Primetime Ratings Report For the week of October 5, 2009 (Based on National Live + Same Day Program Ratings)

ABC Takes Second for the Week in Total Viewers and Key Demos

ABC Airs 4 of the Week's Top 20 TV Shows in Adults 18-49, Placing The No. 1 Scripted Series for the 3rd Week in a Row with "Grey's"

With ESPN's Record-Setting "MNF" Game and ABC's "Dancing," Disney-Owned Nets Claim Monday's Top 2 Shows, Drawing a Combined 38.2 Million Viewers

ABC's "Castle" Tops NBC's "Jay Leno" in Viewers and Adults 18-49 by its Largest Margins Yet, and Hits Season Highs in Adults 18-34 and Women 18-34

Gaining Viewers for the 2nd Week in a Row, ABC's "Shark Tank" Produces its Top Viewer and Young Adult Numbers Since August

Improving the Time Period Year to Year in Viewers and Young Adults, ABC's Freshman Comedy Block Finishes No. 2 from 8-10pm in Adults 18-34

Jumping from its Adult 18-49 Lead-in at 8:30pm, "The Middle" Outdraws Fox's "Dance" in Viewers and Beats its Comedy Competition in Adults 18-34

Finishing as the No. 2 TV Show of the Night in Adults 18-49 to CBS' Veteran "Criminal Minds," ABC's "Modern Family" Hits a Series High with Men 18-34

Continuing to Exhibit Strong Lead-in Retention, "Cougar Town" Improves its Slot Year to Year for ABC by 19% in Adults 18-49

"Eastwick" Tops "Leno" on Wednesday for the 3rd Straight Week in Adults 18-49

ABC Wins 3rd Straight Thursday of the Season in Adults 18-49

"FlashForward" Wins its Slot for the 3rd Consecutive Week in Adults 18-34

Dominating the 9 O'clock Hour in Adults 18-49, "Grey's Anatomy" Qualifies as Thursday's No. 1 TV Show for the 3rd Week in a Row

No. 1 for the 2nd Straight Week, "Private Practice" Leads the 10pm Hour Among Adults 18-49, Defeating CBS' "The Mentalist" and NBC's "Jay Leno"

"Housewives" is Sunday's No. 1 Entertainment Show in Viewers and Adults 18-49

Sunday at 10pm, ABC's "Brothers & Sisters" Dominates its CBS Drama Competition

WEEK No. 3:

ABC earned second place to CBS during the week of October 5, 2009 among Total Viewers (8.4 million), Adults 25-54 (3.0/8) and key Women: W18-34 (2.5/8), W18-49 (3.2/9) and W25-54 (3.8/9).

Rankings: ABC aired 4 of the Top 20 TV shows during the week in Adults 18-49, including the No. 1 scripted program for the 3rd straight week with "Grey's Anatomy": "Grey's Anatomy" � No. 3, "Desperate Housewives" � No. 7, "Private Practice" � No. 16 and "Dancing with the Stars" � No. 20. ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" and "Grey's Anatomy" also placed among the Top 10 most-watched television shows overall during the week. "Grey's" stood as the week's highest-rated TV show for the 3rd week running across key Women (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54).

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 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

ABC (14.1 million) topped its broadcast rivals on Monday for the 2nd week in a row, outperforming CBS by 2.8 million viewers (11.3 million), Fox by 3.1 million viewers (11.0 million) and NBC by 9.0 million viewers (5.1 million).

"Dancing with the Stars" (8:00-10:02 p.m.)

Trailing only sister-net ESPN's record-setting "Monday Night Football" game (Vikings-Packers = 21.8 million), ABC's "DWTS" (16.4 million) stood as TV's most-watched entertainment show on Monday, allowing the two Disney-owned networks to deliver the night's Top 2 most-watched shows with a combined audience of 38.2 million viewers. Opposite stiff competition on broadcast and cable, the ABC unscripted show built audience from its first hour to its second hour in Total Viewers (16.1 million to 16.6 million) and Adults 18-49 (3.4/8 to 3.6/8). In fact among Adults 18-49 from 9:00-10:00 p.m., "DWTS" bettered Fox's "Lie to Me" by 16% (3.1/7) and NBC's "Trauma" by 112% (1.7/4).

� "DWTS" won its 2-hour time period for the 2nd week in a row among Women 18-49 (5.0/12) and Women 25-54 (6.4/14).

"Castle" (10:02-11:00 p.m.)

ABC's "Castle" towered over NBC's "Jay Leno" by its largest margin yet, beating the NBC program by 4.7 million viewers (9.2 million vs. 4.5 million) and by 47% in Adults 18-49 (2.2/6 vs. 1.5/4).

� "Castle" hit season highs among Adults 18-34 (1.7/5) and Women 18-34 (2.2/6).

Tuesday

ABC's Tuesday lineup attracted 8.4 million viewers, outdrawing both NBC (8.3 million) and Fox (6.5 million).

"Shark Tank" (8:00-9:00 p.m.)

Increasing its overall audience by 8% week to week, ABC's "Shark Tank" drew its largest audience (5.2 million) and matched its best Adults 18-49 performance (1.5/4) in 5 telecasts - since 8/23/09.

� Opposite established time period competition, "Shark Tank" grew by 10% in Total Viewers (4.9 million to 5.4 million) and by 23% among Adults 18-49 (1.3/4 to 1.6/4) from start to finish.

"Dancing with the Stars the Results Show" (9:00-10:01 p.m.)

Surging from its lead-in (+7.2 million viewers & +73% in AD18-49), ABC's "Dancing with the Stars the Results Show" took second in the hour outdrawing its unscripted competition in Total Viewers (12.4 million), topping the second hour of NBC's "The Biggest Loser" by 2.6 million viewers (9.8 million) and Fox's "So You Think You Can Dance" by 6.9 million viewers (5.5 million). "Dancing with the Stars" also beat the Fox dance program in the hour in Adults 18-49 (2.6/7 vs. 2.5/6). Actor, Debi Mazar, was the fourth dancer to be eliminated from the competition this season. In addition, politician, Tom DeLay, withdrew from the competition due to injury.

"the forgotten" (10:01-11:00 p.m.)

Building on the previous week's audience, "the forgotten" took second in the 10:00 p.m. hour among Total Viewers (7.8 million), outdrawing NBC's "Jay Leno" (6.2 million) for the 3rd week in a row, by 1.4 million viewers.

Wednesday

Please Note: MLB Playoff coverage on cable was a significant competitive factor week to week for ABC and the other broadcast nets, with the post-season baseball games featuring teams from the Top 2 U.S. markets (including NY Yankees and LA Dodgers) boosting TBS's primetime numbers by 5.4 million viewers (7.0 million vs. 1.6 million) and by 317% in Adults 18-49 (2.5/7 vs. 0.6/2) over the previous Wednesday.

Wednesday Night Freshman Comedy Block (8:00-10:00 p.m.)

ABC's all-freshman 8:00-10:00 p.m. comedy block continued to deliver impressive compatibility, growing by 1.3 million viewers (6.5 million to 7.8 million) and by 100% in Adults 18-49 (1.6/5 to 3.2/8) from start to finish against strong established competition on the other networks and MLB Playoffs on cable.

� Up for the 2nd week in a row, ABC's Wednesday comedy block improved the time period year to year by 1.0 million viewers (7.5 million vs. 6.5 million) and by 13% in Adults 18-49 (2.6/7 vs. 2.3/7) over the Net's performance in the 2-hour time period on the same night last year.

� ABC's comedy block finished No. 2 among the broadcasters in the time period among Adults 18-34 (2.1/6) to Fox ("Dance"/"Glee"), leading NBC by 17% ("Mercy"/"L&O: SVU" = 1.8/6) and CBS by 24% ("Old Christine"/"Gary Unmarried"/"Criminal Minds" = 1.7/5)

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

At 8:00 p.m., ABC's freshman comedy "Hank" outdrew Fox's time-period regular "So You Think You Can Dance" by 8% in Total Viewers (6.5 million vs. 6.0 million). "Hank" took second place in the half-hour among the broadcast nets with Men 25-54 (1.8/5).

"The Middle" (8:30-9:00 p.m.)

Jumping from its Adult 18-49 lead-in by 31% (2.1/6 vs. 1.6/5) at 8:30 p.m., ABC's "The Middle" drew a larger overall audience than Fox's "Dance" (6.8 million vs. 6.5 million), beat its comedy competition in the half-hour (CBS' "Gary Unmarried") by 15% among Adults 18-34 (1.5/6 vs. 1.3/4) and finished in a near-tie among Adult 18-49 (2.1/6 vs. 2.2/6). "The Middle" retained a solid 81% of its week-earlier series debut in Adults 18-49.

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

Building on its lead-in at 9:00 p.m. by 2.0 million viewers (8.8 million vs. 6.8 million) and by 62% in Adults 18-49 (3.4/9 vs. 2.1/6), ABC's "Modern Family" placed No. 2 in its half-hour to CBS' veteran "Criminal Minds" on both counts. Hitting a series-high in Men 18-34 (2.6/8 � despite competing against MLB Playoff Baseball on cable), "Modern Family" earned the No. 1 position in its half-hour against its broadcast competitors, beating Fox's "Glee" by 18% (2.2/7), NBC's "Law & Order: SVU" by 53% (1.7/5) and CBS' "Criminal Minds" by 53% (1.7/5).

� The new ABC comedy qualified as the No. 2 TV show on Wednesday in Adults 18-49, trailing only "Criminal Minds."

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

At 9:30 p.m., ABC's "Cougar Town" retained 94% of its Adult 18-49 lead-in from "Modern Family," boosting its half-hour for ABC by 19% over an original Private Practice" on the year-ago night (3.2/8 vs. 2.7/7).

"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 3rd week in a row among Adults 18-49 (1.8/5 vs. 1.7/5).

Thursday

ABC won Thursday night for the 3rd week in a row among Adults 18-49 (4.0/11), beating second-place CBS by 18% (3.4/9), third-place NBC with "The Office" 1-hour wedding episode by 43% (2.8/8) and fourth-place Fox by 60% (2.5/7). The Net also won on the evening for the 3rd week running with Adults 18-34 and all key Women (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54).

� While CBS and NBC were both on the decline year to year with young adults, ABC retained 100% of its Adult 18-49 audience (4.0/11) and was up 9% with Adults 18-34, over the year-ago night (3.7/11 vs. 3.4/10 on 10/9/08).

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

From 8:00-9:00 p.m., ABC freshman "FlashForward" delivered a solid second to CBS' "Survivor: Samoa" in Adults 18-49 (3.0/9), leading Fox's veteran "Bones" (2.9/8) and NBC's comedy block ("Community" time-period premiere/"Parks and Recreation") (2.0/6). "FlashForward won its hour for the 3rd week in a row with Adults 18-34 (2.5/8). Building from its first half-hour to its second half-hour, the ABC freshman drama gained Viewers (+5%) and Adults 18-49 (+10%) throughout its broadcast.

"Grey's Anatomy" (9:00-10:01 p.m.)

"Grey's Anatomy" stood as Thursday's No. 1 TV show in Adults 18-49 (5.4/14) for the 3rd straight week. Winning the 9 o'clock hour, ABC's "Grey's" beat NBC's highly-promoted "The Office" wedding episode by 13% (4.8/12), CBS' "CSI" by 54% (3.5/9) and Fox's "Fringe" by 152% (2.1/5).

"Private Practice" (10:01-11:00 p.m.)

ABC's "Private Practice" won the 10 o'clock hour for the 2nd consecutive week in Adults 18-49 (3.6/10), beating CBS' "The Mentalist" by 9% (3.3/9) and NBC's "Jay Leno" by 118% (1.7/5). The ABC drama delivered an even wider margin of victory over CBS' "The Mentalist" among Adults 18-34, leading by 79% (3.4/11 vs. 1.9/5).

Friday

"20/20" (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

Surging from its lead-in by 3.6 million viewers (6.4 million vs. 2.8 million) and by 67% in young adults (1.5/5 vs. 0.9/3), ABC News' "20/20" finished No. 2 in Friday's 10 o'clock hour, beating NBC's "Jay Leno" for the 3rd straight week. The ABC newsmagazine held the No. 1 position in the hour for the 3rd week running with key Women (W18-49/W25-54)

Sunday

Opposite NBC with "Sunday Night Football" (Indianapolis-Tennessee) and an NFL overrun-boosted CBS (Pittsburgh-San Diego), ABC beat out its non-sports-driven competition on the evening, leading Fox by 3.8 million viewers (10.0 million vs. 6.2 million) and by 7% in Adults 18-49 (3.2/8 vs. 3.0/8).

"Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" (8:00-9:00 p.m.)

ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" won its hour among Women 18-49 (3.8/10) and Women 25-54 (4.6/11) for the 3rd consecutive week.

"Desperate Housewives" (9:00-10:01 p.m.)

Opposite stiff competition on the night, ABC's "Desperate Housewives" stood as Sunday's No. 1 entertainment TV program in both Total Viewers and Adults 18-49 (tie). Topping its non-sports competition in the 9 o'clock hour for 2nd week in a row, "Housewives" (13.4 million and 4.6/11) outperformed CBS' "Amazing Race"/"Three Rivers" (9.5 million) by nearly 4.0 million viewers and Fox's "Family Guy"/"American Dad" (4.0/9) by 15% in Adults 18-49.

"Brothers & Sisters" (10:01-11:00 p.m.)

ABC's "Brothers & Sisters" beat its drama competition in the 10 o'clock hour by wide margins, leading CBS' combo of "Three Rivers"/"Cold Case" by 1.4 million viewers (9.0 million vs. 7.6 million) and 67% (3.0/8 vs. 1.8/5). "Brothers & Sisters" finished No. 1 in the hour for the 3rd straight week among key Women demos (W18-49/W25-54).

Source: Nielsen Media Research (National Live+Same Day Program Ratings), week of 10/5/09, unless stated otherwise.