ABC Airs 5 of the Week’s Top 20 TV Shows in Adults 18-49, with “Grey’s,” “Modern Family,” “The Bachelor,” “Private Practice” and “Cougar Town”
ABC’s Monday Night Grows in Adults 18-49 for the 5th Straight Week. Hitting Season Highs, ABC’s “The Bachelor” Beats Fox’s “24” in Adults 18-49. “Castle” Marks a Season High in Adults 18-49 and a Series High in Adults 18-34. C’s Repeat “The Middle” Beats NBC’s Original “Mercy” by 31% in Adults 18-49
“Modern Family” Matches a Series High Adult 18-49 Number And Sets New Series Highs with Adults 18-34 and Women 18-34. Postng its Highest Young Adult Numbers in 4 Months, “Cougar Town” Beats Fox’s “Idol”-Fueled Wednesday Premiere of “Human Target” by 17%
At 10 pm, ABC’s “Ugly Betty” Grows is Overall Audience Week to Week
ABC Leads its 3rd Straight Thursday in Adults 18-49 and Generates Its Biggest Overall Non-Sports Audience on the Night in 2 Months
“The Deep End” Boosts ABC’s Thursday 8pm Numbers Week to Week, with the Net’s Top Non-Sports Numbers in the Time Period Since the Start of December
Overshadowing its 9pm Competition in Adults 18-49, ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy” Registers as Thursday’s No. 1 TV Series for the 11th Straight Original Telecast
Finishing No. 1 in Thursday’s 10pm Hour for the 2nd Week in a Row, ABC’s “Private Practice” Dominates its Time Slot Among Young Adults
ABC is No. 1 on Friday in Viewers and Adults 18-49, as “20/20” Wins at 10pm And Ranks No. 1 in its Slot for 10th Time in 11 Regular Telecasts in Adults 18-49
Opposite Fox’s Huge NFC Championship Vikings-Saints Overtime Game, ABC Stands as Sunday’s No. 1 Non-Sports Net in Viewers and Adults 18-49
A Repeat “America’s Funniest Home Videos” Beats Newsmags on CBS and NBC At 7pm in Adults 18-49, Leading “60 Minutes” by 25% and “Dateline” by 150%
Sunday’s No. 1 Non-Sports TV Show in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, ABC’s “Home Edition” Defeats its Nearest Competition from 8-10pm by Wide Margins
WEEK NO. 18: ADULTS 18-49 TOTAL VIEWERS
No.1 FOX 8.8 No.1 FOX 24,440,000
No.2 CBS 2.4 No.2 CBS 9,550,000
No.3 ABC 2.1 No.3 ABC 6,310,000
No.4 NBC 1.7 No.4 NBC 5,260,000
No.5 CW 0.8 No.5 CW 1,920,000
WEEK No. 18:
During the week of January 18, 2010, ABC earned second place to Fox among Adults 18-34 (1.8/5) and key Women demographics: W18-34 (2.5/7) and W18-49 (2.8/7).
ABC matched its second-highest weekly Adult 18-49 number (2.1/6) since November, trailing only two weeks ago with coverage of the BCS Championship – since w/o 11/30/09.
Rankings: ABC claimed 5 of the week’s Top 20 television shows in Adults 18-49: “Grey’s Anatomy” – No. 7, “Modern Family” – No. 8, “The Bachelor” – No. 12, “Private Practice” – No. 14 and “Cougar Town” – No. 20. For the 2nd straight week, “Grey’s Anatomy” qualified as the No. 1 scripted program in Adults 18-34 and key Women (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54). ABC News’ “20/20” finished out the week as TV’s No. 1 newsmagazine with Adults 18-49 and Adults 25-54.
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 34% currently, from 29% at the same point in 2009. 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.
Monday
Posting its 5th straight week of Monday growth and matching its highest Adult 18-49 number this season, ABC (3.5/9-tie) took second place on the night to CBS’ original lineup, beating NBC’s originals by 84% (1.9/5 – “Chuck”/”Heroes”/”Jay Leno”). ABC ranked No. 1 on the night among Adults 18-34 (3.3/9-tie), Women 18-34 (4.6/12) and Women 18-49 (4.9/12), standing as the top Net for the 3rd week running among the key Women demos.
ABC was up over the year-ago night in both Total Viewers (+1.7 million – 10.3 million vs. 8.6 million) and Adults 18-49 (+6% – 3.5/9 vs. 3.3/8).
“The Bachelor: On the Wings of Love” (8:00-10:00 p.m.)
From 8:00-10:00 p.m., ABC’s “The Bachelor” defeated Fox’s 2-hour Monday season opener of “24” in head-to-head competition by +9% in Adults 18-49 (3.8/9 vs. 3.5/8) and ranked No. 1 with Adults 18-34 (3.7/10) and key Women (W18-34/W18-49). The broad-appealing unscripted show also made ABC the top-rated broadcaster in the time period with Teens 12-17 (1.7/5) and Kids 2-11 (1.3/4).
“The Bachelor” qualified as Monday’s No. 1 TV program among Women 18-34 (4.8/12) for the 3rd telecast in a row.
“The Bachelor” posted a season-high with its 2nd straight week of Total Viewer (10.7 million) and Adult 18-49 (3.8/9) growth, and was up over the same night last year on both Nielsen counts.
“Castle” (10:00-11:00 p.m.)
Growing its Adult 18-49 audience (2.8/8 – a season high) for its 2nd straight original telecast, ABC’s “Castle” finished a strong second to CBS’ “CSI: Miami” in the 10 o’clock hour, topping NBC’s “Jay Leno” by a best-ever 115% (1.3/3). The ABC sophomore drama ranked No. 1 in its time slot with Women 18-34 (3.3/9), beating “CSI: Miami” (3.2/9) for the first time ever.
“Castle” hit season-high rating with Adults 18-49 (2.8/8) and marked a series-high with Adults 18-34 (2.5/7).
“Castle” boosted ABC’s performance in the hour over the same night a last year by 3.6 million viewers (9.4 million vs. 5.8 million) and by 8% in Adults 18-49 (2.8/8 vs. 2.6/7 – an original “True Beauty” on 1/19/09).
Wednesday
Opposite “American Idol” from 8:00-9:00 p.m., repeats of “Modern Family” and “The Middle” gained Adult 18-49 audience (+6%) for ABC in the hour. In fact ABC was the only broadcaster to grow in the time period.
At 8:30 p.m., a replay ABC’s “The Middle” defeated NBC’s original “Mercy” by 31% in Adults 18-49 (1.7/4 vs. 1.3/4). Despite facing “Idol,” “The Middle” posted its second-highest repeat number to date.
“Modern Family” (9:00-9:30 p.m.)
Shooting up from its lead-in by an astounding +147% in Adults 18-49, ABC’s “Modern Family” (4.2/11) won its half-hour, beating CBS’ veteran “Criminal Minds” by 2% (4.1/11) and the first half of Fox’s “Idol”-fueled Wednesday premiere of “Human Target” by 11% (3.8/10).
“Modern Family” stood as Wednesday’s No. 1 scripted TV show in Adults 18-49, Adults 18-34, Women 18-34 and key Men (M18-34/M18-49).
“Modern Family” tied a series-high Adult 18-49 number and set new series-highs among Adults 18-34 (3.7/11) and Women 18-34 (4.3/12).
“Cougar Town” (9:30-10:01 p.m.)
Growing 10% week to week in Adults 18-49, ABC freshman “Cougar Town” took second place at 9:30 p.m., beating out the second half-hour of Fox’s freshman Wednesday debut of “Human Target” by 17% (3.4/9 vs. 2.9/8). The ABC comedy ranked No. 1 in the half-hour with Adults 18-34 (3.1/9-tie) and Women 18-34 (4.0/11). “Cougar Town” finished as the No. 2 scripted TV show of the night with Adults 18-34 (3.1/9), Men 18-34 (2.2/7-tie) and Women 18-34 (4.0/11), behind only “Modern Family.”
“Cougar Town” marked the series’ highest young Adult and Women numbers (AD18-34/AD18-49/W18-34/W18-49) since September – since 9/30/09.
“Ugly Betty” (10:01-11:00 p.m.)
Opposite CBS’ veteran “CSI: NY” in the 10 o’clock hour, ABC’s “Ugly Betty” defeated NBC’s “Jay Leno” by a best-ever 33% among Adults 18-49 (1.6/4 vs. 1.2/4).
“Betty” increased its overall audience week to week (4.5 million vs. 4.4 million).
Thursday
ABC won its 3rd straight Thursday in Adults 18-49 (3.4/9), leading second-place Fox by 10% (3.1/8), third-place CBS by 21% (2.8/8) and fourth-place NBC by 55% (2.2/6).
ABC marked its most-watched (9.8 million) non-sports Thursday in 2 months – since 11/19/09.
“The Deep End” (8:00-9:00 p.m.)
The series debut of “The Deep End” boosted ABC’s 8 o’clock numbers week to week by 1.7 million viewers (7.1 million vs. 5.4 million) and by 29% in Adults 18-49 (1.8/5 vs. 1.4/4), delivering the Net’s strongest results with non-sports programming in the hour since the beginning of December – since 12/3/09.
“Grey’s Anatomy” (9:00-10:01 p.m.)
Thursday’s No. 1 TV show for the 2nd week in a row among Adults 18-49, ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy” (4.7/12) dominated its time slot and stood as the top-rated series on the night for its 11th consecutive original airing this season. Winning the 9 o’clock hour by wide margins over all-original competition,
“Grey’s” (4.7/12) outdelivered NBC’s “The Office”/”30 Rock” combo by 47% (3.2/8), CBS’ “CSI” by 52% (3.1/8) and Fox’s “Fringe” by 81% (2.6/7). “Grey’s” was also once again Thursday’s No. 1 show in Adults 18-34 (4.6/13).
“Private Practice” (10:01-11:00 p.m.)
Finishing No. 1 in the 10 o’clock hour for the 2nd straight Thursday, ABC’s “Private Practice” beat out second-place CBS’ original “The Mentalist” by 16% in Adults 18-49 (3.6/10 vs. 3.1/8). The ABC sophomore drama beat the combined delivery of CBS and NBC in the slot with Adults 18-34 for the 2nd week in a row (3.4/10 vs. 3.2/9 – CBS and NBC combined).
Friday
ABC placed No. 1 on Friday night among Total Viewers (6.4 million) and Adults 18-49 (1.5/5).
“20/20” (10:00-11:00 p.m.)
ABC’s “20/20” ranked No. 1 during Friday’s 10 o’clock hour in Total Viewers (6.4 million), Adults 18-49 (1.5/5) and Adults 25-54 (2.0/6). “20/20” beat out its NBC newsmagazine competition in the time period, topping “Dateline” by 1.4 million viewers and by 11% in the key Adult 25-54 news demographic (“Dateline” = 5.0 million and 1.8/5). The ABC newsmagazine has finished as the No. 1 regular program during Friday’s 10 o’clock hour on 10 of its last 11 telecasts among Adults 18-49. ABC News’ “20/20” aired a live broadcast from New York, following the “Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief” telethon, bringing viewers a wrap-up of the telethon and Hollywood’s rescue effort to help the people of Haiti. The newsmagazine also featured Barbara Walters’ interview with breakout star Lady Gaga, an eye-opening report by Brian Ross on sexual harassment involving teenagers in the workplace, and a report from Deborah Roberts on the recent US Department of Justice’s $24 million dollar settlement with FORBA Holdings LLC, a dental management company that provided services to 69 clinics around the country.
“20/20” grew week to week by 1.0 million viewers, by 7% in Adults 18-49 and by 11% in Adults 25-54. Leading its CBS and NBC competition in the hour by wide margins, “20/20” posted its second-highest number this season with Teens 12-17.
Sunday
Opposite an NFL-fueled Fox, with enormous numbers from the overtime Vikings-Saints NFC Championship Game, ABC (6.4 million and 1.9/5) stood as Sunday’s No. 1 non-sports network. In fact among Adults 18-49 (1.9/5), ABC topped CBS by 46% (1.3/3) and NBC by 171% (0.7/2).
“America’s Funniest Home Videos” (7:00-8:00 p.m.)
Beating CBS and NBC newsmagazines in the 7 o’clock hour, ABC’s repeat “America’s Funniest Home Videos” qualified as the No. 1 non-sport program in Adults 18-49 (1.5/4), outdelivering “60 Minutes Presents” by 25% (1.2/3) and “Dateline” by 150% (0.6/1).
“Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” (8:00-10:00 p.m.)
Sunday’s No. 1 non-sports program in Total Viewers (7.9 million) and Adults 18-49 (2.5/6), ABC’s 2-hour “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” beat out its nearest non-sports competition from 8:00-10:00 p.m. by 2.2 million viewers and by 127% in Adults 18-49 (CBS = 5.7 million and 1.1/3).
Against the NFL Championship Game, “Home Edition” built steadily throughout its telecast, gaining 1.3 million viewers (7.3 million to 8.6 million) and 27% in Adults 18-49 (2.2/5 to 2.8/6) from its first half-hour to its final half-hour.
(Source: data provided by ABC. – The Nielsen Company (National Live+Same Day Program Ratings), week of 1/18/10, unless stated otherwise.)
