ABC's "Lost" Season Premiere Ratings

Some early points on the season opener of Lost, ahead of the regular press release.

ABC's Lost opened up its 6th season on a new night against stiff original competition (CBS' NCIS: LA/NBC's Biggest Loser/Fox's Idol-fueled Kitchen Nightmares), with a definitive Adult 18-49 victory, beating out its nearest time-period competition from 9-11pm by 51% (5.6/14 vs. 3.7/9 � NBC's Biggest Loser). Lost dominated all 4 of its half-hours in the key young adult sales demo. In a good sign for future viewing, Lost held steady in audience share through its first 3 half hours (14), and then grew a share in its final half-hour (15).

� ABC's Lost stood as Tuesday's #1 scripted TV show in across the key Adult demos (AD18-34/AD18-49/AD25-54).

� Lost was up from its year ago season opener (on Tuesday, 1/21/09) by 6% in Total Viewers (12.1 million vs. 11.4 million), by 12% in Adults 18-49 (5.6/14 vs. 5.0/12) and by 20% in Adults 18-34 (5.5/15 vs. 4.6/13). The Lost premiere produced the series' highest-rated telecast with Adults 18-49 and Adults 18-34 in nearly 2 years � since 2/21/08 and 2/7/08, respectively.

� The 6th-year ABC drama premiere generated the Net's best series Adult 18-49 number in the 2-hour time period since November 2007 � since 11/27/07.

Please Note: One of the most recorded and played back shows on TV, on average last season in originals Lost saw its overall audience grow by 1.8 million viewers and jump 23% in Adults 18-49 (+1.0 rating point) from its first-reported Live + Same Day and finalized Live + 7 Day numbers.

Quick Take for Tuesday, February 2, 2010 (National Live + Same Day Program Ratings)

ABC Delivers its Strongest Non-Sports Tuesday in Over 2 Years Among Adults 18-49 and in More Than 9 Years Among Adults 18-34

Tuesday's No. 1 Scripted Television Show Among Adults 18-49, "Lost" Opens its 6th Season with a Dominant Victory from 9-11pm

The "Lost" Premiere is Up Year to Year in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, Registering the Series' Top-Rated Telecast with Young Adults in Nearly 2 Years

"Lost" Generates ABC's Strongest Series Numbers in the Time Period Since November 2007 in Adults 18-49 and Since May 2000 in Adults 18-34

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

With a "Lost" recap special at 8:00 p.m. and the 6th-season opener of "Lost" at 9:00 p.m., ABC (5.1/13) earned a strong second place on Tuesday to an "American Idol"-boosted Fox among Adults 18-49, beating out third-place CBS by 46% (3.5/9) and fourth-place NBC by 70% (3.0/8). ABC won the night by a wide margin among Men 18-34, beating out an "Idol"-driven Fox by 19% (5.0/15 vs. 4.2/13).

� ABC marked its strongest Tuesday with non-sports programming in more than 2 years in Adults 18-49 and in more than 9 years with Adults 18-34 � since 11/27/07 and 1/9/01, respectively.

"Lost: Final Chapter" (8:00-9:00 p.m.)

Opposite Fox's "American Idol" and CBS' top-rated "NCIS," ABC's "Lost: Final Chapter" recap special drew 10.0 million viewers and a 4.1 rating, 11 share in Adults 18-49, offering a strong lead-in to the show's season opener. The clip-show took second place to "Idol" in the hour, beating "NCIS" with Adults 18-34 and key Men (M18-34/M18-49).

� Across the key Adult demos (AD18-34/AD18-49/AD25-54), the special generated ABC's 2nd-highest numbers in the hour this season.

"Lost" (9:00-11:00 p.m.)

ABC's "Lost" opened up its 6th season on a new night against stiff original competition (CBS' "NCIS: LA"/NBC's "Biggest Loser"/Fox's "Idol"-fueled "Kitchen Nightmares") with a definitive Adult 18-49 victory, beating out its nearest 9:00-11:00 p.m. competitor by 49% (5.5/14 vs. 3.7/9 � NBC's "Biggest Loser"). "Lost" dominated all 4 of its half-hours in the key young adult sales demo. In a good sign for future viewing, the drama held steady with a 14 audience share through its first 3 half-hours, and then grew to a 15 a share in its final half-hour.

� ABC's "Lost" stood as Tuesday's No. 1 scripted TV show across the key Adult demos (AD18-34/AD18-49/AD25-54).

� "Lost" was up from its year ago season opener (on Wednesday, 1/21/09) by 6% in Total Viewers (12.1 million vs. 11.4 million), by 10% in Adults 18-49 (5.5/14 vs. 5.0/12) and by 20% in Adults 18-34 (5.5/15 vs. 4.6/13). The Lost premiere produced the series' highest-rated telecast with Adults 18-49 and Adults 18-34 in nearly 2 years � since 2/21/08 and 2/7/08, respectively.

� The 6th-year ABC drama premiere generated the Net's top series numbers in the 2-hour time period since November 2007 with Adults 18-49 and since May 2000 with Adults 18-34 � since 11/27/07 and 5/2/00, respectively.

Please Note: One of the most recorded and played back shows on TV, on average last season in originals "Lost" saw its overall audience grow by 1.8 million viewers and jump 23% in Adults 18-49 (+1.0 rating point) from its first-reported Live + Same Day and finalized Live + 7 Day numbers.

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 35% currently, from 29% at the same point in 2009. 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), 2/2/10.