ABC is #1 in A18-49 for the 8th Straight Monday

Some early points on ABC's Thursday, ahead of the regular press release.

ABC was the most-watched network overall for the 6th week in a row and ranked No. 1 in Adults 18-49 for the 8th straight Monday. In fact ABC is registering its longest Adult 18-49 winning streak on the night in more than 10 years - since November 1999-January 2000. The Network outperformed its nearest primetime competition (CBS) by 1.4 million viewers and by 32% in Adults 18-49.

With ABC's The Bachelorette: The Men Tell All, the Network ranked a strong No. 1 in its time period for the 9th consecutive week, outperforming its closest time period competition (CBS) by 2.3 million viewers and by 40%. The veteran ABC unscripted series led all 4 of its half-hours in viewers and young adults.

The Bachelorette stood as Monday's #1 TV show in Adults 18-49 for the 7th week running, and for the 9th time in 9 weeks stood the evening's dominant #1 television program across all key Women demographics (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54).

The Bachelorette: The Men Tell All saw increases over its year-ago performance (7/20/09) by nearly 1.0 million viewers.

On average, The Bachelorette is up over its performance at the same point last year by 1.3 million viewers and by 10% in Adults 18-49.

ABC News' 20/20: The Stories Behind the Rose ranked No. 1 in the 10 o'clock hour against its CBS and NBC competition among Adults 18-49 and Adults 25-54.

Quick Take for Monday, July 26, 2010 (Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Ratings)

ABC is Monday's No. 1 Net for the 8th Straight Week, Registering its Longest Winning Streak on the Night Among Young Viewers in More Than 10 Years

With "The Bachelorette: The Men Tell All," ABC Wins the 2-Hour Time Period For the 9th Week in a Row in Total Viewers and Young Adults

On Average Year to Year, "The Bachelorette" is Up By 1.3 Million Viewers and by 10% in Adults 18-49

ABC News' "20/20: The Stories Behind the Rose" is No. 1 Versus CBS and NBC Among Adults 18-49 and Adults 25-54

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

ABC was the most-watched network overall for the 6th week in a row and ranked No. 1 in Adults 18-49 for the 8th straight Monday. In fact ABC is registering its longest Adult 18-49 winning streak on the night in more than 10 years - since November 1999-January 2000. The Network outperformed its nearest primetime competition (CBS) by 1.4 million viewers (7.9 million vs. 6.5 million) and by 32% in Adults 18-49 (2.5/8 vs. 1.9/6).

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

With ABC's "The Bachelorette: The Men Tell All," the Network ranked a strong No. 1 in the time period for the 9th consecutive week, outperforming its closest time period competition (CBS) by 2.3 million viewers (8.9 million vs. 6.6 million) and by 40% (2.8/9 vs. 2.0/6). The veteran ABC unscripted series led all 4 of its half-hours in viewers and young adults.

· "The Bachelorette" stood as Monday's No. 1 TV show in Adults 18-49 for the 7th week running, and for the 9th time in 9 weeks stood as the evening's dominant No. 1 television program across all key Women demographics (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54).

· "The Bachelorette: The Men Tell All" saw increases over its year-ago performance (7/20/09) by nearly 1.0 million viewers (8.9 million vs. 8.0 million).

· On average, "The Bachelorette" is up over its performance at the same point last year by 1.3 million viewers (9.5 million vs. 8.2 million) and by 10% in Adults 18-49 (3.2/9 vs. 2.9/8).

"20/20: The Stories Behind the Rose" (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

ABC News' "20/20: The Stories Behind the Rose" ranked No. 1 in the 10 o'clock hour against its CBS and NBC competition among Adults 18-49 (1.8/5) and Adults 25-54 (2.3/6).

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 37% currently, from 32% 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), 7/26/10.