fact with its Thursday drama line-up in place, ABC ranked No. 1 in each hour of the night in the key young adult sales demo. The Net also won on the evening for the 2nd week running with Adults 18-34 and Adults 25-54.

"FlashForward" (8:00-9:00 p.m.)

From 8:00-9:00 p.m., ABC's second telecast of "FlashForward" ran neck-and-neck with CBS veteran "Survivor" among Adults 18-49, tying for the No. 1 position (3.7/11). However, the demographic difference in the slot came among Adults 18-34, where "FlashForward" won the hour by 48% over "Survivor: Samoa" (3.1/10 vs. 2.1/7). From its first half-hour to its second half-hour, the ABC freshman drama gained Viewers (+6%) and Adults 18-49 (+11%) throughout its telecast.

� "FlashForward" showed strong retention of its high profile week-ago series debut telecast in Total Viewers (86%) and Adults 18-49 (93%).

� "FlashForward" drastically improved the hour year to year for ABC, up by 2.4 million viewers (10.7 million vs. 8.3 million) and by 48% in Adults 18-49 (3.7/11 vs. 2.5/7) over an original "Ugly Betty" on the same night last year.

"Grey's Anatomy" (9:00-10:01 p.m.)

Thursday's No. 1 TV program for the 2nd consecutive week in Adults 18-49, ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" (6.1/16) towered over its time slot, surpassing second-place CBS' "CSI" by 49% (4.1/11) in the key young adult sales demo.

� In adults 18-49, it was the highest-rated 1-hour telecast of "Grey's" since last November � since 11/20/08. And despite a significant year-to-year increase in Household DVR penetration (up to 33% from 27% a year ago), the 6th-year ABC drama was up over its second telecast last season by nearly 1.0 million (15.4 million vs. 14.8 million) and by 9% Adults 18-49 (6.1/16 vs. 5.6/13).

"Private Practice" (10:01-11:00 p.m.)

Taking full control of the 10 o'clock hour in Adults 18-49, the third-season premiere of ABC's "Private Practice" (4.6/13) outpaced CBS' "The Mentalist" by 21% (3.8/10) and NBC's "Jay Leno" by 207% (1.5/4 � its lowest-ever rated telecast). "Private Practice" stood as the No. 2 TV show on Thursday in Adults 18-49, trailing only "Grey's Anatomy."

� In Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, "Private Practice" marked its best numbers since last February � since 2/12/09, which was a cross-over episode with "Grey's Anatomy."

� "Private Practice" posted its strongest-ever non-crossover retention of its "Grey's" lead-in among Total Viewers (74%) and Adults 18-49 (75%).

� The "Private Practice" Season 3 opener (11.6 million & 4.6/13) topped every benchmark comparison for the show and the network. "Private Practice" was up over its year-ago season premiere (8.2 million & 3.3/8 on 10/1/08) by 3.4 million viewers and by 39% in Adults 18-49. The compatible "Grey's Anatomy" lead-out was also up from ABC's year-ago series premiere of "Life on Mars" in the time period (11.3 million & 3.7/10 on 10/9/08) and even bettered its sophomore season finale during the '09 May Sweep (9.7 million and 3.5/10 on 4/30/09). It was also up from its Thursday night premiere in January (9.0 million & 3.3/8 on 1/8/09).

Friday

"FlashForward"/"the forgotten" (8:00-10:00 p.m.)

Continuing to generate additional same-week sampling of its new programs, ABC's 8:00-10:00 p.m. Friday freshman replays ("FlashForward"/"the forgotten") beat out Fox's originals in the time period for the 2nd week in a row ("Brothers"/"Til Death"/"Dollhouse"), by +13% in Adults 18-49 (0.9/3 vs. 0.8/3).

"20/20" (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

Surging from its lead-in by 89%, ABC's "20/20" finished No. 1 in Friday's 10 o'clock hour among Adults 18-49 (1.7/6) for the 2nd week running. In addition, the ABC newsmagazine outdelivered NBC's "Jay Leno" (1.4/5) in the hour by 21% in the key young adult sales demo.

Saturday

With coverage of "Saturday Night Football," featuring Oklahoma at Miami/USC at California, ABC won Saturday evening for the 3rd consecutive week in Total Viewers (7.5 million) and Adults 18-49 (2.5/8), drawing the Net's largest audience of the night in 10 months - since 12/6/08. The Network outdelivered its nearest competitors during prime by 1.5 million viewers (CBS = 6.0 million) and by 56% in Adults 18-49 (Fox = 1.6/5).

Sunday

Opposite NBC with "Sunday Night Football" (Pittsburgh-San Diego) and an NFL overrun-boosted Fox (Denver-Dallas), ABC beat out its non-sports-driven competition on the evening, leading CBS by 4% in Total Viewers (11.0 million vs. 10.6 million) and by a substantial 48% in Adults 18-49 (3.4/9 vs. 2.3/6).

� ABC was up over its week-ago season-opening Sunday in Total Viewers (+8% - 11.0 million vs. 10.2 million) and Adults 18-49 (+6% - 3.4/9 vs. 3.2/9), with each of its series building week to week.

"America's Funniest Home Videos" (7:00-8:00 p.m.)

ABC's "America's Funniest Home Videos" opened its 20th TV Season on a high note, attracting the series' biggest audience (8.0 million) in more than 6 months and its top Adult 18-49 number (2.2/6) since early May � since 3/29/09 and 5/3/09, respectively.

"Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" (8:00-9:00 p.m.)

Surging from its lead-in, ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" topped its unscripted competition during the 8 o'clock hour by wide margins, beating CBS' "Amazing Race XV" by 1.8 million viewers (11.6 million vs. 9.8 million) and by 21% in Adults 18-49 (3.4/8 vs. 2.8/7).

� Building nicely on its week-ago season premiere numbers, "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" generated its most-watched telecast in nearly 1 year and its top Adult 18-49 number in 6 months � since 10/26/08 and 3/29/09, respectively.

"Desperate Housewives" (9:00-10:01 p.m.)

Opposite substantial competition on the night, ABC's "Desperate Housewives" stood as Sunday's most-watched non-sports TV program. Topping its non-sports competition in the 9 o'clock hour for 2nd week in a row, "Housewives" (14.6 million and 5.0/12) outperformed CBS' series debut of "Three Rivers" (9.0 million and 1.9/5) by 5.6 million viewers and by 163% in Adults 18-49.

� Building on its week-earlier season opener by 1 million viewers and by 6% in Adults 18-49, "Desperate Housewives" marked its strongest results in more than 6 months � since 3/22/09. It was the first time ever for "Housewives" to build from its season premiere to its second telecast of the season.

"Brothers & Sisters" (10:01-11:00 p.m.)

ABC's "Brothers & Sisters" continued to beat its drama competition in the 10 o'clock hour by wide margins among Adults 18-49, leading CBS' "Cold Case" by 45% (3.2/8 vs. 2.2/6). "Brothers & Sisters" finished No. 1 in the hour for the 2nd straight week among key Women demos (W18-49/W25-54).

� Up week to week, "Brothers & Sisters" pulled in its biggest overall audience (9.7 million) since March and its highest Adult 18-49 number (3.2/8) since April � since 3/22/09 and 4/19/09, respectively.

Source: Nielsen Media Research (National Live+Same Day Program Ratings), week of 9/28/09, unless stated otherwise.