ABC is No. 2 to Fox in Adults 18-34 in the Feb Sweep Non-Sports Results, and Beats NBC’s Non-Olympic Programming by 8% in Viewers and by 10% in Adults 18-49. ABC Airs 4 of the Top 15 TV Series in Adults 18-49 for the 2010 February Sweep. The Net Claims 5 of the Top 10 Scripted Telecasts for the Month in Adults 18-49. “Lost” and “The Bachelor” Emerge as Strong Competitors Against the Olympics As Each ABC Series Generates Year-to-Year Gains in Key Nielsen Measures. ABC’s “The Middle” and “Modern Family” Achieve Series Highs in February
2010 February (28 Nights Complete):
During another atypical February Sweep (last year’s shifted into March, due to the Digital Transition), as the 17-night Winter Olympics drove NBC’s averages, ABC finished No. 2 in the non-sports averages to an “Idol”-led Fox among Adults 18-34 (1.9/6) and Women 18-34 (2.5/7). In addition, ABC’s repeat-heavy February schedule (35% repeats) outperformed NBC’s non-Olympic programming during the month by 8% in Total Viewers (6.6 million vs. 6.1 million) and 10% in Adults 18-49 (2.3/6 vs. 2.1/5).
Please Note: Due to the Winter Olympics’ broadcast during the month, ABC’s normally-scheduled February Sweep “Academy Awards” telecast was pushed after the sweep, airing this coming Sunday, March 7, 2010.
TV Series Rankings: ABC claimed 4 of Top 15 TV series during the 2010 February Sweep among Adults 18-49: “Lost” – No. 7, “The Bachelor”– No. 9, “Grey’s Anatomy” – No. 12 and “Desperate Housewives” – No. 14. In addition, “The Bachelor” finished February ranked among the Top 5 TV series with Women 18-34 (No. 5) and Women 18-49 (No. 4).
Scripted Telecast Rankings: ABC aired 5 of Top 10 highest-rated scripted telecasts during the month with Adults 18-49: “Lost – 2/9” – No. 6, “Lost – 2/23” – No. 7, “Grey’s – 2/4” and “Lost – 2/16” tie at No. 8 and “Grey’s – 2/11” – No. 10. In addition, “Lost – 2/9” stood as February’s No. 1 scripted telecast with Adults 18-34 and Men 18-34, and “Grey’s – 2/4” as the No. 1 scripted telecast with key Women (W18-34/W18-49).
Individual Program Highlights:
“The Bachelor: On the Wings of Love”: Holding strong against the Olympics during the sweep, on average during its 14th season run, “The Bachelor: On the Wings of Love” attracted an average audience of 12.0 million viewers, generating the biggest overall audience for the franchise since Fall 2003 – going back 10 seasons. In Adults 18-49 (4.2/10), the veteran ABC unscripted series equaled its highest rating in 9 seasons – since Spring 2004.
“Lost”: Another standout opposite the Olympics, Tuesday’s No. 1 scripted TV series during February in Adults 18-49, “Lost” was a strong contender in its highly-competitive 9 o’clock time period throughout the month. And although it faced off with the Winter Games and “American Idol,” “Lost” is up season to date among Adults 18-34 and across all key Men demographics (5 episodes vs. 5 episodes): AD18-34 +4% (4.8/13 vs. 4.6/12), M18-34 +11% (4.9/15 vs. 4.4/13), M18-49 +4% (4.8/13 vs. 4.6/12) and M25-54 +2% (5.2/12 vs. 5.1/12).
Wednesday Comedies: On 2/10/10, ABC’s “The Middle” hit a series high with Adults 18-49 for its 2nd straight telecast, and opposite “Idol,” “Modern Family” posted the series’ 2nd-highest Adult 18-49 number. On that same telecast, “Modern Family” achieved best-ever results with Adults 18-34 and Teens 12-17. In addition, “Modern Family” registered as Wednesday’s No. 1 scripted TV show in Adults 18-49 on each of its past 4 first-run telecasts, including the final night of the sweep.
(Source: information provided by ABC. – Nielsen Media Research, Most Current (2/4-3/3/10). “The Bachelor” season averages based on Most Current Program Ratings (1/4-3/1/10). “Lost” season averages based on Live + Same Day Program Ratings (2/2-3/2/10 vs. 1/21-2/18/09).
