or


[01/08/09 - 12:12 PM]
ABC Marks Its Strongest Wednesday in 2 Months with Total Viewers and Adults 18-49
ABC spins the numbers for Wednesday, January 7.

[via press release from ABC]

Quick Take for Wednesday, January 7, 2009 (Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Ratings)

ABC Marks its Strongest Wednesday in 2 Months with Total Viewers and Adults 18-49

"Barbara Walters Special" at 10pm Stands as Wednesday's Most-Watched TV Show

From 8-9pm, ABC's Back-to-Back Repeat "Scrubs" Defeat NBC's Original Episode of "Knight Rider" in Young Adults

ABC News' "Special Edition 20/20 � Vanished" Takes a Solid Second at 9pm to the "People's Choice Awards" and Earn ABC's Best Results in the Slot Since Mid-November

Excluding the "CMA Awards," "Barbara Walters Special -- Patrick Swayze: The Truth" Generates ABC's Biggest Audience in the Wednesday 10pm Hour Since May 2007

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

ABC's Wednesday lineup, featuring back-to-back repeat episodes of "Scrubs," a "Special Edition 20/20" and the "Barbara Walters Special," earned second place on Wednesday night with Total Viewers (8.4 million) and Adults 18-49 (2.3/6). In fact ABC qualified as the most-watched network from 9:00-11:00 p.m., outdrawing CBS' "People's Choice Awards" by 1.0 million viewers (10.3 million vs. 9.3 million). The Net ranked No. 1 in the 10 o'clock hour in Viewers and key Adults (AD18-49/AD25-54), as the "Barbara Walters Special -- Patrick Swayze: The Truth" stood as Wednesday's most-watched television show overall.

� ABC generated its strongest Wednesday in 2 months in both Total Viewers and Adults 18-49 � since 11/12/08.

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

From 8:00-9:00 p.m., ABC's back-to-back repeats of "Scrubs" topped NBC's original "Knight Rider" in Adults 18-34 (1.4/4 vs. 1.3/4). And at 8:30 p.m., "Scrubs" beat "Knight Rider" among Adults 18-49 (1.7/5 vs. 1.6/4). In addition with "Scrubs" at 8:30 p.m., ABC beat each of its network rivals among hard-to-reach Men 18-34: ABC (1.5/5) beat NBC (1.4/5), Fox (1.3/4) and CBS (1.0/3).

"Special Edition 20/20 - Vanished: Missing in Milwaukee" (9:00-10:00 p.m.)

ABC News' "Special Edition 20/20 - Vanished: Missing in Milwaukee," featuring Elizabeth Vargas' report on the mystery of a loved one's disappearance combined with the realities of domestic violence, took second place from 9:00-10:00 p.m. to the opening hour of CBS' "People's Choice Awards" in Total Viewers (8.0 million), Adults 18-49 (2.3/6) and Adults 25-54 (2.9/7).

� ABC News' "Special Edition 20/20" produced the Net's best numbers in the hour since mid-November in Total Viewers and Adults 25-54 � since 11/12/08.

"Barbara Walters Special - Patrick Swayze: The Truth" (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

Wednesday's most-watched TV show, "Barbara Walters Special -- Patrick Swayze: The Truth" ranked No. 1 in the 10 o'clock hour in Total Viewers (12.6 million), Adults 18-49 (3.0/8-tie) and Adults 25-54 (4.5/11). In addition to standing as the evening's most-watched show overall, it was also Wednesday's No. 1 TV telecast with Adults 25-54 (4.5/11), Women 18-49 (4.2/10) and Women 25-54 (5.9/13).

� Excluding the "CMA Awards," the "Barbara Walters Special" generated ABC's strongest performance in the time period since May 2007 in Total Viewers and Adults 25-54 � since 5/23/07.

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 29% currently, from 22% 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), 1/7/09.





  [january 2009]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
    


· 20/20 (ABC)
· KNIGHT RIDER (NBC)
· SCRUBS (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.