ABC’s Replay “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas” Beats NBC’s Original “Heroes” at 8pm in Viewers and Young Adults, While Dominating in Kids 2-11
At 8:30pm, a Repeat Airing of “Shrek the Halls” Towers Over “Heroes” and Delivers ABC’s 2nd-Highest Kids 2-11 Number in the Slot in Over 9-1/2 Years
Boosting the Hour Year to Year for ABC, Newbie “Find My Family” Defeats NBC’s Slot-Regular “Trauma” by 30% in Viewers and by 25% in Adults 18-49
Marking the Series’ Best-Ever Repeat Numbers, ABC’s Replay “Castle” Towers Over NBC’s Original “Leno” in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49
“Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas” (8:00-8:30 p.m.)
ABC’s rebroadcast of the animated holiday classic “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas” finished a strong No. 2 in its half-hour to Fox’s original “House” in viewers and young adults, beating NBC’s original “Heroes” by 3.5 million viewers (9.2 million vs. 5.7 million) and by 22% in Adults 18-49 (2.8/7 vs. 2.3/6).
The Dr. Seuss special towered over its slot with Kids 2-11, beating the combined delivery of CBS, Fox, NBC and CW in the half hour by 51% (5.0/15 vs. 3.3/10), and finished as the No. 2 TV show of the night behind only lead-out “Shrek the Halls.”
“Shrek the Halls” (8:30-9:00 p.m.)
ABC’s replay airing of “Shrek the Halls” earned a strong second to “House” at 8:30 p.m., widening ABC’s lead in the half-hour over NBC’s original “Heroes” to 4.0 million viewers (9.1 million vs. 5.1 million) and 26% in Adults 18-49 (2.9/7 vs. 2.3/6).
The rebroadcast “Shrek” special dominated its time slot with Kids 2-11 (5.9/19), standing as the No. 1 TV program of the night and generating ABC’s 2nd-highest rating in the time period in more than 9-1/2 years – since 5/1/00.
“Find My Family” (9:00-10:00 p.m.)
On its regular 1-hour premiere at 9:00 p.m., ABC’s new series “Find My Family” beat NBC’s time-slot regular “Trauma” by 1.6 million viewers (6.9 million vs. 5.3 million) and by 25% in Adults 18-49 (2.0/5 vs. 1.6/4). The broad appealing ABC freshman show ranked a dominant No. 1 against its broadcast competitors in the hour with Kids 2-11 (2.0/8).
“Find My Family” improved the hour for ABC over the year-ago evening by 11% in Total Viewers (6.2 million on 12/1/08 with originals of “Samantha Who?”)
“Castle” (10:00-11:00 p.m.)
During the 10 o’clock hour, ABC’s repeat “Castle” defeated NBC’s original “Jay Leno” by 43% in Total Viewers (6.0 million vs. 4.2 million) and by 33% in Adults 18-49 (1.6/4 vs. 1.2/3). Unable to capitalize against rebroadcast programming, “Leno” was down -14% Monday to Monday among Adults 18-49 (1.2/3 vs. 1.4/4), despite facing repeat dramas in the hour on both ABC and CBS.
In Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, “Castle” turned in the series’ best-ever repeat numbers.
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 33% currently, from 28% at the same point in 2008. 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: data and information provided by ABC. – Nielsen Media Research (National, Live + Same Day Program Ratings), 11/30/09)
