ABC Airs 4 of the Top 10 TV Shows for the Week in Adults 18-49, More Than Any Other Network, Delivering 4 of the Top 6 Non-Sports Programs.
“DWTS” is America’s Most-Watched TV Show for the 2nd Week Running. ABC Grows its Monday Results Year to Year for the 2nd Consecutive Week.
“DWTS” Builds on its Season Opener in Viewers with Best Ever Fall Cycle Week 2.
Building on its Season Premiere, “Castle” Surges Over its= Year-Ago Performance.
ABC Posts Huge Year-to-Year Gains on Tuesday in Viewers and Young Adults.
“No Ordinary Family” Opens Big for ABC Opposite Fierce Competition, Building Throughout its Telecast and More Than Doubling the Year-Ago Time-Slot Numbers.
“DWTS: The Results” Marks its Most-Watched-Ever Fall Season Episode 2.
Showing Strong Retention of its Week-Ago Debut, “Detroit 1-8-7” Beats NBC’s “Parenthood” at 10pm and Improves its Hour for ABC Over the Year-Ago Night.
“Modern Family” is Wednesday’s No. 1 TV Show for the 2nd Straight Week.
“The Middle” Finishes as the 2nd-Most-Watched TV Show at 8pm and Improves the Half-Hour for ABC Year to Year by 19% in Adults 18-49.
“Better with You” Widens its Lead Over its Freshman Competition At 8:30pm, Beating NBC’s “Undercovers” by 29% in Adults 18-49.
“Modern Family” Marks its 2nd-Highest-Ever Adult 18-49 Number And Achieves a New Series-High Rating Among Teens 12-17.
ABC’s “Cougar Town” Pulls its 2nd-Largest Audience Since January.
“Grey’s” is Thursday’s No. 1 TV Show in Adults 18-49 for 2nd Week Running.
“Private Practice” Widens its Winning Advantage Over “Mentalist” in Adults 18-34.
“Home Edition” Builds on its Week-Ago Opener in Viewers, Key Adults and Kids.
Building from Week 1 to Week 2 of the Season for the 2nd Year in a Row, “Housewives” Marks its Top Viewer and Young Adult Numbers Since Early January.
Up from its Season Premiere, “Brothers & Sisters” Pulls its Strongest Young Adult Numbers Since Early January and Best with Women 18-34 Since Early December.
WEEK No. 2:
Based on Nielsen’s non-sports averages for the week of September 27, 2010, ABC finished No. 2 in Adults 18-49 (2.8/8), beating Fox by 12% (2.5/7) and NBC by 40% (2.0/6). Also for the 2nd week in a row, the Net took second place overall (all programming) among Total Viewers (9.2 million), while ranking No. 1 with key Women: W18-34 (2.7/9) and W18-49 (3.3/10-tie).
Rankings: ABC aired 4 of the Top 10 TV shows for the week in Adults 18-49 (more than any other network), delivering 4 of the Top 6 non-sports programs. “Dancing with the Stars” – No. 5 (No. 2 non-sports show), “Modern Family” and “Grey’s Anatomy” tied at No. 7 (No. 4 non-sports shows) and “Desperate Housewives” – No. 9 (No. 6 non-sports show). For the 2nd consecutive week this season, ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” stood as America’s most-watched TV show overall.
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 32% at the same point in 2009. 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.
Monday
ABC finished as the most-watched network for the second straight Monday of the 2010-11 TV Season. During prime, ABC outdrew CBS by 6.7 million viewers (18.0 million vs. 11.3 million) and by 8% in Adults 18-49 (4.1/10 vs. 3.8/10).
Growing its Monday results year to year for the 2nd week in row, ABC was up over the same night last season by 3.5 million viewers and by 28% in Adults 18-49 (14.5 million and 3.2/8 on 9/28/09)
“Dancing with the Stars” (8:00-10:01 p.m.)
ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” won its 2-hour time period for the 2nd consecutive week with Total Viewers and across all key Women demos (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54). “DWTS” outperformed CBS’ original comedy block by 10.7 million viewers (21.3 million vs. 10.6 million) and by 23% in Adults 18-49 (4.8/12 vs. 3.9/10).
“DWTS” stood as Monday’s No. 1 TV program for the second week in a row in Total Viewers and across all key Women demographics.
“Dancing” registered its most-watched-ever Week 2 ever in the Fall and 3rd-highest second week in Adults 18-49, pulling its best young adult number in 3 years (since 10/1/07).
For the 1st time ever in-season, “DWTS” grew its overall audience from Week 1 to Week 2 (21.34 million vs. 21.29 million).
“Castle” (10:01-11:00 p.m.)
“Castle” grew from its week-ago season premiere in both Total Viewers (11.1 million vs. 10.7 million) and Adults 18-49 (2.8/8 vs. 2.7/7), delivering the program’s best numbers since April – since 4/12/10.
ABC’s “Castle” beat CBS’ high-profile reboot, “Hawaii Five-0,” among Women 18-34 (2.9/8 vs. 2.2/6) and Women 18-49 (3.9/10 vs. 3.7/10).
“Castle” was up sharply over the series’ performance on the same night last year for the 2nd consecutive week, jumping by nearly 2 million viewers and by 27% in Adults 18-49 (9.2 million and 2.2/6 on 9/28/09).
Tuesday
With its new Tuesday lineup in place, ABC posted huge year-to-year improvement, soaring over the year-ago night (9/29/09) by nearly 4 million viewers (12.3 million vs. 8.4 million) and by 50% in Adults 18-49 (3.0/8 vs. 2.0/6).
“No Ordinary Family” (8:00-9:00 p.m.)
Despite debuting against fierce established competition in Tuesday’s 8 o’clock hour (opposite Fox’s “Glee,” CBS’ “NCIS” and NBC’s “The Biggest Loser”), ABC’s “No Ordinary Family” was highly competitive, gained audience throughout its premiere and generated enormous year-over-year time period improvement for ABC.
In the opening hour of the evening, “No Ordinary Family” debuted with an impressive 10.7 million viewers and a 3.2/9 in Adults 18-49, beating out NBC’s opening hour of “The Biggest Loser” (6.9 million and 2.5/7) by 3.8 million viewers and by 28% in Adults 18-49. Building audience throughout its telecast, the new series gained 1.0 million viewers (10.2 million to 11.2 million) and 10% in Adults 18-49 (3.0/9 to 3.3/9) from its first half-hour to its second half-hour.
More than doubling ABC’s year-ago performance in the hour, “No Ordinary Family” improved the time period by +123% in Total Viewers and by +113% in Adults 18-49 from the same night last year (4.8 million and 1.5/4 on 9/29/09 with an original “Shark Tank”).
“Dancing with the Stars: The Results” (9:00-10:01 p.m.)
Building on its lead-in and gaining audience throughout its telecast against stiff competition (CBS’ “NCIS: LA,” NBC’s second hour of “The Biggest Loser” and Fox’s “Glee”-fueled comedies “Raising Hope”/”Running Wilde”), ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars: The Results” ranked No. 1 in the 9 o’clock hour for the 2nd week in a row with viewers (17.3 million) and Adults 18-49 (3.8/10). “DWTS: The Results” towered over its unscripted competition in the time period, topping “The Biggest Loser” (7.5 million and 3.0/8) by 9.8 million viewers and by 28% in Adults 18-49. Grammy-winner Michael Bolton was the second celebrity dancer to be eliminated from the competition this season.
“DWTS: The Results” marked its most-watched-ever Episode 2 in the Fall and its 2nd-highest Adult 18-49 number.
“Detroit 1-8-7” (10:01-11:00 p.m.)
Opposite the season premiere of CBS’ “The Good Wife,” ABC’s “Detroit 1-8-7” defeated NBC’s “Parenthood” in the 10 o’clock hour among Total Viewers (+81% – 8.7 million vs. 4.8 million) and Adults 18-49 (+5% – 2.1/6 vs. 2.0/6), outdrawing its NBC drama competition by an even wider margin on their second match-up. The new ABC drama also ranked No. 2 in the hour for the 2nd straight week with Adults 25-54, defeating NBC’s “Parenthood” by 25% (3.0/8 vs. 2.4/6).
“Detroit 1-8-7” improved the hour for ABC year to year in both viewers and young adults, boosting the time period over the same night last year by 16% in Total Viewers and by 5% in Adults 18-49 (Week 2 of “The Forgotten” on 9/29/09 = 7.5 million and 2.0/5).
“Detroit 1-8-7” exhibited strong retention of its week-ago series debut with Total Viewers (94%) and Adults 18-49 (91%). In addition, the new ABC police drama retained 100% of its audience among Men 18-49 and built on its debut telecast among Men 25-54 (+4%).
Wednesday
With its season premiere Wednesday lineup, ABC turned in its strongest performance on the evening Leading off the night, ABC’s “The Middle” (8.4 million) finished as the second-most-watched TV show in the 8:00 p.m. half-hour to CBS’ “Survivor: Nicaragua,” outdrawing NBC’s “Undercovers” by 18% (7.1 million) and Fox’s “Hell’s Kitchen” by 45% (5.8 million). “The Middle” showed impressive retention of its week-ago debut in its new time period among viewers (95%) and young adults (93%).
The sophomore comedy generated strong year-to-year time period improvement for ABC, growing the half-hour by 19% in Adults 18-49 from the same night a year ago (2.5/8 vs. 2.1/7 – “Hank” debut).
“Better with You” (8:30-9:30 p.m.)
Continuing to deliver solid lead-in retention for ABC at 8:30 p.m. (88%), “Better with You” (2.2/7) beat its freshman competition in the half-hour among Adults 18-49, NBC’s “Undercovers” (1.7/5), by an even wider margin of 29% on their second matchup (up from a 19% advantage the prior week). The new ABC comedy held a strong 89% of its week-ago debut audience overall and 88% in Adults 18-49.
“Modern Family” (9:00-9:31 p.m.)
Standing as Wednesday’s definitive No. 1 TV show for the 2nd week in a row, ABC’s “Modern Family” once again dominated its 9:00 p.m. half-hour, beating second-place CBS’ “Criminal Minds” by 31% in Adults 18-49 (4.6/13 vs. 3.5/10). “Modern Family” rose sharply from its year-ago performance, adding on 1.9 million viewers (11.9 million vs. 10.0 million) and 21% more Adults 18-49 (4.6/13 vs. 3.8/10).
“Modern Family” pulled in the series’ 3rd-largest-ever audience (behind only its two season premieres), its 2nd-highest-ever Adult 18-49 number (behind only last week’s season opener) and achieved a new series high with Teens 12-17.
“Cougar Town” (9:31-10:00 p.m.)
At 9:30pm, “Cougar Town” exhibited solid retention of its week-ago season opener among viewers (84% – 7.0 million vs. 8.3 million) and Adults 18-49 (82% – 2.8/8 vs. 3.4/9), pulling in the series’ 2nd-highest number since January in Total Viewers and since early February in Adults 18-49 (behind only the last week’s premiere) – since 1/20/10 and 2/3/10, respectively.
“The Whole Truth” (10:00-11:00 p.m.)
Opposite stiff competition in the final hour of the night from NBC’s highly-promoted debut of “Law & Order: Los Angeles,” ABC’s “The Whole Truth” retained a noteworthy 94% of its week-ago series debut audience (4.6 million vs. 4.9 million).
Thursday
ABC ran a competitive second on Thursday among Total Viewers (8.1 million) and Adults 18-49 (2.8/8), while finishing No. 1 on the evening for the 2nd week in a row in Adults 18-34 and key Women demos (W18-34/W18-49).
“Grey’s Anatomy” (9:00-10:01 p.m.)
Surging from its lead-in (+229% in Total Viewers/+318% in Adults 18-49), self-starter “Grey’s Anatomy” soared to the top of the 9 o’clock hour to finish as the No. 1 TV show on Thursday for the 2nd week in a row in Adults 18-49. Widening its winning advantage in the time period week to week, “Grey’s” (4.6/12) outdelivered runner-up NBC’s comedies by +39% (“The Office”/”Outsourced” – 3.3/9), CBS’ “CSI” by +48% (3.1/8) and Fox’s “Fringe” by +142% (1.9/5).
“Private Practice” (10:01-11:00 p.m.)
In the 10 o’clock hour, ABC’s “Private Practice” paced a close second to CBS’ “The Mentalist” among Adults 18-49, while topping NBC’s “The Apprentice” by 113% (2.8/8 vs. 1.3/4). For the 2nd consecutive week, “Private Practice” dominated “The Mentalist” with Adults 18-34, leading its CBS drama competition by an even wider margin of 39% on Week 2 of the season (2.5/8 vs. 1.8/6).
Sunday
Despite facing heavy sports-driven competition on the evening, ABC was up over the prior week’s season premiere Sunday in both Total Viewers (+3% – 9.5 million vs. 9.2 million) and Adults 18-49 (+7% – 3.0/8 vs. 2.8/7).
“Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (8:00-9:00 p.m.)
Building on its lead-in at 8:00 p.m., ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” grew from its week-ago season opener with Total Viewers (8.7 million vs. 8.5 million), Adults 18-34, Adults 25-54 and Kids 2-11.
“Desperate Housewives” (9:00-10:01 p.m.)
Against stiff competition on the night, including another big “Sunday Night Football” contest on NBC (Chicago Bears-NY Giants), a sports-fueled Fox with an NFL primetime overrun and CBS with its time period premiere of “Undercover Boss” and season opener of “CSI: Miami,” ABC’s “Desperate Housewives” registered as Sunday’s No. 1 non-sports television program in Adults 18-49 (4.4/10). “Housewives” also finished No. 1 against its non-sports competition in its 9 o’clock time slot in Adults 18-49, beating CBS’ slot premiere of “Undercover Boss” by 10% (4.0/10) and Fox’s comedies by 26% (“Family Guy”/”American Dad” = 3.5/8). For the 2nd week in a row, Housewives stood as Sunday’s No. 1 TV program overall across all key Women demos (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54).
For the 2nd year in a row, “Housewives” built its audience from Week 1 to Week 2 of the season in both Total Viewers (13.2 million vs. 13.1 million) and Adults 18-49 (4.4/10 vs. 4.3/10). In fact on both counts, the ABC drama posted its best results since early January – since 1/10/10. The show also built on its premiere among key Women (W18-34/W18-49), hitting a 9-month high – since 1/3/10.
“Brothers & Sisters” (10:01-11:00 p.m.)
Opposite the end of the NFL game, ABC’s “Brothers & Sisters” finished as the No. 1 non-sports program in the 10 o’clock hour, beating CBS’ season premiere of “CSI: Miami” by strong margins in Adults 18-34 (+24% – 2.6/7 vs. 2.1/6) and among key Women demos: W18-34 (+48% – 3.7/10 vs. 2.5/7) and W18-49 (+11% – 4.2/11 vs. 3.8/10).
Despite facing increased drama competition in the time period, “Brothers & Sisters” was up over its week-ago season premiere in Adults 18-49, Adults 18-34 and Women 18-34. In fact the ABC drama posted its highest young adult numbers since January and its top Women 18-34 number since December – since 1/10/10 and 12/6/09, respectively.
WEEK NO. 2: ADULTS 18-49 TOTAL VIEWERS
No.1 CBS 3.1 No.1 CBS 11,850,000
No.2 FOX 2.8 No.2 ABC 9,160,000
No.3 NBC 2.7 No.3 NBC 8,130,000
No.4 ABC 2.6 No.4 FOX 7,120,000
No.5 CW 1.1 No.5 CW 2,280,000
(Source: ABC – The Nielsen Company (National, Live+ Same Day Program Ratings), week of 9/27/10, unless stated otherwise.)
