ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" Ranks as Thursday's #1 Drama in Adults 18-49

Some early info in ABC's Thursday, ahead of the regular press release.

At 8pm against CBS' comedies (The Big Bang Theory/Rob) and Fox's American Idol, ABC's Winter Wipeout once again drew a much larger audience than NBC's comedies in the hour, leading the 30 Rock/Parks and Recreation combo by 1.4 million viewers. The ABC unscripted series gained viewers (+4%) and young adults (+14%) from its first half-hour to its second half-hour.

· ABC's Wipeout earned its best numbers in 3 weeks with Adults 18-34, Teens 12-17 and Kids 2-11, while hitting a 5-week high with Men 18-34.

More than doubling its lead-in (+107%) at 9pm, ABC's Grey's Anatomy surged to rank #1 in its time period among Adults 18-49, leading NBC's comedies (The Office/Up All Night) by 41% and Fox's Idol-driven drama Finder by 55%. ABC's Grey's Anatomy ranked as Thursday's #1 drama in the key young adult sales demographic for its 15th consecutive first-run airing this season.

· ABC's Grey's Anatomy grew its numbers week to week in Adults 25-54 (+3%) and across all key Women demographics: W18-34 +3%, W18-49 +2% and W25-54 +6%.

During the 10 o'clock hour, ABC's Private Practice stood as the top-rated drama in its slot, beating CBS' The Mentalist by double-digit percentages in Adults 18-34 (+15%) and across key Women demos: W18-34 +41%, W18-49 +30% and W25-54 +13%.

· ABC's Private Practice finished as the #1 drama in its hour for its 15th straight original telecast this season with among Women 18-34.