ABC Wins its 4th Straight Monday with The Bachelorette and True Beauty

Some early points for ABC's Monday ahead of the regular press release.

With The Bachelorette and True Beauty, ABC took first place on Monday night in both Total Viewers (7.3 million) and Adults 18-49 (2.5/8). In fact the Net ranked #1 in Adults 18-49 for its 3rd consecutive Monday, beating second-place CBS by 32% (1.9/6), third-place Fox by 67% (1.5/5) and fourth-place NBC by 92% (1.3/4). In fact ABC ranked #1 in all 6 half-hours of the evening among Adults 18-49.

· Building its overall Monday audience year to year for the 4th straight week, ABC was up over the year-ago Monday (6/22/09) by 1.5 million viewers and 25% in Adults 18-49 (5.8 million and 2.0/6).

Once again leading its 2-hour time period, ABC's The Bachelorette finished #1 for the 4th week in a row, dominating its nearest 8-10pm competition (CBS) by 1.3 million viewers (8.2 million vs. 6.9 million) and by 35% (2.7/9 vs. 2.0/6). The show gained viewers and young adults during each half-hour of its 2-hour broadcast.

· The Bachelorette stood as Monday's #1 program in Adults 18-49 for the 2nd week in a row and registered as the night's definitive #1 television show for the 4th week running across all key Women demographics (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54).

· The Bachelorette built its overall audience from the year-ago night for the 3rd week in a row, surging by double-digit percentages in Total Viewers (+21%) and Adults 18-49 (+17%). Hitting a summer-high in Adults 18-49, the show posted its top rating since its season opener coming out of the DWTS finale, on the concluding Monday of the TV Season (5/24/10).

During the 10 o'clock hour, ABC's True Beauty ran #1 against its network competition for the 3rd consecutive week in Adults 18-49. The ABC unscripted series beat out NBC's original scripted series, Persons Unknown, by best-yet margins in both Total Viewers (+2.2 million - 5.4 million vs. 3.2 million) and Adults 18-49 (+82% - 2.0/6 vs. 1.1/3).

· True Beauty achieved season-highs with Adults 18-49, Adults 18-34 and across all key Women demographics (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54).

· True Beauty once again substantially improved its time period for ABC, over the year-ago night with original programming, boosting the hour by 1.5 million viewers and by 43% in Adults 18-49 (3.9 million and 1.4/4 on 6/22/09 w/ Here Come the Newlyweds).

Quick Take for Monday, June 21, 2010 (Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Ratings)

ABC is No. 1 for the 3rd Consecutive Monday in Adults 18-49, Topping CBS by 32%, Fox by 67% and NBC by 92%

ABC's "The Bachelorette" Leads its Slot for the 4th Week in a Row in Viewers And Young Adults, Hitting a Summer High in Adults 18-49

At 10pm, "True Beauty" Beats NBC's "Persons Unknown" by its Best-Yet Margins, Delivering Season Highs in Key Adult and All Key Women Demos

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

With "The Bachelorette" and "True Beauty," ABC took first place on Monday night in both Total Viewers (7.3 million) and Adults 18-49 (2.5/8). In fact the Net ranked No. 1 in Adults 18-49 for its 3rd consecutive Monday, beating second-place CBS by 32% (1.9/6), third-place Fox by 67% (1.5/5) and fourth-place NBC by 92% (1.3/4). ABC ranked No. 1 in all 6 half-hours of the evening among Adults 18-49.

· Building its overall Monday audience year to year for the 4th straight week, ABC was up over the year-ago Monday (6/22/09) by 1.5 million viewers and 25% in Adults 18-49 (5.8 million and 2.0/6).

"The Bachelorette" (8:00-10:00 p.m.)

Once again leading its 2-hour time period, ABC's "The Bachelorette" finished No. 1 for the 4th week in a row, dominating its nearest time-slot competition (CBS) by 1.3 million viewers (8.2 million vs. 6.9 million) and by 35% (2.7/9 vs. 2.0/6). The show gained viewers and young adults during each half-hour of its 2-hour broadcast.

· "The Bachelorette" stood as Monday's No. 1 program in Adults 18-49 for the 2nd week in a row and registered as the night's definitive No. 1 television show for the 4th week running across all key Women demographics (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54).

· "The Bachelorette" built its overall audience from the year-ago night for the 3rd week in a row, surging by double-digit percentages in Total Viewers (+21%) and Adults 18-49 (+17%). Hitting a summer high in Adults 18-49, the show posted its top rating since its season opener coming out of the "DWTS" finale, on the concluding Monday of the TV Season (5/24/10).

"True Beauty" (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

During the 10 o'clock hour, ABC's "True Beauty" ran No. 1 against its network competition for the 3rd consecutive week in Adults 18-49. The ABC unscripted series beat out NBC's original scripted series, "Persons Unknown," by best-yet margins in both Total Viewers (+2.2 million - 5.4 million vs. 3.2 million) and Adults 18-49 (+82% - 2.0/6 vs. 1.1/3).

· "True Beauty" achieved season-highs with Adults 18-49, Adults 18-34 and across all key Women demographics (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54).

· "True Beauty" once again substantially improved its time period for ABC over the year-ago night with original programming, boosting the hour by 1.5 million viewers and by 43% in Adults 18-49 (3.9 million and 1.4/4 on 6/22/09 w/ "Here Come the Newlyweds").

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 31% 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.

Source: Nielsen Media Research (Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Ratings), 6/21/10.