ABC is No. 1 on Monday in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49.
ABC’s “The Bachelorette” Post Week-to-Week Increases in Viewers and Young Adults, Drawing 2nd Largest Overall Audience of the Summer.
Freshman Finale of ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition” Draws its Largest Audience in 4 Weeks.
On Average, “EM: Weight Loss Edition” Improves ABC’s Performance at 10pm Year to Year by Double-Digit Percentages in Total Viewers and Key Adults.
Monday Night (8:00-11:00 p.m.)
ABC’s Monday lineup of “The Bachelorette” and “Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition” led the night in both Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, topping second place Fox by 2.6 million (7.6 million vs. 5.0 million) and by 5% in the key young adult demo (2.3/6 vs. 2.2/6).
In Total Viewers, ABC has been the No. 1 network on every regular Monday of Summer 2011 (excluding only July 4th). Further, ABC ranked No. 1 in Total Viewers on the night in 19 of the last 20 weeks.
“The Bachelorette” (8:00-10:26 p.m.)
Despite being interrupted for the presidential address on the East Coast during the middle of the program for 26 minutes, the penultimate telecast of ABC’s “The Bachelorette” saw week-to-week increases by 3% in Total Viewers (8.2 million vs. 8.0 million) and 4% in Adults 18-49 (2.4/7 vs. 2.3/7). In fact, “The Bachelorette” drew its 2nd-largest audience since its season premiere (5/23/11).
“The Bachelorette” qualified as Monday’s No. 1 TV show in Total Viewers, standing as Monday’s most-watched show overall for its 8th straight regular telecast.
“Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition” (10:26-11:25 p.m.)
The season finale of ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition” attracted 6.2 million viewers and a 1.9 rating, 6 share in Adults 18-49, scoring its largest audience in 4 weeks – since 6/27/11. Furthermore, although it had a late start, the program turned in the series’ 3rd-most-watched telecast ever.
On average during its run, “EM: Weight Loss Edition” improved ABC’s performance in the hour by 13% in Total Viewers, by 10% in Adults 18-49 and by 13% in Adults 18-34 over the comparable nights last year with originals of “True Beauty.”
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 41% currently, from 37% at the same point in 2010.
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: ABC – The Nielsen Company (National, Live + Same Day Program Ratings), 7/25/11)
