or


[05/31/06 - 12:00 AM]
Primetime Ratings Report for the Week of May 22-28, 2006

[via press release from ABC]

Primetime Ratings Report For the week of May 22-28, 2006

Growing its Viewer and Young Adult Audience from the Same Week Last Year, ABC Takes Second Place During the Week Across the Adult Demographics

ABC Concludes the Official 2005-06 TV Season with its Strongest Results in 5 Years and as the Only Network to Grow its Adult 18-49 Audience Year to Year

No. 1 with Women, �Oprah Winfrey�s Legends Ball� Produces ABC�s Largest Non-Sports Audience in the Monday 8-9pm Hour Since March 2003, Along with its Strongest Women Ratings in the Time Slot in Close to 3-1/2 Years

�Stephen King�s Desperation� Outperforms its NBC Movie Competition on Tuesday, Bringing ABC its Top Viewer and Young Adult Numbers on the Evening in 6 Weeks

In Viewers and Young Adults, Wednesday�s �Lost� Finale Produces ABC�s Strongest Non-Sports Performance in the Time Period Since September

Surging from its Lead-in and Throughout its Season Ender, ABC�s �Lost� Posts its Best Delivery Against �Idol� This Season and the Series� Strongest Numbers Since February

ABC Wins the First Post-Season Friday in Adults 18-49, as the Theatrical �Freaky Friday� and ABC News� �20/20� Each Hold the No. 1 Positions in Their Time Periods

ABC�s All Repeat Lineup Takes Second on Sunday to Fox�s NASCAR Coverage in Adults 18-49, with a Repeat of �Grey�s� Ranking as the No. 1 Regular Show at 10pm

WEEK No. 36:

During the week spanning the final three nights of the official 2005-06 TV Season and the first four nights of the post-season, ABC earned second place to Fox across each of the key adult measures: Adults 18-34 (2.2/7), Adults 18-49 (2.7/8) and Adults 25-54 (3.1/9 � tied w/CBS).

� ABC was up from the same week last year in Total Viewers (7.3 million vs. 7.2 million) and Adults 18-49 (2.7/8 vs. 2.6/8).

� ABC finished the official 2005-06 Television Season taking second place among Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, with its second consecutive year of gains on both counts: Total Viewers (+7% -10.8 million vs. 10.1 million) and Adults 18-49 (+8% - 4.0/11 vs. 3.7/10). ABC was the only network to increase audience over last season in the key Adult 18-49 sales demographic. The Network drew its largest audience and highest Adult 18-49 rating in 5 years � since the 2000-01 television season.

Rankings: ABC aired 4 of the week�s Top 20 TV programs among Adults 18-49: �Lost� � No. 4, �Oprah Winfrey�s Legends Ball� � No. 11, �Lost SP - 5/24 (clip show)� � No. 16 and �Alias SP - 5/22 (series finale)� � No. 18. In addition, �Lost� (No. 4) and �Oprah Winfrey�s Legends Ball� (No. 13) were among the Top 15 most-watched television programs during the week. ABC News� �Primetime� and �20/20� tied as the highest-rated newsmagazine for the week in Adults 18-49 and Adults 25-54.

Monday

Boosted by a strong turn-out for �Oprah Winfrey�s Legends Ball,� ABC�s primetime delivery was up from the same night last May Sweep (5/23/05) by 2.1 million viewers (8.3 million vs. 6.2 million) and by 35% in Adults 18-49 (3.1/8 vs. 2.3/6).

�Oprah Winfrey�s Legends Ball� (8:00-9:00 p.m.)

ABC�s telecast of �Oprah Winfrey�s Legends Ball� ranked a strong No. 1 in its time period across each of the key women demographics (W18-34 � 5.3/14, W18-49 � 5.8/15 and W25-54 � 6.7/16), beating season finale programming on CBS (�King of Queens�/�Old Christine�) and Fox (�24�), along with NBC�s �Deal or No Deal.�

� �Oprah Winfrey�s Legends Ball� attracted ABC�s largest non-sports audience (11.6 million) in the time period since March of 2003 (since 3/17/03). The Oprah Winfrey special delivered ABC�s highest ratings in the hour in close to 3-1/2 years among Women 18-34, Women 18-49 and Women 25-54 � since 1/13/03.

�Alias� (9:00-11:00 p.m.)

In its series finale, ABC�s �Alias� delivered its highest rating of the season among Adults 18-34 (2.5/6), while matching its top number this season among and Adults 18-49 (2.7/6).

Tuesday

�ABC Premiere Event: Stephen King�s Desperation� (8:00 -11:00 p.m.)

The �ABC Premiere Event� presentation of �Stephen King�s Desperation� drew 7.5 million viewers and posted a 2.5 rating, 7 share among Adults 18-49 on average during its telecast. ABC was up by 1.7 million viewers and by 25% among Adults 18-49 compared to the Net�s performance the same night last May (5.8 million & 2.0/5 on 5/24/06).

� �Stephen King�s Desperation� brought ABC its highest Adults 18-49 performance on the night in 6 weeks � since 4/11/06.

� �Stephen King�s Desperation� outperformed its movie competition on the night, NBC�s �10.5: Apocalypse � Part 2,� (6.5 million & 2.2/6 from 9:00-11:00 p.m.) by 1.0 million viewers and by 14% among Adults 18-49.

Wednesday

Taking second to �Idol�-driven Fox on the night, ABC attracted its largest non-sports Wednesday night audience (14.7 million) and highest Adult 18-49 number (6.1/15) on the evening in 8 months � since 9/28/05.

�Lost: Reckoning� (8:00-9:00 p.m.)

A replay of �Lost: Reckoning,� a clip-show recapping the season, marked ABC�s top ratings in the time period in 4 months among Total Viewers (8.4 million) and Adult 18-49 (3.2/9). ABC earned second to Fox in the hour, opposite the first hour of the �American Idol� season finale.

�Lost� (9:00-11:00 p.m.)

Going up against the second hour of Fox�s �American Idol� season finale, ABC�s �Lost� doubled its lead-in, grew throughout its 2-hour telecast to attract an average audience of 17.8 million viewers and a 7.6 rating, 18 share in Adults 18-49 from 9:00-11:00 p.m. ABC�s �Lost� held second place to Fox�s �Idol� during the 9 o�clock hour, and then went on to rank a dominant No. 1 during the 10 o�clock hour, beating the combined deliveries of CBS and NBC by 3.1 million viewers (19.2 million vs. 16.1 million) and by 59% in Adults 18-49 (8.1/21 vs. 5.1/12).

� The sophomore season finale of �Lost� generated ABC�s biggest non-sports audience and top Adult 18-49 rating in the 2-hour time period since September 2005, its second-highest numbers of the season � best since 9/21/05. In Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, �Lost� marked its strongest performance of the season, when going head-to-head against �American Idol,� with its highest numbers in more than 3 months � since 2/15/06. The show marked its highest Adult 18-34 rating (6.6/17) in over 4 months � since 1/18/06.

� Doubling its lead-in against �Idol,� �Lost� grew in each half-hour of its 2-hour telecast, gaining 3.3 million viewers (16.3 million to 19.6 million) and 19% and Adults 18-49 (7.0/16 to 8.3/21) from its first half-hour to its final half-hour.

� ABC�s �Lost� qualified as TV�s No. 1 scripted program on Wednesday in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49. The ABC sophomore series has been the top-rated scripted program on Wednesday in the key Adult 18-49 sales demographic in all 23 of its original telecasts this season.

Friday

ABC won the first post-TV season Friday night among Adults 18-49 (2.1/7) and Adults 18-34 (1.7/7).

�ABC Friday Movie of the Week: Freaky Friday� (8:00-10:00 p.m.)

�Freaky Friday,� starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan, drew 5.8 million viewers and a 2.0 rating, 7 share among Adults 18-49, winning its time period on the latter measure. The 2003 theatrical also led its 2-hour time period in Adults 18-34 (1.7/7), Teens 12-17 (1.7/8) and Kids 2-11 (1.8/8).

� The movie attracted viewers throughout its telecast. It gained 2.1 million viewers (5.0 million to 7.1 million) and 93% in Adults 18-49 (1.4/6 to 2.7/9) from its first to its final half-hour.

�20/20� (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

In the final hour of prime, �20/20� ranked No. 1 in Adults 18-49 (2.3/8) and Adults 18-34 (1.6/6).

Sunday

ABC�s all repeat lineup placed second on Sunday night among Adults 18-49 (1.9/7), behind Fox�s NASCAR coverage, which ran throughout prime into the 10 o�clock hour. ABC led the evening -- beating Fox -- in each of the key women demographics: Women 18-34 (1.9/7), Women 18-49 (2.4/8) and Women 25-54 (2.8/9).

�Grey�s Anatomy� (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

A repeat episode of ABC�s �Grey�s Anatomy� was the top non-sports program of the hour in Total Viewers (6.4 million) and Adults 18-49 (2.2/7). It won the hour, ahead of Fox�s NASCAR, across the key women demographics: Women 18-34 (2.4/8), Women 18-49 (3.2/10) and Women 25-54 (3.6/10).

Source: Nielsen Media Research (Live+SD), week of 5/22/06, or as dated.





  [may 2006]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
 


· 10.5: APOCALYPSE (NBC)
· 20/20 (ABC)
· 24 (FOX)
· ALIAS (ABC)
· AMERICAN IDOL (ABC)
· DEAL OR NO DEAL (CNBC)
· GREY'S ANATOMY (ABC)
· KING OF QUEENS, THE (CBS)
· LOST (ABC)
· NEW ADVENTURES OF OLD CHRISTINE, THE (CBS)
· STEPHEN KING'S DESPERATION (ABC)
· WHAT WOULD YOU DO? (ABC)





most recent ratings | view all posts
[04/30/25 - 11:03 AM]
"American Idol" Rocks the House with More Back-to-Back Wins
"American Idol" rocked the house on Sunday night with its first live coast-to-coast telecast, earning 5.31 million Total Viewers in Live+Same Day ratings.

[04/29/25 - 03:05 PM]
ABC News' "Nightline" Ranks No. 1 in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49 vs. CBS' "After Midnight" and NBC's "Late Night with Seth Meyers"
"Nightline" improved on the previous week in Total Viewers, Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49, drawing its largest overall audience since February and strongest performance in both key Adult demos since January.

[04/29/25 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10 Week of April 21: Goodbye, "You": Final Season Lands at No. 1
In English TV, "Ransom Canyon" lassoed another 9.4 million viewers, keeping it firmly planted in the No. 2 spot.

[04/29/25 - 10:31 AM]
ESPN's "Sunday Night Baseball" Averaged 1.68 Million Viewers for Philadelphia Phillies Extra-Innings Win Over Chicago Cubs
Said telecast was up 31% versus last year's comparable game (Cubs-Red Sox).

[04/29/25 - 10:00 AM]
"9-1-1" Shocker Scores Five-Month Multiplatform High in Adults 18-49
After seven days of viewing on ABC, Hulu, Hulu on Disney+ and digital platforms, the April 17 episode scored 8.45 million Total Viewers and 1.74 rating among Adults 18-49.

[04/29/25 - 08:50 AM]
ESPN Platforms Averaging Largest NBA Playoffs Audience Ever Through 11 Games
The second weekend of the NBA Playoffs, Saturday, April 26, and Sunday, April 27, averaged 5,462,000 viewers on ESPN platforms, up four percent from last season.

[04/29/25 - 08:45 AM]
CBS to Hit a Record 17th Consecutive Season as the Most-Watched Network; With the Top Seven Primetime Shows
This breaks broadcast television's longest winning streak on record, also previously held by CBS, from 1955-1970.

[04/25/25 - 11:45 AM]
Food Network's "Tournament of Champions" Season Six Scores with Viewers
The season reached nearly 12 million P2+ cross-platform viewers and is on track to be Food Network's highest-rated series among P25-54 for the fifth year in a row, with ratings up +91% vs. prior six-week timeslot benchmarks.

[04/24/25 - 12:00 PM]
"Yellowjackets" Sets Record with Most Watched Season in Series History on Paramount+ with Showtime
The series is now the number two most-streamed global Showtime original ever, only behind "Dexter: Original Sin."

[04/22/25 - 02:33 PM]
ABC News' "Nightline" Ranks No. 1 in Total Viewers vs. CBS' "After Midnight" and NBC's "Late Night with Seth Meyers"
"Nightline" saw increases on the previous week in Total Viewers and Adults 25-54, delivering its strongest news demo performance in 5 weeks.

[04/22/25 - 12:28 PM]
2025 NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championship Final Reaches 1 Million Viewers
The semifinals and final finished as the most-watched gymnastics postseason ever on ESPN platforms.

[04/22/25 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10 Week of April 14: "Black Mirror" Assumes the No. 1 Spot on the English TV List
Joining the chart with a bang is "Ransom Canyon" - the sweeping, slow-burn Western romance debuted with 7.2 million views to lasso the No. 2 spot.

[04/22/25 - 09:08 AM]
ESPN's Viewership Rises Significantly for Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
ESPN's live telecast on Sunday drew an average of 1.5 million viewers, the second-largest U.S. television audience ever for the event.

[04/22/25 - 08:50 AM]
Most-Watched NBA Playoffs Opening Weekend Ever on ESPN Platforms
The six-game slate across Saturday, April 19, and Sunday, April 20, averaged 4,487,000 viewers, up 15 percent from last year.

[04/22/25 - 07:37 AM]
"Rock the Block" Delivers HGTV's Highest-Rated Season Premiere Since 2023
Attracting three million viewers across linear and streaming, the episode also delivered a .89 L3 rating among Women 25-54, a 207 percent lift versus the previous six weeks.