ABC delivered 3 of the week’s Top 4 scripted shows in Adults 18-49, including the Top 2 (V – #1, Grey’s Anatomy – #2 and Desperate Housewives – #4), as well as the TV Season’s highest-rated freshman series telecast with the opener of V on Tuesday (also TV’s strongest 8pm drama opener since Lost in Sept. ’04).
The Net aired 5 of Top 10 most-watched non-sports television programs overall for the week: DWTS – #3, DWTS Results – #7, V – #8, Grey’s – #9 and Housewives – #10. ABC’s Modern Family qualified as TV’s #1 new comedy for the week in both Total Viewers and Adults 18-49. Building its overall Men numbers for the 3rd straight week, ABC equaled its top Adult 18-49 rating and hit its best numbers across each of the key Men demos in 5 weeks – since w/o 9/28/09.
Season-to-Date Upscale Program Rankings (6 complete weeks): ABC is delivering TV’s top-rated series with Upscale young adults. The Net claims 7 of the Top 20 highest-rated regular TV series this season among high-income Adults 18-49 (in homes w/$100K+ annual income), including the #1 series (Grey’s Anatomy) and 3 of the Top 4 freshman shows (Modern Family, FlashForward and Cougar Town): Grey’s Anatomy – #1, Desperate Housewives – #4, Private Practice #7, Modern Family – #11, Brothers & Sisters – #14, FlashForward – #17 and Cougar Town – #19.
Monday: ABC stood as the night’s most-watched non-sports network on Monday, beating CBS by 3.0 million viewers and NBC by 9.2 million viewers. Up against the World Series, ABC’s Dancing with the Stars ranked as TV’s most-watched series telecast on Monday for the 7th week in a row. Dancing with the Stars outperformed NBC’s original dramas, Heroes/Trauma by 10.9 million viewers and by 55% in Adults 18-49 in the 2-hour time period. DWTS won its 2-hour time period for the 6th week running among Women 18-49 and Women 25-54. For the 2nd consecutive week, ABC’s Castle outperformed NBC’s Jay Leno (which hit a franchise low in viewers and AD18-49 [t]) in the 10 o’clock hour with its largest margins to-date in both Total Viewers (+5.5 million viewers) and Adults 18-49 (+100%). The sophomore drama saw week-to-week increases among Adults 18-34 (+6%) and Women 18-34 (+10%), posting season highs in both measures. One of TV’s biggest gainers in the 10 o’clock hour this season, ABC’s Castle is generating substantial increases over its first-reported numbers through DVR playback, picking up an average 1.7 million viewers and an additional 6-tenths of an Adult 18-49 rating point (+21%) from the initially reported Live + Same Day Numbers to the Live + 7 Day DVR finals. On average, Castle is improving the time period year to year for ABC, growing its hour over the same nights last year with Boston Legal in both Total Viewers (+1.5 million) and Adults 18-49 (+13%).
Tuesday: Growing its numbers over the prior Tuesday for the 4th week in a row, ABC registered its biggest audience on the night in 6 weeks and hit a season-high with Adults 18-49. ABC placed #1 on Tuesday night among Adults 18-34, Men 18-34 and Men 18-49. Opposite stiff established original competition in Tuesday’s 8 o’clock hour, including CBS’ top-rated NCIS, NBC’s Biggest Loser and Fox’s So You Think You Can Dance, ABC’s V opened a strong #1 in Adults 18-49, soaring to the top of its slot and leading second-place CBS’ NCIS by 21%…becoming the first ABC scripted series in 5 years to defeat an original NCIS (since 10/5/04). In a good sign for future viewing the new ABC drama generated tune-in throughout its premiere, growing in both Total Viewers (14.1 million to 14.5 million) and Adults 18-49 (5.0/14 to 5.3/14) from its first half-hour to its second half-hour. Self-starter V stood as Tuesday’s #1 TV show across the key Adult demos (AD18-34/AD18-49/AD25-54) and registered as the TV Season’s highest-rated new series debut in the key young adult sales demo. V marked ABC’s strongest performance in the time period among Adults 18-49 in 3 years (any programming) and produced the Net’s highest non-sports numbers in the hour in 6 years across the key Men demos (M18-34/M18-49/M25-54) – since 11/14/06 and 11/4/03. Topping CBS’ spinoff NCIS: LA series debut in September by 18% (which had the added advantage of airing out of the season opener of NCIS), V qualified as the top-rated Tuesday night fall series debut among Adults 18-49 on any network since 2005 and ABC’s highest since 2003 – since 9/20/05 and since 9/23/03, respectively. In addition, V opened with the best Adult 18-49 rating for a regularly slotted 8pm drama debut (any net/any night) since ABC’s Lost in September 2004 (9/22/04). Tuesday’s most-watched unscripted show, ABC’s Dancing with the Stars the Results outdrew NBC’s Biggest Loser in direct competition during 9 o’clock hour by 5.5 million viewers, its biggest advantage of the season. In addition, the ABC dance competition dominated Fox’s dance program in the slot, beating the second hour of So You Think You Can Dance by a best-yet 9.2 million viewers and by 29% in Adults 18-49. DWTS the Results was up week to week among Adults 18-49 and hit a season-high with Adults 18-34. Taking second to CBS’ The Good Wife in the 10 o’clock hour, ABC’s the forgotten outdrew NBC’s Jay Leno by 1.3 million viewers. the forgotten posted a best-since-debut Adult 18-34 rating and hit a series high with Men 18-34. the forgotten is generating substantial increases over its first-reported numbers through DVR playback, picking up an average 1.1 million viewers and an additional 4-tenths of an Adult 18-49 rating point (+14%) from the initially reported Live + Same Day Numbers to the Live + 7 Day DVR finals.
Wednesday: Jumping from its lead-in by 46% in Adults 18-49 at 8:30pm against Fox’s World Series coverage, ABC’s The Middle finished as the #2 non-sports TV show in its half-hour in Adults 18-49. The new ABC comedy was the top series broadcast in the half-hour for the 2nd week in a row with key Men: (M18-34/M18-49). Shooting up from its lead-in by 84% in Adults 18-49, ABC’s Modern Family beat out its non-sports competitors at 9pm to qualify as the # 1 TV series of the night for the 2nd straight week. Modern Family is exhibiting big increases over its first-reported numbers through DVR playback, jumping by 1.2 million viewers and by an additional 6-tenths of an Adult 18-49 rating point from the initially reported Live + Same Day Numbers to the Live + 7 Day DVR finals. ABC’s Cougar Town finished #2 against its non-sports competition at 9:30pm in Adults 18-49 to the second-half of CBS’ slot-veteran Criminal Minds. Against the World Series, the ABC freshman placed as the #1 series telecast in the time period with Adults 18-34 and among hard-to-reach Men 18-34. Like its lead-in, Cougar Town is producing sizeable gains over its first-reported numbers through DVR playback, increasing by 1.1 million viewers and by an additional 5-tenths of an Adult 18-49 rating point from the initially reported Live + Same Day Numbers to the Live + 7 Day DVR finals. ABC’s Eastwick continued to beat NBC’s Jay Leno in the 10 o’clock hour (3 weeks in a row), leading by 7% among Adults 18-49. Eastwick is seeing bumps from the first-reported numbers through DVR playback, averaging an additional 1.0 million viewers and a 4-tenths of an Adult 18-49 rating point increase from the initially reported Live + Same Day Numbers to the Live + 7 Day DVR finals.
Thursday: ABC registered as Thursday’s the #1 network among Adults 18-49 on the second Thursday of the November Sweep, beating CBS by 3% and NBC by 48% and Fox by 76%…#1 against its regular competition on the night for 7 consecutive weeks this season. ABC freshman FlashForward took second against CBS’ time-slot veteran Survivor: Samoa in the 8 o’clock hour among Adults 18-49, leading Fox’s Bones and NBC’s comedies (Community/Parks and Recreation). The top gainer overall for any new series this season in DVR playback, FlashForward surges over the first-reported numbers by 1.9 million viewers and by 8-tenths of an Adult 18-49 rating point (+19%) from the Live + Same Day Numbers to the Live + 7 Day DVR finals. ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy qualified as Thursday’s #1 series telecast in Adults 18-49 for the 7th consecutive week. Topping the 9 o’clock hour by wide margins, Grey’s defeated CBS’ CSI by 46%, NBC’s comedy combo The Office/30 Rock by 42% and Fox’s Fringe by 200%. Grey’s was also once again the night’s top-rated show in Adults 18-34. TV’s most-popular show in DVR playback, Grey’s Anatomy jumps over the first-reported numbers by 3.0 million viewers and by an additional 1.5 Adult 18-49 rating points (+20%) from the Live + Same Day Numbers to the Live + 7 Day DVR finals. Private Practice stood as the #1 series in the 10 o’clock hour for the 6th week running among Adults 18-34. Versus the year-ago night (11/6/08), Private Practice improved ABC’s delivery in the 10 o’clock hour by 17% in Adults 18-49 (with an original Life on Mars). Like its lead-in, Private Practice sees impressive DVR gains from the first-reported numbers, shooting up by 1.8 million viewers and by 1.0 Adult 18-49 rating points (+20%) from the Live + Same Day Numbers to the Live + 7 Day DVR finals.
Friday: Growing over the prior Friday for the 2nd week in a row, ABC posted its strongest performance on the night this season in both Total Viewers and Adults 18-49…Net’s best numbers on the night in over 7 months – since 3/27/09. Building on the previous week’s telecast, Ugly Betty hit best-since-premiere numbers in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49. On average, Ugly Betty is posting solid gains through DVR playback, picking up an average of 700,000 viewers and 3-tenths of an Adult 18-49 rating point (+23%) from the initially reported Live + Same Day Numbers to the final L+7 Day DVR finals. ABC News’ 20/20, featuring an exclusive interview with music superstar Rihanna by Diane Sawyer, revealing publicly for the first time what happened last February with singer and ex-boyfriend Chris Brown, jumped from its lead-in (+3.7 million viewers/+133% in AD18-49) to win its time period in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49…2nd week in a row with young adults. 20/20 stood as Friday’s #1 TV show in Total Viewers across each of the key Adult demos (AD18-34/AD18-49/AD25-54). Posting its 2nd week of growth, ABC’s 20/20 drew its biggest audience and its highest Adult 18-49 and Adult 25-54 numbers in nearly 9 months – since 2/13/09. The ABC newsmagazine posted its highest Adult 18-34 number in almost 3 years – since 12/1/06.
Sunday: Once again facing sports boosted competition on Sunday night from CBS with a 20-minute NFL overrun into the 7 o’clock hour inflating its line-up and NBC with one of the bigger NFL Sunday Night Football games of the season (Dallas-Philadelphia), ABC outdrew Fox with its Family Guy-driven line up by 4.0 million viewers. The Net also defeated Fox on the night with Adults 18-49. ABC’s Desperate Housewives once again registered as Sunday’s #1 scripted TV series in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, qualifying as the night’s most-watched entertainment program on all 7 weeks this season and for 5 weeks running among Adults 18-49. Housewives is generating an even bigger increase this season than last over its first-reported numbers through DVR playback, picking up an average 1.6 million viewers and an additional 7-tenths of an Adult 18-49 rating point from the initially reported Live + Same Day Numbers to the Live + 7 Day DVR finals. ABC’s Brothers & Sisters continued to beat out its CBS drama competition in the 10 o’clock hour, outdelivering Three Rivers/Cold Case by 8% in Total Viewers and by 61% in Adults 18-49. Like its lead-in, Brothers & Sisters is seeing a sizeable uptick this season over its first-reported numbers through DVR playback (also bigger than last season), picking up an average 1.2 million viewers and an additional 5-tenths of an Adult 18-49 rating point from the initially reported Live + Same Day Numbers to the Live + 7 Day DVR finals.
(source: data and release from ABC)
