ABC Wins 5th Consecutive Thursday in AD18-49 - Grey's is #1 TV Show

Prime: Up against Fox's MLB AL Playoff Game 5, featuring teams from the Top 2 US markets (NY Yankees-LA Angeles), ABC won Thursday for the 5th week in a row among Adults 18-49 (4.0/11), beating its competition by wide margins and holding even week to week despite facing post-season baseball.

8-9pm: ABC freshman FlashForward finished second against its non-sports competition in the 8 o'clock hour to CBS' veteran Survivor in Adults 18-49 (3.0/9), leading NBC's comedies (Community/Parks and Recreation) by 50% (2.0/6). Among Adults 18-34 (2.5/8), FlashForward stood as the #1 non-sports program in hour, ranking as the top-rated series in the slot for the 5th week in a row. The ABC freshman led the hour overall with Women 18-34 for the 5th straight week. Despite increased competition in the hour week to week from baseball and Survivor, FlashForward increased its overall audience by 8% from the prior Thursday (9.8 million vs. 9.1 million).

The top gainer for any new series this season in DVR playback, FlashForward surges over the first-reported numbers by 1.9 million viewers and by 8-tenths of an Adult 18-49 rating point (+21%) from the Live + Same Day Numbers to the Live + 7 Day DVR finals.

9-10pm: Growing week to week and dominating the 9 o'clock hour, Grey's Anatomy finished as Thursday's #1 TV show in both Total Viewers (14.7 million) and Adults 18-49 (5.2/14). In fact the ABC drama registered as Thursday's #1 TV show in Adults 18-49 for the 5th consecutive week. Grey's was up week to week by nearly 1 million viewers and by 4% in Adults 18-49.

TV's most-popular show in DVR playback, Grey's Anatomy jumps over the first-reported numbers by 3.0 million viewers and by an additional 1.5 Adult 18-49 rating points (+23%) from the Live + Same Day Numbers to the Live + 7 Day DVR finals.

10-11pm: The #1 non-sports show in the 10 o'clock hour, ABC's Private Practice qualified as the highest-rated series in its time period for the 4th week running in Adults 18-49 (3.7/10), beating CBS' The Mentalist replay 37% (2.7/8) and NBC's Jay Leno by 131% (1.6/5). The ABC drama won its hour among Adults 18-34 and also dominated across the Women demos (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54)

Like its lead-in, Private Practice sees impressive DVR gains from the first-reported numbers, shooting up by 1.7 million viewers and by 9-tenths of an Adult 18-49 rating point (+20%) from the Live + Same Day Numbers to the Live + 7 Day DVR finals.

Quick Take for Thursday, October 22, 2009 (Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Ratings)

ABC Wins its 5th Straight Thursday of the Season in Adults 18-49

Up Over the Year-Ago Thursday for the 2nd Week in a Row, ABC Surges Year to Year by 1.1 Million Viewers and by 11% in Adults 18-49

Growing its Overall Audience Against Post-Season Baseball, "FlashForward" Is the No.1 TV Series at 8pm for the 5th Straight Week in Adults 18-34

Up Week to Week in Viewers and Young Adults, "Grey's Anatomy" Stands As Thursday's No. 1 TV Show in Adults 18-49 for the 5th Week Running

The No. 1 TV Series in the 10pm Hour for the 4th Consecutive Thursday in Adults 18-49, ABC's "Private Practice" also Wins in Adults18-34 and Key Women

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

Up against Fox's MLB AL Playoff Game 5, featuring teams from the Top 2 U.S. markets (NY Yankees-LA Angeles), ABC won Thursday for the 5th week in a row among Adults 18-49 (4.0/11), beating its competition by wide margins.

Despite facing post-season baseball, ABC was up week to week in Total Viewers and held even in Adults 18-49 (11.1 million and 4.0/11 on 10/15/09).

For the 2nd week in a row, ABC was up over the year-ago Thursday (10/23/08), growing by 1.1 million viewers (11.5 million vs. 10.4 million) and by 11% in Adults 18-49 (4.0/11 vs. 3.6/9).

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

ABC freshman "FlashForward" finished second against its non-sports competition in the 8 o'clock hour to CBS' veteran "Survivor" in Adults 18-49 (3.0/9), leading NBC's comedies ("Community"/"Parks and Recreation") by 50% (2.0/6). Among Adults 18-34 (2.5/8), "FlashForward" stood as the No. 1 non-sports program in hour, ranking as the top-rated series in the slot for the 5th week in a row. The ABC freshman led the hour overall with Women 18-34 (2.9/9) for the 5th straight week.

Opposite increased competition in the hour week to week from Fox's baseball game and "Survivor," "FlashForward" grew its overall audience by 8% from the prior Thursday (9.8 million vs. 9.1 million).

The top gainer for any new series this season in DVR playback, "FlashForward" surges over the first-reported numbers by 1.9 million viewers and by 8-tenths of an Adult 18-49 rating point (+21%) from the Live + Same Day Numbers to the Live + 7 Day DVR finals.

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

Growing week to week and dominating the 9 o'clock hour, Grey's Anatomy finished as Thursday's No. 1 TV show in both Total Viewers (14.7 million) and Adults 18-49 (5.2/14). In fact the ABC drama registered as Thursday's #1 TV show in Adults 18-49 for the 5th consecutive week.

"Grey's" was up week to week by nearly 1 million viewers and by 4% in Adults 18-49 (13.8 million and 5.0/13 on 10/15/09).

TV's most-popular show in DVR playback, "Grey's Anatomy" jumps over the first-reported numbers by 3.0 million viewers and by an additional 1.5 Adult 18-49 rating points (+23%) from the Live + Same Day Numbers to the Live + 7 Day DVR finals.

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

The No. 1 non-sports show in the 10 o'clock hour, ABC's "Private Practice" qualified as the highest-rated series in its time period for the 4th week running in Adults 18-49 (3.7/10), beating CBS' "The Mentalist" replay 37% (2.7/8) and NBC's "Jay Leno" by 131% (1.6/5). The ABC drama won its hour among Adults 18-34 (3.5/11) and also dominated across the Women demos (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54).

Like its lead-in, "Private Practice" sees impressive DVR gains from the first-reported numbers, shooting up by 1.7 million viewers and by 9-tenths of an Adult 18-49 rating point (+20%) from the Live + Same Day Numbers to the Live + 7 Day DVR finals.

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 28% 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 (Fast Affiliate, Live + Same Day Ratings), 10/22/09.