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Primetime Ratings Report
For the week of January 19, 2009
(Based on National Live + Same Day Program Ratings)
ABC Posts its 3rd Straight Week of Year-to-Year Gains, while Drawing its
Biggest Audience in 7 Weeks and Top Young Adult Numbers in 9 Weeks
ABC Ranks No. 2 to Fox for the Week in Adults 18-49 and Adults 18-34
ABC Airs 6 of the Week's Top 20 TV Shows in Adults 18-49,
Including the No. 1 Scripted Program with "Grey's Anatomy"
Airing Against CBS' Original Monday Comedies and Fox's Original Dramas,
ABC's "The Bachelor" Hits Season Highs in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49
"True Beauty" Trumps NBC's "Momma's Boys" Finale Monday at 10pm in Viewers
And Young Adults, and Wins its Hour in Women 18-34 for the 3rd Straight Week
The No. 2 TV Show on Tuesday Night to "Idol," ABC's "The Neighborhood
Ball" Generates the Net's Top Numbers in the 2-Hour Time Slot Since November
"ABC News Special" Wins Tuesday's 10 pm Hour in Key Adults and Defeats
NBC News' Inauguration Special by 3.3 Million Viewers and by 36% in Adults 18-49
"Lost" Opens as Wednesday's No. 1 Scripted TV Show Among Adults 18-49
"Lost" Attracts ABC's Biggest Audience with Series Programming in the Time Slot Since September 2007 and its Highest Adult 18-49 Number Since May 2007
"Lost" Tops Last Season's Finale in Adults 18-49 with its Best Result Since April,
And Outpaces its May 2008 Averages in Both Total Viewers and Adults 18-49
ABC Ranks a Definitive No. 1 on Thursday in Adults 18-49, with its Strongest Numbers on the Night Since Early December in Viewers and Young Adults
Dominating Thursday's 9pm Hour, "Grey's Anatomy" Posts its Top Young Adult Numbers in 9 Weeks and Marks its Best Women 18-34 Number Since September
"Private Practice" Achieves Season Highs in Viewers and Young Adults, While
Hitting its Best Results in Key Women in Well Over 1 Year, Since November 2007
With a Repeat "Housewives" Opposite Nearly All Original Competition,
ABC Wins in Adults 18-49, Beating its Nearest Sunday Competitor by 43%
Winning Sunday's 7pm Hour in Adults 18-49, "America's Funniest Home Videos"
Hits Season Highs in Young Adults, with its Best Results in Nearly 11 Months
Sunday's No. 1 TV Show, ABC's "Home Edition" Leads its Time Slot by
46% in Adults 18-49, Posting its Top Young Adult Numbers Since Early May
WEEK No. 18:
During the week of January 19, 2009, ABC finished No. 2 to Fox among young adults (AD18-34/AD18-49). In Adults 18-49, ABC (2.9/8) outdelivered third-place CBS by 7% (2.7/7) and fourth-place NBC by 38% (2.1/5). The Net defeated CBS and NBC by an even wider margin of 63% in Adults 18-34 (2.6/8 vs. 1.6/5 � CBS and NBC tied).
� In both Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, ABC marked its 3rd consecutive week of year-to-year growth. The Net was up from the same week last year (w/o 1/21/08) by +22% in Total Viewers (8.3 million vs. 6.8 million) and by +26% in Adults 18-49 (2.9/8 vs. 2.3/6). In fact, ABC was the biggest gainer among the networks in viewers and young adults, as both Fox (-10%/-16%) and NBC (-20%/-19%) were down sharply and CBS posted narrower increases (+16%/+17%).
� ABC attracted its biggest audience in 7 weeks and highest numbers with Adults 18-34 and Adults 18-49 (tie) in 9 weeks � since the weeks of 12/1/08 and 11/17/08, respectively. In fact it was ABC's third-highest-rated week of the season with Adults 18-34. The Net pulled in its best Women 18-34 rating (3.5/10) since season-premiere week (w/o 9/22/08). In fact excluding premiere week and the week of the Oscars, the Net tallied its strongest Women 18-34 number since November 2007 � since w/o 11/26/07.
Rankings: ABC aired 6 of the week's Top 20 TV shows in Adults 18-49, including the No. 1 scripted program with "Grey's Anatomy": "Grey's Anatomy" � No. 3 (No. 1 scripted), "Lost" � No. 6 (No. 4 scripted), "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" � No. 12, "The Neighborhood Ball-1/20" � No. 17, "Private Practice" and "The Bachelor" tied at No. 18. "Desperate Housewives" was in repeat during the week. The Network aired 4 of the week's Top 8 TV shows with Women 18-34, including the Top 2 scripted programs with "Grey's" and "Private Practice": "Grey's Anatomy" � No. 3 (No. 1 scripted), "Private Practice" � No. 4 (No. 2 scripted), "Lost" � No. 7 and "The Bachelor" � No. 8.
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.
Monday
Growing week to week in viewers and young adults, ABC's new Monday lineup saw its best numbers to date as the Net drew its largest audience (8.6 million) on the night in 6 weeks and strongest Adults 18-49 (3.3/8) performance in 8 weeks � since 12/8/08 and 11/24/08, respectively. ABC ranked No. 1 on the night among Women 18-34 (4.5/11) and Women 18-49 (4.8/11), taking the top spot on the night among Women 18-34 for the third consecutive week. In fact, ABC turned in its highest Women 18-34 number on the night in 10 months � since 3/17/08.
"The Bachelor" (8:00-10:00 p.m.)
Airing against original comedies on CBS and the Monday premiere of "House" and "24" on Fox, ABC's "The Bachelor" hit season highs in both Total Viewers (10.0 million) and Adults 18-49 (3.6/8). "The Bachelor" towered over its unscripted competition, NBC's "Superstars of Dance" from 8:00-10:00pm, by 3.5 million viewers and by 112% in the key young adult sales demo (6.4 million & 1.7/4 in Adults 18-49).
� "The Bachelor" dominated its time-slot, leading from 8:00 � 10:00 p.m. among Women 18-34 (5.0/12) and Women 18-49 (5.3/12). In addition, "The Bachelor" qualified as Monday's No. 1 TV program among Women 18-34 for the third week running.
� Against stiff competition, "The Bachelor" gained audience during each half-hour from 8:00-10:00pm, building by 1.7 million viewers (9.2 million to 10.9 million) and by 32% in Adults 18-49 (3.1/8 to 4.1/9) from start to finish.
"True Beauty" (10:00-11:00 p.m.)
"True Beauty" drew 5.8 million viewers and a 2.6 rating, 7 share in Adults 18-49, taking second in the 10 o'clock hour to CBS' "C.S.I.: Miami" in the key adult sales demo. For the third time in as many weeks, the new ABC unscripted series topped its unscripted competition in the hour, NBC's "Momma's Boys," by nearly 1.0 million viewers and by 50% in Adults 18-49 (4.9 million & 1.8/5). "True Beauty" won its hour among Women 18-34 (3.6/9) for the third week in a row.
Tuesday
With its continuing inauguration coverage, ABC earned second place to an "Idol"-fueled Fox on Tuesday night among Total Viewers (11.5 million) and Adults 18-49 (3.4/8-tie).
� In Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, ABC registered its strongest Tuesday in 8 weeks � since 11/25/08.
"The Neighborhood Ball: An Inauguration Celebration" (8:00-10:00 p.m.)
The No. 2 TV show of the night to Fox's "American Idol" in Total Viewers, ABC's coverage of "The Neighborhood Ball" drew an average audience of 12.6 million viewers and earned a 3.7 rating, 9 share among Adults 18-49. President Obama hosted the first-ever "Neighborhood Ball" with scheduled musical performances by Beyonc�, Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, Faith Hill, JAY-Z, Alicia Keys, Shakira and Stevie Wonder. Also during the telecast, "Good Morning America's" Robin Roberts conducted the exclusive first post-inauguration interview with President Obama. Qualifying as the most-watched TV program during the 9 o'clock hour and surpassing Fox's "Idol"-driven installment of "Fringe," ABC's "Neighborhood Ball" overshadowed CBS' inauguration programming ("Change and Challenge") by 5.8 million viewers (12.5 million vs. 6.7 million) and by 124% in Adults 18-49 (3.8/9 vs. 1.7/4)
� Despite going up against all-original competition on the other nets, including Fox's "American Idol" during the 8 o'clock hour, "The Neighborhood Ball" generated ABC's biggest audience and top Adult 18-49 rating in the 2-hour time period since November, the night of the "Dancing with the Stars" finale (11/25/08).
"ABC News Special - A Moment in History: The Inauguration of Barack Obama" (10:00-11:00 p.m.)
The "ABC News Special � A Moment in History: The Inauguration of Barack Obama" took first place in the 10 o'clock hour among Adults 18-49 (3.0/8) and Adults 25-54 (3.4/8-tie). Head to head in the hour, the "ABC News Special" towered over NBC News' inauguration special ("Dateline") by 3.3 million viewers (9.5 million vs. 6.2 million), by 36% in Adults 18-49 (3.0/8 vs. 2.2/6) and by 31% in Adults 25-54 (3.4/8 vs. 2.6/6).
� The "ABC News Special" produced ABC's highest numbers in the time period in 2 months among Total Viewers, Adults 18-49 and Adults 25-54 (11/25/08).
Wednesday
With a "Lost" recap special at 8:00 p.m. and the 5th season opener of "Lost" at 9:00 p.m., ABC (4.5/11) earned a strong second place to an "American Idol"-boosted Fox among Adults 18-49, outdelivering third-place CBS by 61% (2.8/7) and fourth-place NBC by 150% (1.8/5).
� Excluding its telecasts of the "CMA Awards," ABC posted its highest-rated Wednesday in more than 1-1/2 years in Adults 18-49 - since 5/23/07.
"Lost: Destiny Calls" (8:00-9:00 p.m.)
Opposite Fox's "American Idol," ABC's "Lost" recap special took second place in the 8 o'clock hour (8.5 million and 3.3/9), pulling in the Net's best numbers in the time period in 2 months - since 11/12/08.
"Lost" (9:00-11:00 p.m.)
Opening its 5th season against stiff competition, including Fox's series debut of "Lie to Me" coming out of "American Idol" and CBS' original dramas ("Criminal Minds"/"CSI: NY"), "Lost" drew an average audience of 11.4 million viewers and delivered a 5.0 rating, 12 share in Adults 18-49 from 9:00-11:00 p.m. Surging from its lead-in, "Lost" finished out as Wednesday's No. 1 scripted TV show in Adults 18-49, besting Fox's "Idol"-driven debut of "Lie to Me" (4.9/12). In its second hour from 10:00-11:00pm, "Lost" moved up into a dominant No. 1 position, defeating second-place CBS' original "C.S.I.: NY" in the hour by 69% in the key young adult sales demo (4.9/13 vs. 2.9/7). In addition to Adults 18-49, "Lost" also stood as Wednesday's No. 1 scripted TV program in Adults 25-54 (5.5/12) and across each of the key Men demographics (M18-34/M18-49/M25-54).
� "Lost" generated ABC's biggest audience with scripted programming in the time period since September '07 and its highest Adult 18-49 rating since May '07 - since 9/26/07 and 5/23/07, respectively.
� Besting its 4th season finale last May, "Lost" posted its highest Adult 18-49 rating since April (4/24/08).
� "Lost" improved upon where it finished out last season in original episodes during the 2008 May Sweep (4/24-5/21/08). Versus its Live + Same Day averages for originals in May '08 (11.1 million & 4.9/13), "Lost" was up in both Total Viewers and Adults 18-49. It should definitely be noted in any comparisons to its 4th season opener last January (Thursday, 1/31/08) that "Lost" premiered against considerably less competition a year ago, facing repeat programming on CBS and an "Idol"-less Fox on the evening with "Don't Forget the Lyrics."
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 1.9 million viewers and jump 19% in Adults 18-49 (+1.0 rating point) from its first-reported Live + Same Day and finalized Live + 7 Day numbers.
Thursday
ABC posted a dominant victory on Thursday night in Adults 18-49 (3.9/10), beating second-place CBS by 18% (3.3/9), third-place NBC by 26% (3.1/8) and fourth-place Fox 44% (2.7/7). ABC also registered as Thursday's dominant No. 1 network in Adults 18-34 (3.9/11) and across each of the key Women demographics: W18-34 (6.2/17), W18-49 (5.9/15) and W25-54 (5.9/14).
� ABC attracted its biggest audience (10.5 million) and strongest young adult (AD18-34/AD18-49) numbers on the night in 7 weeks, while posting a best-since-premiere Thursday with Women 18-34 � since 12/4/08 and 9/25/08, respectively.
"Ugly Betty" (8:00-9:00 p.m.)
ABC's "Ugly Betty" earned second place in the 8 o'clock hour among Adults 18-49 (2.4/7-tie). In addition, "Betty" outdrew its comedy competition in the hour, NBC's "My Name is Earl"/"Kath & Kim" combo, by 1.7 million viewers (7.5 million vs. 5.8 million).
"Grey's Anatomy" (9:00-10:02 p.m.)
Growing week to week and re-emerging as Thursday's No. 1 TV program in Adults 18-49, ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" moved well ahead of CBS' "C.S.I," one week after the high-profile exit of Grissom
from the show. Head to head, "Grey's" defeated "C.S.I." by 16% in Adults 18-49 (5.7/14 vs. 4.9/12) and by an even more substantial 81% in Adults 18-34 (5.8/15 vs. 3.2/8). It was "Grey's" 6th time in the last 7 original telecasts to rank as Thursday's top entertainment show in Adults 18-49 and the 7th time in as many telecasts in Adults 18-34.
� Growing week to week by 1.3 million viewers (14.4 million vs. 13.1 million) and by 8% in Adults 18-49 (5.7/14 vs. 5.3/12 - its 2nd consecutive week of gains), "Grey's Anatomy" drew its biggest audience since early December and hit its highest young adult (AD18-34/AD18-49) numbers since mid-November � since 12/4/08 and 11/20/08, respectively. The ABC medical drama achieved its 2nd-highest rating this season in Women 18-34 (9.3/22), the show's best number since its season opener in September (9/25/08).
"Private Practice" (10:02-11:00 p.m.)
Continuing to exhibit improved lead-in retention for ABC in Thursday's 10 o'clock hour, "Private Practice" won its time slot among Adults 18-49, beating second-place NBC's "ER" by 16% (3.6/10 vs. 3.1/8). In fact it was the 3rd straight week that "Private Practice" defeated the veteran NBC drama in both Total Viewers and Adults 18-49. In addition, the ABC sophomore drama logged its 3rd week in a row as the No. 1 entertainment program in its slot among Adults 18-34 (3.7/11) and Women 18-34 (6.0/16).
� "Private Practice" hit season highs in Total Viewers (9.5 million), Adults 18-49 (3.6/10) and Adults 18-34 (3.7/11). In addition, Private Practice posted its top ratings with Women 18-49 (5.6/14) and Women 18-34 (6.0/16) since November '07, going back well over 1 year � since 11/14/07.
� Compared to ABC's average with regular original programming in the hour this season coming out of originals of "Grey's Anatomy," "Private Practice" is delivering considerably stronger retention of its lead-in among both Total Viewers (65% vs. 57%) and Adults 18-49 (63% vs. 47%).
Sunday
Although "Housewives" was in repeat and the Net faced mostly original competition throughout the evening, ABC ranked No. 1 on Sunday night in key Adults: Adults 18-49 (3.3/8) and Adults 25-54 (3.8/7). In the Adult 18-49 sales demo, ABC (3.3/8) beat out runner-up CBS by 43% (2.3/6), third-place Fox by 50% (2.2/6) and fourth-place NBC by 57% (2.1/5). ABC ranked No. 1 in all 8 half-hours of the evening in Adults 18-49.
� ABC was up from the prior week by 3% in Total Viewers (9.6 million vs. 9.3 million) and by 6% in Adults 18-49 (3.3/8 vs. 3.1/7).
"America's Funniest Home Videos" (7:00-8:00 p.m.)
Kicking off ABC's night with a victory in 7 o'clock hour in Adults 18-49, with an 8% advantage over second-place CBS' "60 Minutes (2.6/7 vs. 2.4/7), ABC's "America's Funniest Home Videos" also led its time period by wide margins in Adults 18-34 (1.9/6), Men 18-34 (1.7/6) and Women 18-34 (2.1/7).
� Producing season-high numbers, "America's Funniest Home Videos" turned in the series' highest Adult 18-34 (tie) and Adult 18-49 (tie) ratings in nearly 11 months � since 3/2/08.
"Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" (8:00-10:00 p.m.)
From 8:00-10:00 p.m., ABC's 2-hour installment of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" won its time period by 46% in Adults 18-49 over its closest competition (4.1/10 vs. 2.8/7 - Fox) to stand as Sunday's No. 1 TV program in the key young adult sales demo.
� Achieving season-best results in young adults, "Home Edition" garnered its highest ratings since early-May among Adults 18-34 (3.2/9) and Adult 18-49 (4.1/10) � since 5/11/08 and 5/4/08, respectively.
"Desperate Housewives" (10:00-11:00 p.m.)
Winning the 10 o'clock hour in Adults 18-49 with a repeat telecast, ABC's encore airing of "Desperate Housewives" (2.5/6) beat out original competition on CBS by 9% (2.3/6 � "Hallmark Hall of Fame: Loving Leah") and on NBC by 14% (2.2/6 � "NBC Movie Special: The Last Templar � Part 1"). In fact it was a quick turn around replay of the prior week's 100th episode for the show.
� ABC's "Desperate Housewives" marked its highest-rated repeat telecast with Adults 18-49 (in any time period) in close to 2 years � since 3/11/07.
Source: Nielsen Media Research (National Live+Same Day Program Ratings), week of 1/19/09, unless stated otherwise.
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