Quick Take for Tuesday, May 19, 2009 (Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Ratings)

ABC Finishes a Strong No. 2 to Fox on the Final Tuesday of the Season In Viewers and Adults 18-49, with its Best Results on the Night in 6 Months

In its 8th-Season Finale, ABC�s "DWTS" Dominates its 2-Hour Time Slot in Viewers And Young Adults and Beats its Combined Network Competition in the 10pm Hour

Hitting Season-Highs on the Night, "DWTS" Generates ABC�s 2nd-Biggest Audience In the Time Period This Season and Top Non-Sports Adult 18-49 Number in 1 Year

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

With the season finale of "Dancing with the Stars," ABC earned a strong second place to Fox on the final Tuesday of the season, outdrawing third-place CBS with its drama finales on the evening ("NCIS"/"The Mentalist"/"Without a Trace") by 1.3 million viewers (16.0 million vs. 14.7 million) and by 25% in Adults 18-49 (4.0/11 vs. 3.2/9).

� In Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, ABC posted its strongest Tuesday in 6 months � since 11/25/08.

"Dancing with the Stars Results" (9:00-11:00 p.m.)

In its 8th-season finale, ABC�s "Dancing with the Stars" produced season-high numbers on the night and posted a dominant victory its 2-hour time period in both Total Viewers (20.1 million) and Adults 18-49 (5.1/14). The show towered over all 4 half-hours in Viewers and, after overcoming the high-profile "Idol"-fueled series debut of Fox�s "Glee" at 9:30 p.m. in Adults 18-49, finished a dominant No. 1 in each of its final 3 half-hours in the key young adult sales demo. Soaring during its second hour from 10:00-11:00 p.m., "DWTS" beat its combined network competition, original dramas on CBS ("Without a Trace") and NBC ("Law & Order: SVU"), by 3.5 million viewers (21.6 million vs. 18.1 million) and by 14% in Adults 18-49 (5.6/15 vs. 4.9/14). Olympic gold-medal gymnast Shawn Johnson won the ABC dance competition this season, becoming the youngest-ever winner of the mirror-ball trophy.

� The "Dancing with the Stars" finale produced ABC�s second-biggest audience in the 2-hour time period this season, while tying its highest non-sports Adult 18-49 number in 1 year (since 5/20/08).

� "DWTS" retained 100% of its overall audience from its year-ago finale, while posting increases across each of the key Men demos (M18-34/M18-49/M25-54) and among Teens 12-17.

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 31% currently, from 25% 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), 5/19/09.