Pan Am produced ABC’s biggest audience in the slot with an hour-long series telecast in more than 2-1/2 years – since 3/1/09.
Opposite heavy NFL-fueled competition during the 9pm hour on Sunday from NBC (Sunday Night Football) and Fox (NFL overrun-boosted comedy premieres – Family Guy/American Dad), ABC’s 8th season premiere of Desperate Housewives towered over CBS’ season premiere of The Good Wife by 41% in Adults 18-49. In addition, ABC’s Desperate Housewives stood as Sunday’s #1 entertainment program with Women 18-49.
Pacing ahead of where it finished out last season, ABC’s Desperate Housewives topped its 2011 May Sweep average in Adults 18-49 (+3%).
Building on its Housewives lead-in by 1.1 million viewers and holding 100% of its Adult 18-49 audience opposite NBC’s Sunday Night Football, ABC’s series debut of Pan Am took flight to stand as the #1 non-sports program in the 10 o’clock hour.
In fact, Pan Am became the first program to build on Desperate Housewives in overall viewers since Grey’s Anatomy in May 2006 (5/14/06). During the 10pm hour, the new ABC drama beat out the premiere of CBS’ time-period veteran CSI: Miami by 9% in Total Viewers and by 41% in Adults 18-49.
Improving the hour year to year in viewers (+14%) and young adults (+7%) over the year-ago opener of Brother & Sisters, Pan Am posted ABC’s best season-opening numbers in the time period in 3 years – since 9/28/08. In addition, Pan Am produced ABC’s biggest audience in the slot with an hour-long series telecast in more than 2-1/2 years – since 3/1/09.
(source: ABC)