ABC's "Private Practice" Wins at 10pm with its Best Numbers in Nearly 10 Months

Early info on ABC's Thursday, ahead of the regular press release.

ABC won Thursday in Adults 18-34 by a margin of +22% over its nearest competition (CBS and NBC tied), qualifying as the highest-rated non-sports net on the evening for the 7th week in a row. The Net also finished #1 overall with key Women demos (W18-34/W18-49) for the 7th week running this season.

· Growing its viewer and young adult numbers for the 2nd week in a row, ABC marked its strongest performance on the night since season-premiere Thursday 6 weeks ago (on 9/23/10).

Launching over its lead-in (+166% in Viewers/+258% in Adults 18-49), ABC self-starter Grey's Anatomy soared to the top of Thursday's 9 o'clock hour in Adults 18-49, standing as the #1 series in the slot for the 7th week in a row. Taking full control of its time period, Grey's topped second-place CBS' CSI by 30%, third place NBC's comedies (The Office/Outsourced) by +34% and fourth-place Fox's Fringe by +139%.

· Surging by week to week by nearly 1 million viewers and by 10% in Adults 18-49, Grey's Anatomy posted its best results in 3 weeks - since 10/14/10

In the 10 o'clock hour, ABC's Private Practice posted a dominant first-place finish in Adults 18-49, beating out CBS' The Mentalist by +34% and NBC's The Apprentice by +179%. The ABC medical drama defeated The Mentalist by season-best margin of +79% in Adults 18-34 to register as the #1 scripted show in the hour for the 7th straight week.

· Hitting season-highs in viewers and young adults, Private Practice achieved the series' best numbers in nearly 10 months - 1/14/10.

Quick Take for Thursday, November 4, 2010 (Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Ratings)

Up for the 2nd Straight Week in Viewers and Young Adults, ABC Marks its Top Numbers Since Season Premiere Thursday 6 Weeks Ago

Surging Week to Week, "Grey's" Dominates the 9pm Hour in Adults 18-49, Standing as the No. 1 TV Series in its Time Slot for the 7th Week Running

With Some of its Strongest Lead-in Retention, ABC's "Private Practice" Beats CBS' "The Mentalist" by a Best-Ever 34% in Adults 18-49 to Win the 10pm Hour

Hitting Season Highs, "Private Practice" Hits its Top Numbers in Nearly 10 Months

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

ABC won Thursday in Adults 18-34 by a margin of +22% over its nearest competition (2.8/9 vs. 2.3/7 - CBS and NBC tied), qualifying as the highest-rated non-sports net on the evening for the 7th week in a row. The Net also finished No. 1 overall with key Women demos (W18-34/W18-49) for the 7th week running this season.

· Growing its viewer (8.8 million) and young adult numbers (3.1/9) for the 2nd week in a row, ABC marked its strongest performance on the night since season-premiere Thursday 6 weeks ago (on 9/23/10).

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

Launching over its lead-in (+166% in Viewers/+258% in Adults 18-49), ABC self-starter "Grey's Anatomy" soared to the top of Thursday's 9 o'clock hour in Adults 18-49, standing as the No. 1 series in the slot for the 7th week in a row. Taking full control of its time period, "Grey's" (4.3/11) topped second-place CBS' "CSI" by 30% (3.3/9), third-place NBC's comedies ("The Office"/"Outsourced") by +34% (3.2/9) and fourth-place Fox's "Fringe" by +139% (1.8/5).

· Jumping week to week by nearly 1 million viewers (11.7 million vs. 10.8 million) and by 10% in Adults 18-49 (4.3/11 vs. 3.9/10), "Grey's Anatomy" posted its best results in 3 weeks - since 10/14/10

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

Showing impressive lead-in retention in the 10 o'clock hour (91%), ABC's "Private Practice" (3.9/11) posted a dominant first-place finish in Adults 18-49, beating out CBS' "The Mentalist" by a best-ever +34% (2.9/8) and NBC's "The Apprentice" by +179% (1.4/4). The ABC medical drama also dominated the hour with Adults 18-34, registering as the No. 1 scripted show in the slot for the 7th straight week. The episode gained critical appraise for its handling of a character's sexual assault.

· In Total Viewers (87%) and Adults 18-49 (91%), "Private Practice" exhibited its best-ever non-crossover retention of an original "Grey's" lead-in. In addition, "Private Practice" retained 100% of its Women 18-49 lead-in and actually built with Women 25-54.

· Hitting season highs as it shot up week to week in viewers (+32%) and young adults (+44%), "Private Practice" achieved the series' best numbers in nearly 10 months - since 1/14/10.

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), 11/4/10.