ABC's Takes Second on Thursday to a "Big Brother"-Boosted CBS

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

ABC ranked #2 on Thursday night to a Big Brother-fueled CBS in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, beating NBC (47%/63%) and Fox (67%/8%).

At 8pm, ABC's Duets was the 2nd-most-watched show, outdrawing its unscripted competition on Fox (Take Me Out) by 1.8 million viewers.

ABC's Wipeout earned second place to CBS' season premiere of Big Brother from 9-10pm, dominating the season finale of Fox's The Choice by 2.6 million viewers and 42% in Adults 18-49. Wipeout also more than tripled (+240%) the young adult delivery of NBC's Saving Hope. For the 3rd week in a row, the broad-appealing ABC unscripted series stood as Thursday's #1 broadcast program with Kids 2-11.

· Despite the increased competition from the Big Brother premiere, ABC's Wipeout held 100% of its Total Viewer and Adult 18-34 audiences from the prior week's telecast. In addition, Wipeout grew by double-digit margins in Men 18-34 (+22%) and Kids 2-11 (+11%) to hit best-since-premiere numbers.

At 10pm, ABC's Rookie Blue finished as the #1 program on the major networks in Adults 18-49.

· The ABC drama grew for the 2nd straight telecast in Women 18-49 (+6%) and Women 25-54 (+5%), marking its highest numbers in 3 weeks - since 6/7/12.

Quick Take for Thursday, July 12, 2012 (Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Ratings)

ABC's "Duets" Outdraws Fox's "Take Me Out" by 1.8 Million Viewers

At 9 O'clock, ABC's "Wipeout" is No. 2 in Viewers to CBS' "Big Brother" Premiere, Crushing Fox's Finale of "The Choice"

ABC's "Rookie Blue" Tops its CBS and NBC Competition at 10pm with Adults 18-49

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

ABC ranked No. 2 on Thursday night to a "Big Brother"-fueled CBS in Total Viewers (5.0 million) and Adults 18-49 (1.3/4), beating NBC (+47%/+63%) and Fox (+67%/+8%).

"Duets" (8:00-9:00 p.m.)

At 8:00 p.m., ABC's "Duets" was the 2nd-most-watched show, outdrawing its unscripted competition on Fox ("Take Me Out") by 1.8 million viewers (4.8 million vs. 3.0 million).

"Wipeout" (9:00-10:00 p.m.)

ABC's "Wipeout" earned second place to CBS' season premiere of "Big Brother 14" from 9:00-10:00 p.m., dominating the season finale of Fox's "The Choice" by 2.6 million viewers (5.6 million vs. 3.0 million) and 42% in Adults 18-49 (1.7/5 vs. 1.2/4). "Wipeout" also more than tripled (+240%) the young adult delivery of NBC's "Saving Hope" (0.5/2). For the 3rd week in a row, the broad-appealing ABC unscripted series stood as Thursday's No. 1 broadcast program with Kids 2-11.

· Despite the increased competition from the "Big Brother" premiere, ABC's "Wipeout" held 100% of its Total Viewer and Adult 18-34 audiences from the prior week's telecast. In addition, "Wipeout" grew by double-digit margins in Men 18-34 (+22%) and Kids 2-11 (+11%) to hit best-since-premiere numbers.

"Rookie Blue" (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

At 10:00 p.m., ABC's "Rookie Blue" finished as the No. 1 program in Adults 18-49 (1.3/4) on the major networks.

· The ABC drama grew for the 2nd straight telecast in Women 18-49 (+6%) and Women 25-54 (+5%), marking its highest numbers in 3 weeks - since 6/7/12.

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 44% currently, from 41% 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), 07/12/12.