Primetime Ratings Report For the week of March 1, 2010 (Based on National Live + Same Day Program Ratings)

Finishing as the Most-Watched Network, ABC Draws its Biggest Weekly Audience Since September '08 and Ties its Top Adult 18-49 Number Since November '07

ABC Claims 8 of the Week's Top 20 Television Shows Among Adults 18-49, Including the No. 1 Show Overall with the "82nd Annual Academy Awards"

Hitting a Monday Season High in Young Adults, ABC is the Evening's No. 1 Net in Viewers and Adults 18-49

On Average, the 14th Season of "The Bachelor" Finishes with The Biggest Overall Audience for the Franchise Since Fall 2003

Winning Monday's 10pm Hour in Viewers and Young Adults, "The Bachelor: After the Final Rose" Generates the Special's 2nd-Highest Numbers Ever

ABC's Tuesday is Up Year to Year in Adults 18-49 for 5 Weeks Running

"Lost" is Tuesday's No. 1 Scripted Show in Adults 18-49 for 5th Week in a Row

ABC News' "A Special Edition of 20/20: Before They Were Famous" Improves its Time Period in Viewers, with ABC's Top Results in 3 Weeks

ABC's Replay "Modern Family" is the No. 1 Scripted Show on Wednesday At 8pm in Adults 18-49, Finishing 13% Ahead of NBC's Original "Mercy"

On its First Original Airing in 3 Weeks, "The Middle" is the Top Scripted Show In its Slot in Adults 18-49, Beating NBC's "Mercy" and CBS' "Gary Unmarried"

Surging 62% in Adults 18-49 from its Lead-in Against Fox's 2-Hour "Idol," ABC's "Modern Family" is Wednesday's No. 1 Scripted TV Show for its 4th Straight Original

Surging from its Lead-in by 6.8 Million Viewers and by 233% in Adults 18-49, ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" Posts Solid Gains Over its Most Recent Original Airing

"Private Practice" is Once Again the Top Scripted Show in its Slot with Adults 18-34, Beating "Mentalist," while Winning the Hour Over "Marriage Ref" in Key Women ABC More than Doubles its Combined Network Competition on Oscar Sunday

Posting its 2nd Straight Year of Gains, "Oscars" Surges Year to Year by 5.4 Million Viewers and by 10% in Adults 18-49, the Show's Most-Watched Telecast in 5 Years

"Barbara Walters Special" Draws its Biggest Overall Audience Since 2002

The "2010 Oscars" Reach 76.51 Million Unique Viewers Across the United States

WEEK No. 24:

During the week of March 1, 2010, ABC finished as the most-watched network, outdrawing runner-up Fox with 3 nights of "American Idol" by 7% (12.1 million vs. 11.3 million). The Net also ranked No. 1 for the week with key Women: W18-49 (4.8/13) and W25-54 (5.5/13).

· ABC generated its biggest overall weekly audience (12.1 million) since September 2008 and matched its highest-rated week among Adults 18-49 (3.8/11) since November 2007 � since the weeks of 9/22/08 and 11/26/07, respectively.

Rankings: ABC claimed 8 of the Top 20 TV shows for the week in Adults 18-49, including the No. 1 program overall with the "82nd Annual Academy Awards": "Academy Awards" � No. 1, "Oscar's Red Carpet 2010" � No. 4, "The Bachelor" and ""Bachelor: After the Final Rose" tied at No. 8, "Lost" � No. 11, "Grey's Anatomy"� No. 12, "Barbara Walters-SP-3/7" � No. 17 and "Modern Family" � No. 18. The "Academy Awards" registered as the week's No. 1 TV show in Total Viewers, all key Adults, Men, Women and Teens 12-17. In fact the "Oscars" qualified as the most-watched entertainment telecast on all of TV in more than 5 years � since 2/27/05 and ABC's 2005 "Oscar" telecast. Despite airing opposite "American Idol" on Wednesday, ABC's "Modern Family" stood as the weeks' No. 1 freshman series in Adults 18-49. ABC News delivered the week's No. 1 newsmagazines in Adults 18-49 ("20/20 SP Edition-3/2" on Tuesday at 10:00 p.m.) and Adults 25-54 ("20/20" on Friday at 10:00 p.m.).

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 36% currently, from 30% at the same point in 2009. 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

Hitting a Monday season high in young adults, with the season finale of "The Bachelor: On the Wings of Love" and the "After the Final Rose" special, ABC stood as Monday's No. 1 network in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, beating runner-up CBS' all-original schedule by 2.0 million viewers (14.8 million vs. 12.8 million) and by 23% in Adults 18-49 (5.3/14 vs. 4.3/11).

· ABC posted its highest-rated Monday among Adults 18-49 in 1 year � since 3/2/09.

"The Bachelor: On the Wings of Love" (8:00-10:05 p.m.)

ABC's 14th season finale of "The Bachelor" won its time period, topping second-place CBS' original Monday comedy block by 2.0 million viewers (15.2 million vs. 13.2 million) and by 13% in Adults 18-49 (5.3/14 vs. 4.7/12). Up over the previous week's telecast by 3.9 million viewers and by 36% in young adults (11.3 million & 3.9/10 in Adults 18-49 on 2/22/10) with a season-high performance, "The Bachelor" drew its second-best finale numbers in 10 seasons in Total Viewers and in 9 seasons in Adults 18-49 � since Fall 2003 and Spring 2004, respectively. Additionally, the ABC unscripted show ranked No. 1 against regular competition in its 2-hour time period in Adults 18-34 (4.9/14) for the 7th week running.

· On average during its 14th season run, "The Bachelor: On the Wings of Love" attracted an average audience of 12.0 million viewers, up over last season's 11.5 million, generating the biggest overall audience for the franchise since Fall 2003 � going back 10 seasons/cycles.

· "The Bachelor" built its audience during each half-hour from 8:00-10:00 p.m., growing by 2.6 million viewers (13.9 million to 16.5 million) and by 26% Adults 18-49 (4.7/13 to 5.9/14) from its first half-hour to its final half-hour, as Jake Pavelka proposed to Sanford, Florida resident Vienna Giraldi.

"The Bachelor: On the Wings of Love: After the Final Rose" (10:05-11:00 p.m.)

"The Bachelor: On the Wings of Love: After the Final Rose" dominated the 10 o'clock hour in Total Viewers (13.9 million) and Adults 18-49 (5.3/14), finishing well ahead of CBS' "CSI: Miami" (12.1 million & 3.4/9) and the second hour of NBC's 2-hour "Law & Order" (7.9 million and 2.1/6). In viewers and young adults, "The Bachelor: After the Final Rose" posted the special's 2nd-highest numbers ever.

· Building on its Adults 18-34 and Women 18-34 lead-in, "The Bachelor: After the Final Rose" stood as Monday's No. 1 program among Adults 18-34 (5.0/15), Women 18-34 (7.4/20) and Women 18-49 (7.8/20-tie).

Tuesday

ABC grew over the year-ago Tuesday for the 5th week in a row, gaining 9% among Adults 18-49 (2.5/7 vs. 2.3/6 on 3/3/09).

"Lost" (9:00-10:02 p.m.)

Opposite the second hour of Fox's 2-hour "American Idol" (featuring Top 10 male performances) from 9:00-10:00 p.m., ABC's "Lost" surged over its lead-in by 5.0 million viewers (9.3 vs. 4.3 million) and by 156% in young adults (4.1/10 vs. 1.6/4) and grew its numbers from start to finish (+3% in viewers/+5% in young adults). Despite CBS' (original "NCIS") and NBC's (first hour of "Biggest Loser") decided lead-in advantages coming into the time period, ABC's "Lost" defeated its non-"Idol" competition in the 9 o'clock hour by wide margins in Adults 18-49 (4.1/10), outpacing the second hour of NBC's 2-hour "Biggest Loser" by 24% (3.3/8) and CBS' original "NCIS: LA" by 32% (3.1/8).

· "Lost" finished as Tuesday's No. 1 scripted TV program for the 5th consecutive week in Adults 18-49, Adults 18-34 and among key Men (M18-34/M18-49).

"A Special Edition of 20/20: Before They Were Famous" (10:02-11:00 p.m.)

During the 10 o'clock hour, opposite NBC's series debut of "Parenthood" (airing with limited commercial interruptions) which was highly-promoted throughout the Olympics, "A Special Edition of 20/20" improved the hour week to week for ABC in Total Viewers (+4% - 5.2 million vs. 5.0 million), posting the Net's largest audience in the time-slot in 3 weeks � since 2/9/10.

Wednesday

"Modern Family - WED 8PM" (8:00-8:30 p.m.)

Opposite the opening half-hour of Fox's 2-hour "American Idol" (Top 10 female performances), ABC's rebroadcast airing of "Modern Family" finished as the No. 1 scripted show at 8:00 p.m. in Adults 18-49 (1.7/5), beating NBC's original "Mercy" by 13% (1.5/4) and CBS' original "Old Christine" by 6% (1.6/5).

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

Returning to original for the first time in 3 weeks, ABC's "The Middle" ranked as the No. 1 scripted show at 8:30 p.m. in Adults 18-49 (2.1/6), defeating the second half-hour of NBC's "Mercy" by 31% (1.6/5) and CBS' "Gary Unmarried" by 17% (1.8/5).

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

On its first original airing in 3 weeks, ABC's "Modern Family" surged from its lead-in by 62% in Adults 18-49 at 9:00 p.m. against the third half-hour of Fox's 2-hour "Idol." Beating out CBS' "Criminal Minds" in Adults 18-49 (3.4/9 vs. 3.3/9), ABC's "Modern Family" registered as the No. 1 scripted program in its time period for its 4th straight original telecast.

· The ABC freshman comedy stood as Wednesday's No. 1 scripted TV show in young Adults (AD18-34/AD18-49) for its 4th first-run telecast in a row.

Thursday

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

Surging from its lead-in by 6.8 million viewers (11.8 million vs. 5.0 million) and by 233% in Adults 18-49 (4.0/11 vs. 1.2/3) against NBC's highly-promoted 1-hour episode of "The Office" (the birth of Pam and Jim's baby), ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" earned second place in the 9 o'clock hour on both measures. Despite each network's decided Adult 18-49 lead-in advantage coming into the hour from "Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains" and "American Idol," respectively, "Grey's" (4.0/11) topped CBS' "CSI" by 8% (3.7/10) and Fox's "Kitchen Nightmares" by 21% (3.3/9). The ABC drama ranked No. 1 in its time period across all key Women: W18-34 (5.6/15), W18-49 (6.0/15) and W25-54 (6.4/15).

· "Grey's" was up solidly from its most recent original telecast 2 weeks ago, gaining 1.5 million viewers and 8% in Adults 18-49 (10.3 million and 3.7/10 on 2/18/10).

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

Opposite NBC's time-slot premiere of "Marriage Ref," which was heavily promoted throughout the Olympics and debuted on Sunday coming out of the Closing Ceremonies, ABC's "Private Practice" topped its drama competition in the hour by 26% in Adults 18-34 (2.4/8 vs. 1.9/6 � CBS' "The Mentalist"). In fact it was the 15th consecutive original telecast this season for "Private Practice" to register as the No. 1 scripted show in its slot in Adults 18-34. "Private Practice" won the hour over "Marriage Ref" among key Women, beating the NBC unscripted show by 21% in Women 18-34 (4.0/12 vs. 3.3/10) and by 13% in Women 18-49 (4.3/11 vs. 3.8/10).

Sunday

With coverage of the "82nd Annual Academy Awards," ABC more than doubled its combined network competition on Sunday evening. During primetime, ABC outdrew the other networks combined by 18.5 million viewers (33.2 million vs. 14.7 million � CBS, NBC and Fox) and by 106% in Adults 18-49 (10.1/26 vs. 4.9/12).

"Barbara Walters Special" (7:00 - 8:00 p.m.)

ABC's telecast of "Barbara Walters Special" drew an average audience of 15.0 million viewers, up year to year by 3.4 million viewers (2009 = 11.6 million). In fact the final "Barbara Walters Special" attracted its biggest overall audience in 8 years � since 2002.

"Oscar's Red Carpet 2010" (8:00 - 8:30 p.m.)

With "Oscar's Red Carpet 2010" pre-show, ABC pulled in 25.3 million viewers, drawing the special's largest audience since 2007.

The "82nd Annual Academy Awards" (8:30-11:39 p.m.)

ABC's broadcast of the "82nd Annual Academy Awards" attracted an average audience of 41.7 million Total Viewers and posted a 13.3 rating, 33 share among Adults 18-49. The "82nd Annual Academy Awards" registered as TV's most-watched entertainment telecast since 2005 � since 2/27/05.

· Posting its 2nd straight year of gains, the "Oscars" surged year to year by 5.4 million viewers (41.7 million vs. 36.3 million) and by 10% in Adults 18-49 (13.3/33 vs. 12.1/29), the annual awards show's most-watched telecast overall in 5 years � since 2005.

· ABC's "82nd Annual Academy Awards" (41.7 million) towered above other awards shows this season, outdrawing the 2009 "Emmy Awards" by 28.2 million viewers (13.5 million), the 2010 "Golden Globe Awards" by 24.7 million viewers (17.0 million) and the 2010 "Grammy Awards" by 15.8 million viewers (25.9 million).

· Revised "Oscar" Reach: ABC's "82nd Annual Academy Awards" reached 76.51 million unique television viewers across the U.S. � unduplicated Viewers 2+ watching 6-minutes or more during its telecast.

Source: The Nielsen Company (National Live+Same Day Program Ratings), week of 3/1/10, unless stated otherwise.