Quick Take for Wednesday, March 18, 2009 (Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Ratings)

Growing Year to Year in Viewers and Young Adults, ABC is Up Over The Year-Ago Wednesday on 6 of the Past 7 Weeks in Adults 18-49

"Lost" is Wednesday's No. 1 Scripted TV Show Across the Key Adult Demos, its 8th Straight Original Telecast as the Night's Top Scripted Series in Adults 18-49

"Scrubs" Generates its Strongest Numbers in More than 2 Months, Since the Evening of its Premiere on ABC at the Beginning of January

With Strong Retention of its Lead-in, the Debut of "Better Off Ted" Produces ABC's Top Numbers in the Slot with Regular Programming in Nearly 5 Months

"Lost" Dominates its Drama Competition in the 9pm Hour in Adults 18-49, Beating Out CBS' "Criminal Minds" by 31% and NBC's "Life" by 180%

"Life On Mars" Surges Week to Week in Viewers and Young Adults, Ranking No. 2 in the 10 O'clock Hour Among Key Men Demographics

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

ABC finished in a near-tie for No. 2 on Wednesday night among Adults 18-49 (2.8/8), pacing within one-tenth of a rating point and tied in audience share with CBS (2.9/8). The Network took a strong second on the evening in Adults 18-34 (2.5/8), beating third-place CBS by 39% (1.8/6) and fourth-place NBC by 108% (1.2/4).

� Continuing to post year-to-year gains on the night, ABC's Wednesday results were up from the same night last year (3/19/08) by 8% in Total Viewers (6.7 million vs. 6.2 million) and by 33% in Adults 18-49 (2.8/8 vs. 2.1/6). The Network has finished up from the year-ago Wednesday on 6 of the past 7 weeks in the key young adult sales demo.

"Scrubs" (8:00-8:30 p.m.)

At 8:00 p.m., ABC's "Scrubs" earned second place in the half-hour among Adults 18-49 (2.2/7), while holding the No. 1 position with Men 18-34 (2.1/8).

� "Scrubs" drew its biggest audience (5.8 million) and equaled its highest Adult 18-49 rating (2.2/7) in more than 2 months � since 1/6/09, the series' debut night on ABC.

"Better Off Ted" (8:30-9:00 p.m.)

Retaining its "Scrubs" lead-in among young adults, ABC's series debut of "Better Off Ted" ranked No. 2 in the 8:30 p.m. half-hour in Adults 18-34 (2.0/7-tie), outdelivering its established CBS' comedy competition by 54% ("Gary Unmarried" = 1.3/4). Also in the half-hour, the new ABC show topped the second week of NBC's "Chopping Block" by 2.3 million viewers (5.6 million vs. 3.3 million) and by 69% in Adults 18-49 (2.2/6 vs. 1.3/4).

� In addition to holding its young adult lead-in, "Better Off Ted" built on its "Scrubs" lead-in across the key Women demographics (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54).

� In Total Viewers (5.6 million) and Adults 18-49 (2.2/6), "Better Off Ted" generated ABC's best numbers with regular programming in the time period in nearly 5 months � since 10/29/08.

"Lost" (9:00-10:00 p.m.)

Surging from its lead-in opposite Fox's "American Idol" and gaining audience throughout its broadcast, "Lost" dominated its drama competition in the 9 o'clock hour among Adults 18-49. In its time period, ABC's "Lost" (4.2/10) defeated CBS' "Criminal Minds" by 31% (3.2/8) and NBC's "Life" by 180% (1.5/4).

� ABC's "Lost" tallied its 8th original telecast as Wednesday's No. 1 scripted TV show in Adults 18-49. The ABC drama was also the evening's highest-rated scripted show in the other two key Adult demos: Adults 18-34 (4.0/11) and Adults 25-54 (4.5/10).

"Life on Mars" (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

During the 10 o'clock hour against original dramas on CBS ("C.S.I.: NY") and NBC ("Law & Order"), ABC's "Life on Mars" ranked No. 2 with key Men demographics: M18-34 (1.3/4-tie), M18-49 (1.8/5) and M25-54 (2.1/6).

� "Life on Mars" was up week to week by 18% in Total Viewers (5.3 million vs. 4.5 million) and by 43% in Adult 18-49 (2.0/5 vs. 1.4/4).

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 over 30% currently, from 23% 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 (National Live + Same Day Program Ratings), 3/18/09.