or


[01/04/06 - 12:00 AM]
Primetime Ratings Report for the Week of DeC. 26, 2005 - JaN. 1, 2006

[via press release from ABC]

Primetime Ratings Report For the week of Dec. 26, 2005 - Jan. 1, 2006

ABC Wins the Week in Adults 18-49, Claiming 4 of the Top 7 Programs

ABC Posts Double-Digit Gains in Viewers and Young Adults Week-to-Week

ABC News Airs the Top 3 Newsmagazines in Adults 18-49 and Adults 25-54

ABC Leads Monday Evening, Ranking as the No. 1 Network On the Night among Adults 18-49 on 8 of the Last 9 Weeks

Repeat Telecasts of ABC�s �George Lopez� and �Freddie� Rank No. 1 in Adults 18-49 from 8-9pm on Wednesday

On Thursday, ABC News� �Primetime� Earns its Strongest Numbers this Season

ABC News� �20/20� Wins Friday at 10pm in Adults 18-49, Ranking as the No. 1 TV Show of the Night in the Key Young Adult Demo

ABC Ranks as the No. 1 Net on New Year�s Eve in Adults 18-49, Boosted by the No. 1 TV Show in Prime, �Dick Clark�s Primetime News Year�s Rockin� Eve 2006�

ABC Wins the First Evening of 2006 in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49

Sunday�s No. 1 Program in Viewers and Adults 18-49, ABC�s �Desperate Housewives� Clip-Show Delivers a Dominant Victory in Sunday�s 9 O�clock Hour

ABC�s Series Preview of �In Justice� Wins the Sunday�s 10 O�clock Hour Outpacing its Closest Competition by 2.2 Million Viewers and by 60% in Adults 18-49

WEEK No. 15:

ABC stood as the No. 1 network during the 15th week of the 2005-06 TV Season (w/o 12/26/05) among Adults 18-49 (2.8/8). The Network also took top honors for the week among Adults 18-34 (2.1/7), across the key men demographics (M18-34 � 1.9/7, M18-49 � 2.4/7 and M25-54 � 2.9/8) and among Teen 12-17 (1.4/5). So far in the 15 complete weeks this television season, ABC has ranked as the No. 1 network on 6 weeks among Adults 18-49 and on 10 weeks among Adults 18-34.

� ABC was up 11% in Total Viewers (8.1 million vs. 7.3 million) and by 12% in Adults 18-49 (2.8/8 vs. 2.5/8) from the prior week, representing the biggest week-to-week increases among the major networks.

Rankings: ABC�s aired 4 of the Top 7 programs of the week in Adults 18-49: �NFL Monday Night Football� � No. 2, �Desperate Housewives: All the Juicy Details� � No. 3, �In Justice - Preview� � No. 5 and �Extreme Makeover: Home Edition� � No. 7. With �MNF� (No. 2) and �Desperate Housewives� (No. 4), ABC also claimed 2 of the Top 4 most-watched programs of the week. In addition, �Monday Night Football� was the top show of the week in Adults 18-34 and men, while �Desperate Housewives� was the No. 1 program among Women 18-34. ABC�s repeat �Extreme Makeover: Home Edition� ranked as the No. 1 broadcast of the week among Kids 2-11. ABC News� claimed the Top 3 newsmagazines of the week in Adults 18-49 and Adults 25-54, with �20/20,� �Primetime� and �Primetime Special,� respectively.

Monday

ABC was the No. 1 network on Monday evening among Total Viewers (12.5 million) and in each of the adult demographics: AD18-34 (3.5/12), AD18-49 (4.5/13) and AD25-54 (5.3/14).

� ABC has ranked No. 1 on Monday evening among Adults 18-49 on 8 of the last 9 weeks.

�Monday Night Football: New England at New York� (9:07 p.m. � 11.59 p.m.)

ABC�s coverage of the final �NFL Monday Night Football� game, featuring the New England Patriots versus the New York Jets, delivered an average audience of 14.4 million viewers and a 5.2 rating, 15 share among Adults 18-49. The network finale of �MNF� saw the Patriots beat the Jets 31-21.

� ABC�s �MNF� ranked as the No. 1 TV show of the evening in Total Viewers (14.4 million) and across each of the key adult demographics: Adults 18-34 (4.2/14) Adults 18-49 (5.2/15) and Adults 25-54 (6.2/16).

Wednesday

�George Lopez� (8:00-8:30 p.m.)

A repeat of �George Lopez� ranked No. 1 in its half-hour among Adults 18-49 (2.4/7 � tied). The ABC series beat its comedy competition in the time period, Fox�s �That 70s Show,� by 2.1 million viewers (7.0 million vs. 4.9 million).

�Freddie� (8:30-9:00 p.m.)

Building on its young adult lead-in by 4%, a rebroadcast of �Freddie� also ranked No. 1 in its time slot in Adults 18-49 (2.5/7 � tied). �Freddie� outperformed an original episode of the Fox comedy, �Stacked,� by 2.4 million viewers (6.2 million vs. 3.8 million) and by 39% among Adults 18-49 (2.5/7 vs. 1.8/5).

Thursday

ABC�s Thursday night line-up of a special repeat �ABC Extreme Bloopers� and back-to-back telecasts of �Primetime� drew 7.9 million viewers and a 2.4 rating, 7 share among Adults 18-49, finishing second on the night in both Nielsen measures.

�ABC Extreme Bloopers� (8:00-9:00 p.m.)

�ABC Extreme Bloopers� placed second in its hour in Total Viewers (8.1 million) and among Adults 18-49 (2.4/7). The rebroadcast of the special was up by 1.0 million viewers and by 9% compared to its original telecast (7.1 million viewers & 2.2/6 on 5/25/04).

�Primetime � Special� (9:00-10:00 p.m.)

A special 9 p.m. edition of �Primetime,� featuring 2005�s most unforgettable moments caught on tape, finished second in its time-slot in viewers (7.5 million), Adults 18-49 (2.4/7) and Adults 25-54 (2.8/7).

�Primetime� (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

At 10 p.m., Diane Sawyer�s hour long report on �Primetime� exploring the mystery of Pope Joan produced the newsmag�s strongest performance of the season in Total Viewers (8.0 million), Adults 18-49 (2.6/7) and Adults 25-54 (3.1/8).

Friday

�20/20� (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

ABC News� �20/20,� featuring John Stossel�s hour long look at 10 commonly held beliefs to discern fact from fiction, in �Myths, Lies and Straight Talk,� won its hour among Adults 18-34 (2.2/8) and Adults 18-49 (2.7/8). It also ranked as the No. 1 TV program of the evening on both young adults measures.

� In Adults 18-34 and Adults 18-49, �20/20� produced its top numbers in 4 weeks � since 12/2/05.

Saturday

Led by the primetime portion of �Dick Clark�s New Year�s Rockin� Eve 2006,� ABC ranked as the No. 1 network on Saturday evening among Adults 18-49 (1.8/7).

�Dick Clark�s Primetime New Year�s Rockin� Eve 2006� (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

ABC�s broadcast of �Dick Clark�s Primetime New Year�s Rockin� Eve 2006,� led the final hour of primetime in Total Viewers (7.7 million), across each of the key adult demos [Adults 18-34 (1.8/8), Adults 18-49 (2.4/8) and Adults 25-54 (2.9/9)], Teens 12-17 (2.0/9) and Kids 2-11 (2.0/9).

� �Dick Clark�s Primetime New Year�s Rockin� Eve 2006� stood as the No. 1 TV show during Saturday primetime in Total Viewers and in the key Adult 18-49 sales demographic.

Sunday

ABC led Sunday evening, the first night of 2006, in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49. With its special line-up, ABC bested its nearest competition on the evening by nearly 1 million viewers (10.3 million vs. 9.5 million - CBS) and by 6% in Adults 18-49 (3.8/10 vs. 3.6/10 - Fox). Please note that Fox carried a high-rated NFL football overrun during the first hour of Sunday�s prime.

� ABC aired the Top 4 TV programs on Sunday among Adults 18-49, with �Desperate Housewives: All the Juicy Details,� �In Justice - Preview,� �Extreme Makeover: Home Edition� and �America�s Funniest Home Videos,� respectively. Excluding Fox�s NFL overrun.

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

Airing opposite the Fox NFL overrun in the time period, a rebroadcast of �America�s Funniest Home Videos� stood as the No. 1 non-sports program in the hour among Adults 18-49 (2.6/7).

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

ABC�s repeat �Extreme Makeover: Home Edition� made ABC a solid No. 1 from 8:00-9:00 p.m., leading the second-place networks by 52% in the key Adult 18-49 sales demographic (3.8/10 vs. 2.5/7 - CBS and Fox tied).

�Desperate Housewives: All the Juicy Details� (9:00-10:01 p.m.)

Sunday�s No. 1 TV program in viewers and young adults, ABC�s �Desperate Housewives� clip-show topped its nearest competition in the hour by 3.5 million viewers (12.4 million vs. 8.9 million - CBS) and by 100% in Adults 18-49 (4.6/12 vs. 2.3/6 - Fox).

�In Justice � SP Preview� (10:01-11:00 p.m.)

With solid retention of its lead-in, the series preview of �In Justice� carried ABC�s winning momentum through the 10 o�clock hour by dominating in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49. ABC�s �In Justice� beat the second second-place competition in the time period by 2.2 million viewers (10.5 million vs. 8.3 million � NBC�s �Crossing Jordan�) and by 60% in Adults 18-49 (4.0/10 vs. 2.5/6 � Fox�s movie special �Vertical Limit�).

Editors Please Note: �In Justice� moves to its regular Friday 9:00-10:00 p.m. time period on 1/6/06.

Compared to ABC�s performance in the hour on the prior Sunday (7.3 million & 2.8/9 on 12/25/05), �In Justice� improved the time period by 3.2 million viewers and by 43% in Adults 18-49.

Source: Nielsen Media Research, week of 12/26/05, or as dated.





  [january 2006]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S


· 20/20 (ABC)
· AMERICA'S FUNNIEST HOME VIDEOS (ABC)
· CROSSING JORDAN (NBC)
· DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES (ABC)
· EXTREME MAKEOVER: HOME EDITION (HGTV)
· FREDDIE (ABC)
· GEORGE LOPEZ SHOW, THE (ABC)
· IN JUSTICE (ABC)
· MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL (ESPN)
· STACKED (FOX)
· THAT '70S SHOW (FOX)
· WHAT WOULD YOU DO? (ABC)





most recent ratings | view all posts
[01/07/26 - 12:32 PM]
Bowl Season on ESPN Networks Delivers Strongest Audience Since 2015-16
ABC delivered its largest non CFP bowl audience in 12 years, averaging 6.2 million viewers across six games.

[01/07/26 - 09:29 AM]
In 2025, Fans Power ESPN and "ESPN on ABC" to Its Most-Watched Year in Over a Decade
ESPN networks increased industry-leading sports share to 35 percent, up from 31 percent in 2024.

[01/06/26 - 03:18 PM]
FOX NFL Rings in Best Regular Season Since 2015
The regular season averaged 19.633 million viewers for the network.

[01/06/26 - 03:00 PM]
Record-Setting Season as "Sunday Night Football" on NBC and Peacock Averages 23.5 Million Viewers & Paces as Primetime's #1 Show for Unprecedented 15th Consecutive Year
"Sunday Night Football" averaged a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 23.5 million viewers for the 2025 season.

[01/06/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of December 29 - "Stranger Things 5" Concludes Right Side Up at No. 1 in This Week's Top 10
At No. 2 on the English TV list with 12.7 million views is the new Harlan Coben mystery series "Run Away," centered on a father desperate for clues about his missing daughter while a string of related murders heightens the urgency to find her.

[01/05/26 - 02:34 PM]
2025-26 College Football Playoff Quarterfinals on ESPN Score 19.3 Million Average Viewers; CFP Up YOY Through Two Rounds
The Rose Bowl (Indiana vs. Alabama) topped all coverage with 23.9 million viewers on average.

[01/05/26 - 09:49 AM]
Prime Video Delivers "Thursday Night Football's" Most-Watched Season Ever
The 2025 season averaged 15.33 million viewers throughout its 15-game campaign, marking a +16% increase over the 2024 season and the third-consecutive year of double-digit, year-over-year viewership growth.

[01/02/26 - 03:45 PM]
"Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve" Rises to Four Year High Reaching 30 Million Total Viewers at Midnight
The telecast averaged 18.8 million total viewers in the 11:30pm-12:30am hour alone.

[01/02/26 - 09:49 AM]
FOX NFL's Week 17 "America's Game of the Week" Comes Out on Top with 28.8 Million Viewers
The Eagles-Bills close finish marked FOX's second most-watched telecast of the regular season.

[12/31/25 - 12:46 PM]
NFL Christmas Gameday on Netflix Scores Again With the Lions-Vikings Becoming the Most-Streamed NFL Game in US History
Said coverage averaged 27.5 million viewers in the US, with US viewership peaking at over 30 million viewers.

[12/31/25 - 10:11 AM]
NFL on Prime's Christmas Night Showdown Between the Broncos and Chiefs Sets New Viewership Marks for "TNF"
The streamer's "Thursday Night Football" finale averaged 21.06 million viewers, peaking with 22.90 million.

[12/31/25 - 10:08 AM]
ESPN Delivered Largest Average NBA Christmas Audience Since 2018
The San Antonio Spurs vs. Oklahoma City Thunder game in the 2:30 p.m. window became ESPN's most-watched NBA Christmas game in the timeslot since 2017, averaging 6.7 million viewers.

[12/30/25 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of December 22 - "Stranger Things 5" Runs Up That Hill to No. 1 in This Week's Top 10
At No. 2 on the list was "Emily in Paris" Season 5 with 13.3 million views.

[12/30/25 - 08:00 AM]
Aced It! ESPN Scored Most-Watched 2025 NCAA Women's College Volleyball Season on Record
The entirety of the NCAA Women's Volleyball Tournament finished up 13% year over year, averaging 666,000 viewers across the 15 matches and featured the most-watched Regionals on record.

[12/24/25 - 10:01 AM]
Dec. 20 Holiday Episode Ranks as #1 "Saturday Night Live" Telecast of the Season
Hosted by Ariana Grande with musical guest Cher, the episode drew 5.4 million viewers.