or


[10/01/09 - 08:51 AM]
ABC's Wednesday Freshman 8-10pm Comedy Block Delivers
ABC spins the numbers for Wednesday, September 30.

[via press release from ABC]

ABC's Wednesday Freshman 8-10pm Comedy Block Delivers

Early info ahead of the regular press release...

ABC's 2-hour Comedy Block (8-10pm): ABC's all-freshman 8-10pm comedy block exhibited impressive compatibility and audience flow, surging an amazing 64% from start to finish (2.2/7 to 3.6/9), against fierce established competition on the other nets. In addition, ABC's Wednesday comedy block registered improvements of 1.8 million viewers (9.0 million vs. 7.2 million) an 11% in Adults 18-49 over the Net's performance in the 2-hour time period on the same night last year with season premiere programming (3.0/9 vs. 2.7/7- Pushing Daisies/Private Practice). In fact, ABC was up in all 4 half-hours over the same night last year in both Total Viewers and Adults 18-49.

Hank (8-8:30p): Debuting as the most-watched TV show at 8pm (8.5 million), ABC's Hank also stood as the #1 comedy in its half-hour among Adults 18-49 (2.2/7), beating CBS' time period veteran Old Christine by 1.3 million viewers and by 10% in young adults (7.2 million and 2.0/6). Hank generated ABC's largest overall audience in the half-hour with series programming in nearly 2 years � since 11/14/07.

The Middle (8:30-9p): Jumping from its lead-in by 14% in young adults (2.5/7), ABC's The Middle also opened as the most-watched television show overall in its slot (8.6 million) and as the #1 comedy in the 8:30pm half-hour, outpacing CBS' veteran sit-com Gary Unmarried in solid margins with viewers and young adults. In addition, The Middle beat out NBC's freshman Mercy by 19% (2.1/6) in the half-hour. The Middle substantially boosted its time slot year to year for ABC, topping the year-ago Pushing Daisies premiere by 2.7 million viewers and by 25% in Adults 18-49 (2.0/6).

Modern Family (9-9:30p): Building on The Middle at 9pm by 48% in Adults 18-49, the second week of Modern Family retained 88% of its big week-ago series debut young adult audience. Modern Family won its half-hour over Criminal Minds (ranking #1 for the 2nd week in a row) to stand as Wednesday's #1 TV show in the key young adult sales demo (3.7/10).

Cougar Town (9:30-10p): Retaining 97% of its Adult 18-49 lead-in, ABC's Cougar Town finished as Wednesday's #2 TV show (3.6/9 - tied w/ Wednesday veteran Criminal Minds). Cougar Town also held a solid 82% of its substantial week-ago series debut audience among young adults.

Eastwick (10-11pm): Opposite CBS' time-period veteran CSI: NY, ABC's freshman Eastwick earned second place in the 10 o'clock hour, defeating NBC's Jay Leno for the 2nd week in a row in both Total Viewers (by 10%) and Adults 18-49 (by 26%).

Quick Take for Wednesday, September 30, 2009 (Fast Affiliate Live + Same Ratings)

Showing Impressive Compatibility Throughout, ABC's 8-10pm Freshman Comedy Block Improves Each Half-Hour for the Network Year to Year

The Most-Watched TV Show at 8pm, "Hank" Opens with ABC's Biggest Audience in the Slot with a Series Telecast in Nearly 2 Years

The Most-Watched Show at 8:30pm, "The Middle" Boosts its Time Slot for ABC By 2.7 Million Viewers and by 25% in Adults 18-49 Over the Year-ago Night

Wednesday's No. 1 TV Show in Adults 18-49, "Modern Family" Surges From its Lead-in to Earn First Place at 9pm for the 2nd Straight Week

With Near-Perfect Lead-in Retention, "Cougar Town" is the Night's No. 2 Show In Adults 18-49 and the Top Comedy in Women 18-34 for the 2nd Straight Week

ABC's "Eastwick" Beats "Leno" at 10pm for the 2nd Week in a Row and Grows Over its Week-Ago Debut in Women 18-34 to Lead its Competition in the Hour

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

ABC's 2-hour Wednesday comedy block exhibited impressive compatibility and audience flow, surging a substantial 64% from start to finish in Adults 18-49 (2.2/7 to 3.6/9) against fierce established competition on the other nets. ABC ranked No. 1 from 8:00-10:00 p.m. (3.0/9), tied with Fox.

� The Wednesday comedy block registered year-to-year improvements for ABC of 1.8 million viewers (9.0 million vs. 7.2 million) and 11% in Adults 18-49 (3.0/9 vs. 2.7/7) over the Net's performance in the 2-hour time period on the same night last year with season premiere programming ("Pushing Daisies"/"Private Practice"). In Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, ABC was up in all 4 half-hours over the same night last year.

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

Debuting as the most-watched TV show at 8:00 p.m. (8.5 million), ABC's "Hank" also stood as the No. 1 comedy in its half-hour among Adults 18-49 (2.2/7), beating CBS' time period veteran "Old Christine" (7.2 million and 2.0/6) by 1.3 million viewers and by 10% in young adults. The new ABC comedy also delivered first place in the slot with Adults 25-54 and Men 18-49.

� "Hank" generated ABC's largest overall audience in the half-hour with series programming in nearly 2 years � since 11/14/07.

"The Middle (8:30-9:30 p.m.)

Jumping from its lead-in by 14% in young adults (2.5/7), ABC's "The Middle" also debuted as the most-watched television program overall (8.6 million) in its time slot and as the No. 1 comedy, outpacing CBS' veteran sit-com, "Gary Unmarried," by solid margins. Like its lead-in, "The Middle" also took top honors in its half-hour with Adults 25-54 and Men 18-49.

� "The Middle" substantially boosted its time slot year to year for the Network, topping the year-ago "Pushing Daisies" premiere by 2.7 million viewers (8.6 million vs. 5.9 million) and by 25% in Adults 18-49 (2.5/7 vs. 2.0/6).

"Modern Family" (9:00-9:30 p.m.)

Building on "The Middle" at 9:00 p.m. by 48% in Adults 18-49, the second week of "Modern Family" delivered strong retention of its big week-ago series debut in Adults 18-34 (97%) and Adults 18-49 (88%). "Modern Family" won its half-hour over "Criminal Minds" (finishing No. 1 in the slot for the 2nd week in a row) to stand as Wednesday's No. 1 show in the key young adult sales demo (3.7/10).

� The ABC freshman comedy also won its slot across all key Men (M18-34/M18-49/M25-54) to stand as the evening's top-rated show with Men 18-49 and Men 18-34.

"Cougar Town" (9:30-10:00 p.m.)

Retaining 97% of its Adult 18-49 lead-in, ABC's "Cougar Town" finished a strong No. 2 to CBS' veteran "Criminal Minds" at 9:30 p.m. in Total Viewers (9.1 million) and Adults 18-49 (3.6/9), while holding the No. 1 position with Men 18-34 for the 2nd straight week.

� "Cougar Town" tied "Criminal Minds" as Wednesday's No. 2 TV show in Adults 18-49, while registering as the night's top-rated half-hour comedy in Women 18-34 for the 2nd straight week.

"Eastwick" (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

Opposite CBS' time-period veteran "CSI: NY," ABC's freshman "Eastwick" earned second place in the 10 o'clock hour, defeating NBC's "Jay Leno" for the 2nd week in a row in both Total Viewers (+10% - 6.6 million vs. 6.0 million) and Adults 18-49 (+26% - 2.4/7 vs. 1.9/5).

� Growing from its week-ago series debut by 8%, "Eastwick" won its time period among Women 18-34, beating "CSI: NY" in the hour by 12% (2.8/8 vs. 2.5/8).

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 33% currently, from 27% at the same point in 2007. 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), 9/30/09.

Quick Take for Wednesday, September 30, 2009 (National Live + Same Program Ratings)

Showing Impressive Compatibility Throughout, ABC's 8-10pm Freshman Comedy Block Ranks No. 1 in Adults 18-49, Beating Fox's Primetime

"Modern Family" and "Cougar Town" Tie for the Night's No. 1 TV Show

The Most-Watched TV Show at 8pm, "Hank" Opens with ABC's Biggest Audience in the Slot with a Series Telecast in Nearly 2 Years

The Most-Watched Show at 8:30pm, "The Middle" Boosts its Time Slot for ABC By 2.8 Million Viewers and by 30% in Adults 18-49 Over the Year-ago Night

"Modern Family" Places No. 1 at 9pm in Adults 18-49 for the 2nd Straight Week

With Perfect Lead-in Retention, ABC's "Cougar Town" Qualifies as Wednesday's No. 1 TV Show in Adults 18-49 for the 2nd Straight Week

ABC's "Eastwick" Beats "Leno" at 10pm for the 2nd Week in a Row and Grows Over its Week-Ago Debut in Women 18-34 to Lead its Competition in the Hour

Wednesday Night Freshman Comedy Block (8:00-10:00 p.m.) ABC's debut of its 2-hour Wednesday comedy block ranked No. 1 from 8:00-10:00 p.m., beating Fox's primetime line-up by 3% (3.1/9 vs. 3.0/9 � "So You Think You Can Dance"/"Glee"). The Net's comedies exhibited impressive compatibility and audience flow, surging a substantial 81% from start to finish in Adults 18-49 (2.1/7 to 3.8/10) against fierce established competition on the other nets.

� The Wednesday comedy block registered year-to-year improvements for ABC of 1.8 million viewers (9.0 million vs. 7.2 million) and 15% in Adults 18-49 (3.1/9 vs. 2.7/7) over the Net's performance in the 2-hour time period on the same night last year with season premiere programming ("Pushing Daisies"/"Private Practice"). In Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, ABC was up in all 4 half-hours over the same night last year.

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

Debuting as the most-watched TV show at 8:00 p.m. (8.3 million), ABC's "Hank" also stood as the No. 1 comedy in its half-hour among Adults 18-49 (2.1/7), beating CBS' time period veteran "Old Christine" (6.7 million and 1.9/6) by 1.6 million viewers and by 11% in young adults. The new ABC comedy also delivered first place in the slot with Adults 25-54 and Men 18-49.

� "Hank" generated ABC's largest overall audience in the half-hour with series programming in nearly 2 years � since 11/14/07.

"The Middle" (8:30-9:30 p.m.)

Jumping from its lead-in by 24% in young adults (2.6/8), ABC's "The Middle" also debuted as the most-watched television program overall (8.7 million) in its time slot and as the No. 1 comedy, outpacing CBS' veteran sit-com, "Gary Unmarried," by solid margins. Like its lead-in, "The Middle" also took top honors in its half-hour with Adults 25-54 and Men 18-49.

� "The Middle" substantially boosted its time slot year to year for the Network, topping the year-ago "Pushing Daisies" premiere by 2.8 million viewers (8.7 million vs. 5.9 million) and by 30% in Adults 18-49 (2.6/8 vs. 2.0/6).

"Modern Family" (9:00-9:30 p.m.)

Building on "The Middle" at 9:00 p.m. by 46% in Adults 18-49, the second week of "Modern Family" delivered strong retention of its big week-ago series debut among Adults 18-49 (90%) and built on its week-earlier debut by 3% in Adults 18-34 (3.2/10 vs. 3.1/10). "Modern Family" won its half-hour over "Criminal Minds" (finishing No. 1 in the slot for the 2nd week in a row) to stand as Wednesday's No. 1 show in the key young adult sales demo (3.8/10-tie).

"Cougar Town" (9:30-10:00 p.m.)

Showing perfect young adult lead-in retention (100% in both AD18-34/AD18-49), ABC's "Cougar Town" qualified as Wednesday's No. 1 TV program for the 2nd week in a row among Adults 18-49 (3.8/10-tie).

"Eastwick" (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

Opposite CBS' time-period veteran "CSI: NY," ABC's freshman "Eastwick" earned second place in the 10 o'clock hour, defeating NBC's "Jay Leno" for the 2nd week in a row in both Total Viewers (+8% - 6.6 million vs. 6.1 million) and Adults 18-49 (+21% - 2.3/7 vs. 1.9/5).

� Growing from its week-ago series debut by 8%, "Eastwick" won its time period among Women 18-34, beating "CSI: NY" in the hour by 12% (2.8/8 vs. 2.5/8).

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 33% currently, from 27% at the same point in 2007. 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), 9/30/09.





  [october 2009]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
    


· COUGAR TOWN (TBS)
· CRIMINAL MINDS (CBS)
· CSI: NEW YORK (CBS)
· EASTWICK (ABC)
· GARY UNMARRIED (CBS)
· HANK (ABC)
· JAY LENO SHOW, THE (NBC)
· MERCY (NBC)
· MIDDLE, THE (ABC)
· MODERN FAMILY (ABC)
· NEW ADVENTURES OF OLD CHRISTINE, THE (CBS)
· PUSHING DAISIES (ABC)





most recent ratings | view all posts
[07/22/26 - 01:19 PM]
Top 10 Most-Watched Prime Original Films & Series for the Week of July 13
"Ride or Die," "Elle," "Off Campus," "Every Year After," and "Clarkson's Farm" led all original series worldwide.

[07/22/26 - 12:37 PM]
Kansas City, Boston and Austin Lead the Way as Top Local Markets for FIFA World Cup 2026 on FOX and FS1
San Francisco, Dallas, San Diego, Atlanta, St. Louis, Providence, and West Palm Beach round out the top 10.

[07/22/26 - 11:30 AM]
ESPN Delivers Most-Watched NBA Summer League Championship Game Since 2017
The Golden State Warriors' victory over the Memphis Grizzlies averaged 676,000 viewers on ESPN, according to Nielsen Big Data + Panel.

[07/21/26 - 04:03 PM]
FOX Saturday Baseball Delivers 2.639 Million for Seattle's Extra-Inning Win Over San Francisco
Viewership peaked with 3,383,000 viewers from 8:00-8:15 PM ET.

[07/21/26 - 03:22 PM]
FOX Sports' Presentation of FIFA World Cup 2026 Final Etches Place in Record Books as Most-Watched Soccer Telecast in U.S. History With 38,937,000 Viewers
The record-breaking Final reached its dramatic peak with 51,685,000 viewers watching from 5:45 to 6:00 PM ET as Spain secured a 1-0 victory in extra time over Argentina.

[07/21/26 - 02:22 PM]
NBC Sports Delivers Most Watched Final Round of the Open Championship Since 2022
Sunday's audience peaked at 6.1 million viewers on NBC and Peacock from 1:15-1:30 p.m. ET.

[07/21/26 - 02:03 PM]
"Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro" Series Debut Tops 5 Million Total Viewers
On linear, "Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro" was the No. 1 program of the night in both Total Viewers (4.42 million) and Adults 18-49 (0.47 rating).

[07/21/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of July 13 - "Little House on the Prairie" Journeys to No. 1 in This Week's Top 10
"The Hawk" - the sports comedy starring Will Ferrell as an infamous golf legend chasing a late-career comeback on the green - debuted in the No. 3 spot on the list, swinging to 4.8 million views.

[07/20/26 - 10:00 AM]
CBS Leads Broadcast Series in Multiplatform Viewing for the 2025-2026 Season
Against broadcast competition, CBS finishes the season with four of the top five series.

[07/17/26 - 03:12 PM]
FOX Sports' 15.088 Million Average Viewers for FIFA World Cup 2026 Semifinals is Best in U.S. History
16.900 million viewers watched Argentina knock out England in the semifinals Wednesday afternoon on FOX.

[07/17/26 - 02:01 PM]
ABC News Is No. 1 in Total Viewers on Sunday Morning, in Late Night and Friday Evening
"20/20" improved on the year-ago telecast by double digits in all key target demos: Total Viewers, Adults 25-54, and Adults 18-49.

[07/16/26 - 02:41 PM]
FOX Sports Rings the Bell, Captures Most-Watched MLB All-Star Game Since 2018
Coverage reached a peak audience of 10,186,000 viewers from 8:45-9:00 PM ET.

[07/16/26 - 01:48 PM]
Netflix: What We Watched the First Half of 2026
Starting in Q1 2027, Netflix will move from a six-month to a yearly snapshot.

[07/16/26 - 01:09 PM]
Messi Shines, FOX Sports is Golden with Record-Breaking England-Argentina FIFA World Cup 2026 Semifinal
15.063 million viewers watched Lionel Messi and Argentina knock out England in the semifinal Wednesday afternoon on FOX.

[07/16/26 - 12:03 PM]
Paramount+ Reaches Nearly 16M Viewers for UFC 329: McGregor vs Holloway 2, Peaking with Record-Breaking 8M Streams in U.S. and Latin America
The main event concluded in 69 seconds as Max Holloway secured a first-round TKO against Conor McGregor, whose return from a five-year layoff ended after he suffered an early knee injury.