Housewives Stands as Sunday's #1 Entertainment Show

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

As CBS (overrun during the 7 o'clock hour) and NBC (Sunday Night Football) were driven by the NFL coverage on Sunday night, ABC beat out its non-sports driven competition on Fox in both Total Viewers and Adults 18-49.

Building on its lead-in at 8pm, ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition topped Fox's animated comedies in the hour by 2 million viewers (The Simpsons/Cleveland Show).

Against stiff competition on the night, including another big Sunday Night Football contest on NBC (Philadelphia Eagles-San Francisco 49ers), and an NFL primetime overrun-fueled CBS, ABC's Desperate Housewives registered as Sunday's #1 entertainment TV show among Total Viewers and Adults 18-49. Housewives also finished #1 against non-sports competition in its 9 o'clock time slot in viewers and young adults. For the 3rd week in a row, Housewives qualified as Sunday's #1 TV program overall across all key Women demos (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54).

Opposite the conclusion of the NFL game and CBS' combo of Undercover Boss and CSI: Miami, ABC's Brothers & Sisters finished as the #1 TV show in the 10 o'clock hour across the key Women demos (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54).

Quick Take for Sunday, October 10, 2010 (Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Ratings)

ABC Tops Fox on Sunday in Total Viewers and Young Adults

"Home Edition" Beats Fox's Animated Comedies at 8pm by 2.0 Million Viewers

"Desperate Housewives" Stands as Sunday's No. 1 Entertainment Program in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49

"Brothers & Sisters" is No. 1 at 10pm Across All Key Women Demos

Sunday Night (7:00-11:00 p.m.)

As CBS (overrun during the 7 o'clock hour) and NBC ("Sunday Night Football") were driven by the NFL coverage on Sunday night, ABC beat out its non-sports driven competition on Fox in both Total Viewers (8.9 million vs. 5.4 million) and Adults 18-49 (2.6/7 vs. 2.5/7).

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

Building on its lead-in at 8:00 p.m., ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" topped Fox's animated comedies in the hour by 2.0 million viewers (8.2 million vs. 6.2 million � "The Simpsons"/"Cleveland Show").

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

Against stiff competition on the night, including another big Sunday Night Football contest on NBC (Philadelphia Eagles-San Francisco 49ers), and an NFL primetime overrun-fueled CBS, ABC's "Desperate Housewives" registered as Sunday's No. 1 entertainment TV show among Total Viewers (12.2 million) and Adults 18-49 (3.8/9). "Housewives" also finished No. 1 against its non-sports competition in its 9 o'clock time slot in viewers and young adults. For the 3rd week in a row, "Housewives" qualified as Sunday's No. 1 TV program overall across all key Women demos (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54).

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

Opposite the conclusion of the NFL game and CBS' combo of "Undercover Boss" and "CSI: Miami," ABC's "Brothers & Sisters" finished as the No. 1 TV show in the 10 o'clock hour across the key Women demos: W18-34 � 3.2/9, W18-49 � 4.0/11 and W25-54 � 4.9/12.

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 38% currently, from 33% 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: The Nielsen Company (Fast Affiliate, Live + Same Day Ratings), 10/10/10.