ABC's "Kimmel" Delivers its Most-Watched Week in 12 Weeks

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

During the week of February 13, 2012, ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live was up over the prior week by 4% in Total Viewers to attract its biggest audience in 12 weeks - since the week of 11/21/11. In addition, JKL also grew its overall audience by 13% over the same week last year. In fact, JKL was the only late-night broadcast talk show to post gains week to week or year to year in Total Viewers.

· ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live (M-F 12am) outperformed CBS' The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (M-F 12:35am) by double-digit margins in both Total Viewers (+17%) and Adults 18-49 (+15%), marking the 17th time in the 22 weeks of the season for the ABC late-night program to beat the CBS program in both Nielsen measures. In fact, JKL has drawn a larger overall audience than Ferguson in 21 of 22 weeks this season.

· ABC's JKL also outdrew NBC's Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (M-F 12:35am) in Total Viewers.

· For the season to date (22 weeks), JKL is building its overall audience through the same weeks last year by 3% in Total Viewers, growing the most year to year of any late-night broadcast talk show.

Quick Take for Thursday, February 23, 2012 (Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Ratings)

ABC's "Wipeout" Outdraws NBC's Original Comedy Block by 1.4 Million Viewers, as The ABC Unscripted Series Hits Multi-Week Highs with Key Younger Demographics

More than Doubling its Adult 18-49 Lead-in at 9pm, ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" Ranks as Thursday's No. 1 Drama and Builds Week to Week in Adults 25-54 & Key Women

In the 10pm Hour, ABC's "Private Practice" is the Top Drama in Adults 18-34 and Finishes as the No. 1 Drama in its Slot in Women 18-34 for its 15th Straight Original

"Winter Wipeout" (8:00-9:00 p.m.)

At 8:00 p.m. 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 (5.0 million vs. 3.6 million). The ABC unscripted series gained viewers (+4% - 4.9 million to 5.1 million) and young adults (+7% - 1.4/4 to 1.6/4) 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 (tie) - since 2/2/12 and 1/19/12, respectively.

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

More than doubling its lead-in (+107%) at 9:00 p.m., ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" surged to rank No. 1 in its time period among Adults 18-49 (3.1/8 - tied w/CBS' "Person of Interest"), leading NBC's comedies ("The Office"/"Up All Night") by 41% (2.2/6) and Fox's "Idol"-driven drama "Finder" by 55% (2.0/5). ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" ranked as Thursday's No. 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%.

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

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% - 1.5/5 vs. 1.3/4) and across key Women demos: W18-34 +41%, W18-49 +30% and W25-54 +13%.

· ABC's "Private Practice" finished as the No. 1 drama in its hour for its 15th straight original telecast this season among Women 18-34.

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 43% currently, from 39% at the same point in 2011. 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), 02/23/12.