Quick Take for Monday, October 5, 2009 (National Live + Same Day Program Ratings)

ABC Outdelivers CBS by 2.8 Million Viewers

Monday's Most-Watched Entertainment Telecast, ABC's "DWTS" Betters Fox's "Lie to Me" and NBC's "Trauma" at 9pm in Adults 18-49

"Castle" Tops NBC's "Jay Leno" in Viewers and Adults 18-49 by its Largest Margins Yet, While Hitting Season Highs in Adults 18-34 and Women 18-34

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

ABC topped CBS for the 2nd week in a row, outperforming its broadcast rival by 2.8 million viewers (14.1 million vs. 11.3 million).

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

The most-watched entertainment show (16.4 million) of the evening, "DWTS" saw its audience increase in Total Viewers (16.1 million to 16.6 million) and Adults 18-49 (3.4/8 to 3.6/8) from its first hour to its second hour. In fact, among Adults 18-49 from 9:00 10:00 p.m., "DWTS" bettered Fox's "Lie to Me" by 16% (3.1/7) and NBC's "Trauma" by 112% (1.7/4).

"DWTS" won its 2-hour time period for the 2nd week in a row among Women 18-49 (5.0/12) and Women 25-54 (6.4/14).

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

ABC's "Castle" towered over NBC's "Jay Leno" by its largest margin yet, beating the NBC program by 4.7 million viewers (9.2 million vs. 4.5 million) and by 47% in Adults 18-49 (2.2/6 vs. 1.5/4).

"Castle" hit season highs among Adults 18-34 (1.7/5) and Women 18-34 (2.2/6).

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.

Source: Nielsen Media Research (National, Live + Same Day Program Ratings), 10/5/09.