ABC's "Kimmel" Delivers its Most-Watched Week in 2 Months

Some early points on Jimmy Kimmel Live's weekly numbers, ahead of the regular press release:

During the week of August 1, 2011, ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live attracted its largest overall audience in 8 weeks - since w/o 6/6/11. Building 9% over the prior week in Total Viewers, JKL posted the largest week-to-week growth of any late-night broadcast talk show. In addition, JKL was up over the prior week by 4% in Adults 18-49 to draw its largest young adult audience in 1 month (since w/o 7/4/11).

JKL also saw increases over the year-ago week in Total Viewers (+10%) for the 3rd straight week. In fact, JKL stood as the only late-night broadcast talk show to grow its overall audience over the same week last year, as NBC's Tonight Show with Jay Leno (-6%), Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (-4%) and Last Call with Carson Daly (-3%) and CBS' Late Show with David Letterman (-10%) and Late Late Show with Ferguson (-4%) were all down. In addition, with its 2nd consecutive week of year-over-year gains in Adults 18-49 (+2%), JKL delivered the largest yearly increase of any late-night broadcast talk show.

· ABC's JKL outdrew NBC's Fallon by 5% in Total Viewers.

· ABC's JKL defeated CBS' Ferguson by double-digit percentages in Total Viewers (+21%) and Adults 18-49 (+10%), leading the CBS late-night program in 4 of 5 nights of the week (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday) on both Nielsen measures. In fact, an encore telecast of JKL on Friday dominated an original telecast of Ferguson by 25% in viewers and by 27% in Adults 18-49.

· With its 4th win in 5 weeks, ABC's JKL topped TBS' Conan by 10% in Adults 18-49.

· On Monday (8/1/11), which featured guests Howie Mandel, Jake Shimabukuro and The Bachelorette's Ashley Hebert and JP Rosenbaum, JKL turned in its 2nd-most-watched telecast this summer on any night in late-night. In fact, Monday's telecast drew the ABC's program's 3rd-largest-ever summertime audience.

Ratings Report for ABC News' 'Nightline'

For Week of August 1, 2011

ABC's "Nightline" Ranks No. 1 Among the Late-Night Programs in Total Viewers and Adults 25-54

For the 3rd Straight Week, "Nightline" is Up From the Same Week Last Year in Total Viewers and Adults 25-54

Season to Date, "Nightline" is Drawing its Largest Overall Audience in 8 Years

For the week of August 1, 2011, ABC's "Nightline" ranked No. 1 for the 2nd week in a row among the late-night programs in Total Viewers (3.682 million) and Adults 25-54 (1.433 million), according to Nielsen Media Research.

For the 3rd straight week, "Nightline" was up from the same week last year in Total Viewers (+12%) and Adults 25-54 (+6%). The ABC program improved on its year to year Total Viewer audience for the 7th consecutive week. Further, "Nightline" grew its overall audience over the year-ago week in 23 of the last 25 weeks.

ABC's "Nightline" qualified as the only latenight program to grow versus the same week last year in overall viewers and in the key adult news demo compared to NBC's "The Tonight Show" (-10% and -11%, respectively) and CBS' "The Late Show" (-6% and -14%, respectively).

"Nightline" beat CBS' "The Late Show" during a week of originals by its largest margin in Total Viewers (+1.133 million) in over 9 months - since w/o 11/22/10.

Season to date, "Nightline" ranks first in late-night among Total Viewers and Adults 25-54. This is the first time ever that "Nightline" has been in first place at this point in the season since at least the 1993-94 season, when "Letterman" began on CBS. In addition, "Nightline" is up by +6% in Total Viewers and by +4% in Adults 25-54 compared to the same point last year, standing as the only program to grow year to year in Adults 25-54 versus "The Tonight Show" and "The Late Show." Season to date, "Nightline" is drawing its largest overall audience in 8 years - since the 2002-03 season.

ABC News' "Nightline" is anchored by Cynthia McFadden, Terry Moran and Bill Weir. John Donvan and Juju Chang are correspondents. Jeanmarie Condon is the Executive Producer. The program airs weeknights at 11:35 p.m., ET on the ABC Television Network.

(Week of August 1, 2011)

TOTAL VIEWERS A25-54(000)/ Rtg A18-49(000)/ Rtg

ABC "Nightline" 3,682,000 1,433,000/ 1.2 1,046,000/ 0.8

CBS "Late Show" 2,549,000 1,058,000/ 0.9 774,000/ 0.6

NBC "Tonight Show" 3,610,000 1,378,000/ 1.1 1,057,000/ 0.8

Source: The Nielsen Company, NTI Total Viewers and Adults 25-54 Live + SD weeks of 08/1/11, 7/25/11 & 8/2/10. 2010-2011 Broadcast Season (9/20/10 - 8/7/11) and 2009-2010 Broadcast Season (9/21/09 - 8/8/10).

Fringe Ratings Report: ABC Late-Night Programming Week of August 1, 2011

With its Largest Audience in Late-Night in 4 Weeks, ABC Ranks No. 1 in Total Viewers

ABC's "Nightline" Tops All Late-Night Programs in Viewers and Adults 25-54

For the 3rd Straight Week, "Nightline" is Up from the Same Week Last Year in Total Viewers and Adults 25-54

ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live" Scores its Most-Watched Week in 8 Weeks

"JKL" is the Only Late-Night Broadcast Talk Show to Grow its Audience Year to Year

ABC Late-Night (Monday - Friday)

During the week of August 1, 2011, ABC grew its overall audience for the 3rd week in a row (+4% - 2.198 million vs. 2.115 million), scoring its largest audience in late-night in 4 weeks - since w/o 7/4/11. In addition, the Net grew over the year-ago week (w/o 8/2/10) in Total Viewers (+9%) for the 3rd consecutive week. In fact, ABC qualified as the only broadcaster to see gains over both the prior week and same week last year in overall viewers (CBS was down -8%/-7%; NBC was down -1%/-5%).

· ABC ranked No. 1 in late-night in Total Viewers (2.198 million), topping CBS by 12% (1.971 million) and NBC by 1% (2.171 million).

· ABC bested CBS by 9% in Adults 18-49 (723,000 vs. 665,000).

"Nightline" (Monday - Friday)

For the week of August 1, 2011, ABC's "Nightline" ranked No. 1 for the 2nd week in a row among the late-night programs in Total Viewers (3.682 million) and Adults 25-54 (1.433 million), according to Nielsen Media Research.

For the 3rd straight week, "Nightline" was up from the same week last year in Total Viewers (+12%) and Adults 25-54 (+6%). The ABC program improved on its year-to-year Total Viewer audience for the 7th consecutive week. Further, "Nightline" grew its overall audience over the year-ago week in 23 of the last 25 weeks.

ABC's "Nightline" qualified as the only late-night program to grow versus the same week last year in overall viewers and in the key adult news demo compared to NBC's "The Tonight Show" (-10% and -11%, respectively) and CBS' "The Late Show" (-6% and -14%, respectively).

"Nightline" beat CBS' "The Late Show" during a week of originals by its largest margin in Total Viewers (+1.133 million) in over 9 months - since w/o 11/22/10.

Season to date, "Nightline" ranks first in late-night among Total Viewers and Adults 25-54. This is the first time ever that "Nightline" has been in first place at this point in the season since at least the 1993-94 season, when "Letterman" began on CBS. In addition, "Nightline" is up by 6% in Total Viewers and by 4% in Adults 25-54 compared to the same point last year, standing as the only program to grow year to year in Adults 25-54 versus "The Tonight Show" and "The Late Show." Season to date, "Nightline" is drawing its largest overall audience in 8 years - since the 2002-03 season.

"Jimmy Kimmel Live" (Monday - Friday)

During the week of August 1, 2011, ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live" attracted its largest overall audience in 8 weeks - since w/o 6/6/11. Building 9% over the prior week in Total Viewers (1.646 million vs. 1.512 million), "JKL" posted the largest week-to-week growth of any late-night broadcast talk show. In addition, "JKL" was up over the prior week by 4% in Adults 18-49 (603,000 vs. 578,000) to draw its largest young adult audience in 1 month (since w/o 7/4/11).

"JKL" also saw increases over the year-ago week (w/o 8/2/10) in Total Viewers (+10%) for the 3rd straight week and in Adults 18-49 (+2%) for the 2nd week in a row. In fact, "JKL" stood as the only late-night broadcast talk show to grow its overall audience over the same week last year, as NBC's "Tonight Show with Jay Leno" (-6%), "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" (-4%) and "Last Call with Carson Daly" (-3%) and CBS' "Late Show with David Letterman" (-10%) and "Late Late Show with Ferguson" (-4%) were all down.

· ABC's "JKL" outdrew NBC's "Fallon" by 5% in Total Viewers (1.646 million vs. 1.569 million).

· ABC's "JKL" defeated CBS' "Ferguson" by double-digit percentages in Total Viewers (+21% - 1.646 million vs. 1.358 million) and Adults 18-49 (+10% - 603,000 vs. 548,000), topping the CBS late-night program on 4 of 5 nights of the week (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday) on both Nielsen measures. In fact, an encore telecast of "JKL" on Friday dominated an original telecast of "Ferguson" by 25% in viewers (1.769 million vs. 1.418 million) and by 27% in Adults 18-49 (670,000 vs. 528,000).

· With its 4th win in 5 weeks, ABC's "JKL" topped TBS' "Conan" by 10% in Adults 18-49 (603,000 vs. 550,000).

· On Monday (8/1/11), which featured guests Howie Mandel, Jake Shimabukuro and "The Bachelorette's" Ashley Hebert and JP Rosenbaum, "JKL" turned in its 2nd-most-watched telecast this summer (2.267 million) on any night in late-night. In fact, Monday's telecast drew the ABC program's 3rd-largest-ever summertime audience.

Late-Night Rank (Week of Aug 1): TOTAL VIEWERS A18-49(000)

ABC 2,198,000 723,000

CBS 1,971,000 665,000

NBC 2,171,000 766,000

Source: The Nielsen Company, Live + Same Day National Program Ratings for week of 8/1/11, 7/25/11 & 8/2/10 or as dated. Comparisons based on 000s. ABC Late-Night = "Nightline" and "JKL"; CBS Late-Night = "Letterman" and "Ferguson"; NBC Late-Night = "Tonight Show," "Fallon" and "Carson Daly."