Overall: Growing year-to-year for the 10th week running, ABC ranked #2 for the week of 7/19/10 among Total Viewers and Adults 18-49. In fact ABC has finished 1st or 2nd in the key young Adult sales demo on nearly every week this summer (6 of 8 weeks). For the 3rd straight week, ABC was the #1 net with Women 18-49. ABC claimed 3 of the Top 7 programs for the week in Adults 18-49, including the #1 TV show with The Bachelorette: The Bachelorette – #1, Wipeout-TUES – #4 and Wipeout-THURS – #7. The Net also aired 3 of the Top 6 most-watched television shows overall during the week: The Bachelorette – #2, Wipeout-TUES – #5 and Wipeout-THURS – #6. For the 4th week in a row, ABC’s The Bachelorette qualified as the #1 TV show with key Women. ABC News owned the Top 2 newsmagazines during the week, with Friday’s 20/20 and Primetime: What Would You Do? in AD18-49 and AD25-54. Among Adults 18-49, ABC News delivered TV’s #1 newsmagazine for the 6th week in a row (7th time in the 8 weeks this summer). The Network’s numbers surged over the same week last year by 1.0 million viewers and 15% in Adults 18-49, posting its 10th consecutive week of year-over-year gains on both counts. Compared to the same point last year, ABC’s summer results are up by 24% in Total Viewers and by 25% in Adults 18-49. The Net is producing its most-watched summer in 9 years – since 2001.
Monday: Growing from the previous Monday for the 2nd week in a row, ABC stood as the most-watched network overall for the 5th week in a row and ranked #1 in Adults 18-49 for the 7th straight Monday, posting a summer-high performance in both Nielson measures. The Network beat its nearest primetime competition (CBS) by 2.6 million viewers and by 61% in Adults 18-49. Building its overall Monday audience year to year for the 8th time in 8 weeks, ABC improved on the same night last year in viewers and young adults (7.4 million and 2.6/8 on 7/20/09). ABC’s The Bachelorette ranked a strong #1 in its time period for the 8th consecutive week, beating its closest time period competition (CBS) by 3.9 million viewers and by 70%. The veteran ABC unscripted series won all 4 of its half-hours in viewers and young adults. The Bachelorette registered as Monday’s #1 TV show in Adults 18-49 for the 6th week in a row, and for the 8th week running stood the evening’s dominant #1 television program across all key Women demographics (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54). The Bachelorette achieved season-highs in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49. In fact excluding season finales, the series drew its biggest audience since February 2004 (since 2/18/04 during Season 2) and its highest Adult 18-49 rating since February 2005 (since 2/21/05 during Season 3). On average, The Bachelorette is up over its performance at the same point last year by 1.6 million viewers and by 14% in Adults 18-49. With its season finale, ABC’s True Beauty ranked No. 1 in the 10 o’clock hour against its CBS and NBC competition among Adults 18-49 for the 2nd straight week. On average during its run, True Beauty improved its time period this summer for ABC by 6% in Viewers over the same weeks last year.
Tuesday: For the 2nd week in a row, ABC’s Tuesday line-up improved on the same night last year (7/21/09) in Total Viewers (+1.6 million) and Adults 18-49 (+55%). In fact, the Net has been up over the year-ago night for the 7th time in 8 weeks this summer. ABC’s Wipeout won its hour for the 3rd time in its last 4 original telecast in the time-slot among Adults 18-49, topping Fox’s Hell’s Kitchen by 7%. In fact, the ABC unscripted series ranked #1 in the hour for the 4th original airing in a row among Adults 25-54 and key Men (M18-49/M25-54). Wipeout hit season-highs among Adults 18-34 and Men. In fact, Wipeout equaled its top Adults 18-34 performance in nearly 2 years – since 7/29/08. Against well-established competition in the hour on NBC (America’s Got Talent), CBS (NCIS: Los Angeles) and Fox (Hell’s Kitchen), Downfall improved ABC’s deliveries on the same night last year by 1.4 million viewers and by 57% in Adults 18-49.
Thursday: ABC’s summer Thursday lineup ranked #1 on the night against its broadcast rivals in Adults 18-49 for the 2nd consecutive week. Delivering substantial year-to-year improvement on Thursday, ABC more than doubled its performance from the same night last summer (7/23/09) in Total Viewers (+3.6 million) and Adults 18-49 (+113% ). In fact the Network saw its 7th straight Thursday of year-to-year primetime gains. ABC’s Wipeout led the 8 o’clock hour in both Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, beating its unscripted competition in the time period, CBS’ Big Brother 12, in Total Viewers (+1.2 million ) and Adults 18-49 (+18%) for the 2nd straight week. In fact, the ABC unscripted series has ranked #1 in the 8 pm hour in the key young adult demo for 4th time in the last 5 weeks, while holding the #1 position the 5th week in Total Viewers, Adults 25-54 and key Men (M18-49/M25-54). Wipeout stood as Thursday’s #1 program in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49 for the 2nd week in a row. TV’s #1 new series of the summer, ABC’s Rookie Blue ran a strong second at 9 pm among the broadcast networks in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49. Rookie Blue continued to post strong year-to-year increases for ABC in the hour, more than doubling the Net’s performance among Total Viewers (+3.8 million) and in Adults 18-49 (+88%) over its performance on the year-ago night. ABC News’ Boston Med took second place in the 10 o’clock hour against its CBS and NBC competition with Total Viewers and Women 25-54. Versus the year-ago night, Boston Med boosted the 10 o’clock hour for ABC by 2.3 million viewers and by 83% in Adults 18-49.
Friday: For the 3rd consecutive week, ABC ranked #1 among the broadcast networks on Friday in Adults 18-49, beating NBC by 36%, CBS by 50% and Fox by 67%. In fact, ABC posted its strongest Friday summer performance in the key young adult sales demo in over 3 years – since 6/8/07. ABC’s Wife Swap delivered its best numbers of the summer in both Total Viewers and Adults 18-49. Wife Swap substantially improved ABC’s performance in the hour from the same night last year (7/24/09) in both viewers (+2.0 million) and young adults (+100%). An encore telecast of ABC News’ Primetime: What Would You Do? led the 9 o’clock hour in Total Viewers and Adults 25-54. In fact, the ABC newsmagazine ranked #1 at 9pm in the Adult 25-54 news demo for the 3rd consecutive week and for the 4th time in the last 5 weeks. ABC News’ 20/20 won the final hour of prime in Total Viewers, Adults 18-49 and Adults 25-54, taking the top spot in the two key adult demographics for the 3rd week running. In addition, the ABC newsmagazine hit summer highs among Adults 18-49 and Adults 25-54 for the 2nd straight week. 20/20 registered as Friday’s #1 TV program in Total Viewers, Adults 18-49 and Adults 25-54, standing as the night’s top program in the key Adults 25-54 news demo for the 3rd week in a row and for the 4th time in the last 5 weeks.
(source: ABC)
