ABC's Comedy Block Dominates on Wednesday

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

With its 2-hour comedy block returning to originals for the first time in a month, ABC finished #1 on Wednesday night in Adults 18-49 for the 2nd week in a row. In fact from 8-10pm with its comedies, ABC led its nearest competition by 28% in the key young adult sales demo (NBC).

· All 4 of ABC's comedies were up over their most recent original airings on 12/8/10.

· ABC was up over the same night last year in both viewers and young adults.

Leading off the night with a dominant victory, ABC's The Middle beat out its closest competitors by 1.7 million viewers (CBS' Live to Dance time-period premiere) and by 47% in Adults 18-49 (NBC's slot-premiere of Minute To Win It). It was the show's 3rd week in a row to win its slot in the key young adult sales demo.

· In viewers and young adults, the ABC sophomore comedy generated its strongest results since early November - since 11/3/10.

Showing strong retention of its lead-in at 8:30 p.m. (89%) and matching a series high, ABC freshman Better with You also won in its half-hour in Adults 18-49 for the 2nd week in row. The new comedy also ranked #1 in its time slot with Adults 18-34 and Adults 25-54.

Standing as Wednesday's #1 TV show for its 11th straight original airing this season in Adults 18-49, ABC's Modern Family towered over the 9:00 p.m. half-hour, leading its nearest competition by 85% (CBS and NBC tied). Modern Family also registered as the Wednesday's most-watched TV show overall.

· Modern Family equaled its best Adult 18-49 number in 10 weeks (since 10/27/10), tying the series' 3rd highest rating ever.

At 9:30pm, Cougar Town took second place in Adults 18-49 and ranked #1 with Men 18-34.

· Cougar Town marked its highest Adult 18-49 rating since mid-November (11/17/10).

At 10pm, ABC's special Primetime: Celebrity Weight Loss - What Really Happens generated the Net's strongest performance in the time period in 6 weeks with Total Viewers and Adults 18-49 - since 11/24/10.

Quick Take for Wednesday, January 5, 2011 (Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Ratings)

Growing Year to Year in Viewers and Young Adults, ABC is No. 1 on Wednesday in Adults 18-49 for the 2nd Straight Week

ABC's Rising 8-10pm Comedy Block Leads its Nearest Competition by 28%

Pulling Some of its Best Numbers Ever, ABC's "The Middle" Dominates at 8pm

Hitting a Series-High in Adults 18-49, ABC's "Better with You" Wins at 8:30pm

Marking the Series' 3rd-Highest-Ever Number, ABC's "Modern Family" is Wednesday's No. 1 TV Show in Adults 18-49 for its 11th Straight Original

ABC's "Cougar Town" Hits its Best Adult 18-49 Number Since Mid-November And Generates its Strongest Ratings Since October Across All Key Men Demos

ABC's "Primetime: Celebrity Weight Loss - What Really Happens" Turns in ABC's Best Results in Wednesday's 10pm Hour in 6 Weeks

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

With its 2-hour comedy block returning to originals for the first time in a month, ABC finished No. 1 on Wednesday night in Adults 18-49 for the 2nd week in a row (2.7/8-tie).

· From 8:00-10:00 p.m., ABC led its nearest competition by 28% in the key young adult sales demo (3.2/9 vs. 2.5/7 - NBC). All 4 of ABC's comedies were up over their most recent original airings on 12/8/10.

· ABC was up over the same night last year in both viewers (7.4 million vs. 7.3 million) and young adults (2.7/8 vs. 2.6/7).

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

Leading off the night with a dominant victory, ABC's "The Middle" beat out its closest competitors by 1.7 million viewers (9.3 million vs. 7.6 million - CBS' "Live to Dance" time-period premiere) and by 47% in Adults 18-49 (2.8/9 vs. 1.9/6 - NBC's "Minute to Win It" time-slot premiere). In fact it was the show's 3rd week in a row to win its slot in the key young adult sales demo.

· In viewers and young adults, the ABC sophomore comedy generated its strongest results since early November - since 11/3/10. In fact the show generated the series' 3rd-biggest-ever audience and hit series highs with Adults 25-54 and key Women (W18-49/W25-54)

"Better with You" (8:30-9:00 p.m.)

Showing strong retention of its lead-in at 8:30 p.m. (89%) and matching a series high, ABC freshman "Better with You" finished No. 1 in its half-hour for the 2nd week in a row in Adults 18-49 (2.5/7). The new comedy also ranked No. 1 in its half-hour with Adults 18-34 and Adults 25-54.

· "Better with You" tied its highest-ever ratings across all key Adult demos (AD18-34/AD18-49/AD25-54).

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

Standing as Wednesday's No. 1 TV show for its 11th straight original airing this season in Adults 18-49, ABC's "Modern Family" towered over the 9:00 p.m. half-hour, leading its nearest competition by 85% (4.8/13 vs. 2.6/7 - CBS and NBC tied). "Modern Family" also registered as Wednesday's most-watched TV show overall (11.8 million).

· "Modern Family" equaled its best Adult 18-49 number in 10 weeks (since 10/27/10), tying the series' 3rd-highest rating ever. The show also marked its 3rd-highest-ever Adult 25-54 number.

"Cougar Town" (9:30-10:00 p.m.)

At 9:30pm, "Cougar Town" ran No. 2 across all key Adult demos (AD18-34/AD18-49/AD25-54) and No. 1 with Men 18-34.

· "Cougar Town" marked its highest Adult 18-49 rating (2.9/8) since mid-November - since 11/17/10. In addition, the show scored its best results since October across all key Men (M18-34/M18-49/M25-54) - since 10/20/10.

"Primetime: Celebrity Weight Loss - What Really Happens" (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

ABC's special "Primetime: Celebrity Weight Loss - What Really Happens" delivered ABC's strongest numbers in the hour in 6 weeks with Total Viewers (4.4 million), Adults 18-49 (1.6/5-tie) and Adults 25-54 (2.0/5) - since 11/24/10.

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 34% at the same point in 2010. 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 Ratings), 1/5/11.