ABC Claims 4 of the Week’s Top 10 Most-Watched TV Shows, Airing the No. 1 Unscripted Series in “DWTS” and the No. 1 Freshman in “Last Man Standing.”
ABC’s “Modern Family” is the Week’s No. 1 Scripted Show in Adults 18-49, Poised to Outdeliver CBS’ “Two and a Half Men” in the Final Ratings.
For the 4th Week Running, ABC Gains in the 10pm Hour as a Lead-in to its Affiliates’ Late-Local News, and is the Only Net to Post an Adult 25-54 Increase.
ABC Ranks No. 1 on Monday Night in Total Viewers for the 4th Week in a Row. Drawing its Largest Audience Since its Premiere, ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” Tops CBS’ “Two and a Half Men” to Stand as Monday’s Most-Watched TV Show.
ABC’s “Castle” is the Top Scripted Series in its Slot for the 4th Consecutive Week. ABC’s “Last Man Standing” is TV’s Biggest 8pm Comedy Debut in Over 7 Years.
Hitting Season Highs, “DWTS: The Results” Tops its Slot for the 2nd Straight Week. ABC’s “Body of Proof” Continues to Post Solid Year-to-Year Time-Period Growth.
Rising Week to Week and Year to Year, ABC Wins Wednesday in Adults 18-49. ABC’s “The Middle” is Up Year to Year for its 4th Straight Telecast This Season.
“Suburgatory” Builds on its Adult 18-49 Lead-in for its 3rd Time in as Many Telecasts. ABC’s “Modern Family” is Wednesday’s No. 1 TV Show for the 4th Week Running.
ABC’s “Happy Endings” Achieves New Series Highs in Viewers and Young Adults. Jumping 13% Week to Week in Adults 18-49, “Revenge” Finishes No. 1 in its Hour.
“Grey’s” and “Private Practice” Gain Week to Week in Viewers and Young Adults. “20/20” Pulls its Biggest Audience in 2 Months and a 13-Week High in Adults 25-54.
“America’s Funniest Home Videos” Surges by 16% in Adults 18-49 Against Football.
On Sunday at 9pm, ABC’s “Desperate Housewives” Jumps 42% Over Its Lead-in To Dominate CBS’ “The Good Wife” for the 4th Straight Week in Adults 18-49. “Pan Am” Posts a Strong 95% Retention of its Adult 18-49 Audience Week to Week.
WEEK No. 4:
During the week of October 10, 2011, ABC claimed 5 of the week’s Top 20 broadcast shows in Adults 18-49, including the No. 1 scripted series, as “Modern Family” tied “Two and a Half Men” for the top position. In fact based on season-to-date increases in Nielsen’s Live + 7 Day ratings, “Modern Family” (+2.2 rating point gain) will outdeliver “Two and a Half Men” (+1.7 rating point) by a comfortable margin to finish as the week’s sole No. 1 scripted series. “Modern Family” – No. 3 (No. 1 scripted show), “Last Man Standing” and “Grey’s Anatomy” tied at No. 14, “DWTS: The Results” – No. 17 and “Happy Endings” – No. 20. The Network delivered 4 of the week’s Top 10 most-watched TV shows overall (tying CBS for the most), airing the No. 1 unscripted series with “Dancing” and the No. 1 new show with “Last Man Standing:” “DWTS: The Results” – No. 2, “DWTS” – No. 3, “Modern Family” – No. 8 and “Last Man Standing” – No. 10 In addition to qualifying as the week’s most-watched freshman series overall, ABC’s “Last Man Standing” came in as TV’s biggest comedy debut with an 8:00 p.m. start time in more than 7 years.
For the 4th straight week this season, ABC marked improved results during the 10 o’clock hour year to year. On Monday-Friday from 10:00-11:00 p.m. as a lead-in to affiliates’ late-local news, ABC built its numbers over the same week last year with Total Viewers (+5% – 7.7 million vs. 7.3 million) and Adults 25-54 (+4% – 2.7/7 vs. 2.6/7), once again qualifying as the only net to increase in the key news demographic.
Overall, ABC’s primetime numbers rose week to week in both Total Viewers (+5% – 8.6 million vs. 8.2 million) and Adults 18-49 (+5% – 2.3/6 vs. 2.2/6).
Monday
With “Dancing with the Stars” and “Castle,” ABC stood as Monday’s most-watched Net (15.1 million), outdrawing CBS by 3.3 million viewers (11.3 million – “HIMYM”/”2 Broke Girls”/”Two and a Half Men”/”Mike & Molly”/”Hawaii Five-0″), Fox by 6.7 million viewers (7.9 million – MLB ALCS Game 2 – Detroit vs. Texas/”Terra Nova”/”House”) and NBC by 10.7 million viewers (3.9 million – 2-hour “The Sing Off”/”Prime Suspect”). In fact, ABC ranked as the No. 1 Net in Total Viewers for the 4th week in a row.
“Dancing with the Stars” (8:00-10:01 p.m.)
Gaining audience throughout its broadcast against CBS’ “Two and a Half Men-” led comedy block and Fox’s Major League Baseball Playoffs/”Terra Nova” in the time period, “Dancing with the Stars” (16.8 million) made ABC the top draw in its time slot for the 4th consecutive week, topping CBS’ comedies by 4.9 million viewers (11.9 million), Fox’s baseball/”Terra Nova” by 8.4 million viewers (8.4 million) and NBC’s “The Sing Off” by 12.5 million viewers (4.3 million). Head to head against its unscripted competition in the 2-hour time slot, ABC’s “Dancing” outdelivered NBC’s “The Sing Off” by a wide margin in Adults 18-49 (+100% – 3.0/7 vs. 1.5/4).
Drawing its largest audience since its season premiere to top CBS’ “Two and a Half Men” for the first time this season, ABC’s “DWTS” stood as the Monday’s most-watched telecast (16.8 million vs. 16.2 million).
“Castle” (10:01-11:00 p.m.)
For the 4th time in as many weeks this season, ABC’s “Castle” stood as the most-watched scripted TV program during Monday’s 10:00 p.m. hour, leading CBS’ “Hawaii Five-0” (10.2 million vs. 10.1 million).
Tuesday
With a big turn-out for the debut of “Last Man Standing,” leading into “DWTS: The Results” and “Body of Proof,” ABC marked its most competitive Tuesday this season with viewers and young adults. Finishing a strong No. 2 to CBS on the night, ABC (13.1 million and 2.9/8) beat out Fox’s Major League Baseball playoff coverage (Detroit-Texas Game 3 = 8.3 million and 2.4/7) by 4.8 million viewers and 21% in Adults 18-49, and NBC’s original lineup (2-hour “The Biggest Loser”/”Parenthood” = 5.5 million and 2.0/5) by 7.6 million viewers and by 45% in Adults 18-49.
In Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, ABC marked Tuesday season highs.
The Net was up over the same night last year (10.3 million and 2.5/7 on 10/12/10) by double-digit percentages with viewers (+27%) and young adults (+16%).
“Last Man Standing” (8:00-9:00 p.m.)
Opening as TV’s biggest 8:00 p.m. comedy debut in more than 7 years, ABC’s 1-hour premiere of “Last Man Standing” finished a strong No. 2 during the 8 o’clock hour among viewers (13.2 million) and young adults (3.6/10) to CBS’ top-rated “NCIS,” pacing well ahead of Fox’s MLB ALCS playoffs and essentially doubling the opening hour of NBC’s “The Biggest Loser 12.” In addition, the freshman ABC comedy ran as the No. 1 regular program the hour and as Tuesday’s top-rated series with Adults 18-34 and Women 18-34 (tied w/”Dancing”), while ranking as the night’s highest-rated broadcast show with Kids 2-11. A good sign for future viewing, the new series saw its audience grow from its first half-hour to its second half-hour in both viewers (+5%- 12.9 million to 13.5 million) and young adults (+12% – 3.4/10 to 3.8/10).
ABC’s debut of “Last Man Standing” qualifies as TV’s most-watched comedy series opener with an 8:00 p.m. start on any night of the week since September 2004, and as the top-rated among Adults 18-49 since September 2006 – since 9/9/04 and 9/18/06, respectively.
“Last Man Standing” produced ABC’s highest Adult 18-49 rating during Tuesday’s 8 o’clock hour with regular programming in close to 2 years – since 11/10/09.
Self starter “Last Man Standing” is the season’s 2nd-most-watched new comedy debut, behind only CBS’ “Two and a Half Men”-fueled premiere of “Two Broke Girls.”
“Dancing with the Stars: The Results” (9:00-10:01 p.m.)
Taking advantage of its strong lead-in, ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars: The Results” hit season highs and registered as the most-watched TV show (16.9 million) in the 9 o’clock hour for the 2nd week in a row. The broad-appealing ABC unscripted program also ranked as the No. 1 series in its slot across all key Adult (AD18-34/AD18-49/AD25-54) and all key Women demos (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54). In addition, “Dancing” made ABC the No. 1 broadcaster in the hour with Kids 2-11. It was the No. 1 TV series of the night with Women 18-34. Singer Chynna Phillips was the fourth celebrity contestant to leave the ABC dance competition this season.
Building its overall audience for the 2nd week running, “DWTS: The Results” posted its highest numbers this season with viewers (16.9 million) and young adults (3.3/8). In addition, ABC’s “The Results” drew a bigger overall audience than on the same night last year (+5% – 16.1 million on 10/12/10).
“Body of Proof” (10:01-11:00 p.m.)
ABC’s “Body of Proof” ranked as the 2nd-most-watched TV show in the 10 o’clock hour for the 4th week in a row, outdrawing NBC’s “Parenthood” by 3.7 million viewers (9.0 million vs. 5.3 million).
Once again exhibiting much stronger lead-in retention for ABC in the hour year to year, “Body of Proof” improved its time period over the same night last year by 2.0 million viewers and by 6% in Adults 18-49 (1.8/5 vs. 1.7/5).
Wednesday
Up against Fox’s MLB Playoffs extra-innings game (Detroit-Texas Game 4), ABC ranked No. 1 on Wednesday night among Adults 18-49 (3.4/9), building 6% week to week. In addition, for the 4th straight week this season, ABC aired Wednesday’s No. 1 TV show with “Modern Family.”
ABC’s Wednesday numbers continued to pace well ahead of last year (10/13/10) in both Total Viewers (+20% – 9.1 million 7.6 million) and Adults 18-49 (+26% – 3.4/9 vs. 2.7/8), growing year to year for the 4th week running this season.
“The Middle” (8:00-8:30 p.m.)
At 8:00 p.m., ABC’s “The Middle” took full control of its comedy competition in the half-hour, towering over NBC’s “Up All Night” by 3.7 million viewers (8.9 million vs. 5.2 million) and by 38% in Adults 18-49 (2.9/9 vs. 2.1/6). In addition, “The Middle” ranked No. 1 in its half-hour with Adults 18-34 and key Women (W18-34/W18-49), while standing as the highest-rated broadcast program with Teens 12-17.
The third season ABC comedy posted its 2nd straight week of Adult 18-49 audience growth, while equaling the series’ 2nd-highest-ever number with Adults 18-34.
Building its numbers year to year for the 4th time in as many telecasts this season, “The Middle” was up over the same night last year by 11% in viewers and by 16% in young adults (8.0 million and 2.5/8 on 10/13/10).
“Suburgatory” (8:30-9:00 p.m.)
Building on its Adult 18-49 lead-in for its 3rd straight telecast (+7%) at 8:30 p.m., ABC’s “Suburgatory” finished a solid No. 2 in its time period to CBS’ “Survivor.” Like its lead-in, the new ABC comedy ranked No. 1 in its slot with Adults 18-34 and key Women (W18-34/W18-49), while qualifying as the broadcast leader with Teens 12-17.
Despite facing post-season baseball, “Suburgatory” held 100% of its Adult 18-49 audience week to week, gained 4% among Adults18-34 and rose 12% in Men 18-34 to hit a series high.
“Suburgatory” once again delivered big improvement for ABC over the year-ago time period occupant (“Better with You” = 6.4 million and 2.1/6) in viewers (+39%) and young adults (+48%).
“Modern Family” (9:00-9:31 p.m.)
Gaining on its lead-in at 9:00 p.m. to dominate its time period with Adults 18-49 over the MLB Playoffs (+103% – 2.9/8) and CBS’ “Criminal Minds” (+59% – 3.7/9), ABC’s “Modern Family” (5.9/15) qualified as the evening’s No. 1 TV show in the key young adult sales demo (4th week running). The ABC comedy was also Wednesday’s most-watched television show overall (13.7 million) for the 3rd time in 4 weeks.
Opposite the baseball playoffs, “Modern Family” grew 4% over the prior week in Adults 18-49 (2nd-highest-ever regular telecast) and built week to week across a number of key demos, including Total Viewers, AD25-54, AD18-34, W18-49, M18-34 (series high), Teens 12-17 (matching a series high) and Kids 2-11 (surging 50% week to week and hitting a season high).
Growing year to year for the 4th consecutive telecast this season, “Modern Family” improved over its year-ago telecast (11.5 million and 4.8/13) by 19% in viewers and by 23% with young adults.
“Happy Endings” (9:31-10:00 p.m.)
In the 9:30 p.m. half-hour, ABC’s sophomore “Happy Endings” surged to series highs, up nicely week to week with Total Viewers (+9% – 7.3 million vs. 6.7 million) and Adults 18-49 (+14% – 3.2/8 vs. 2.8/7). For the 2nd week in a row, “Happy Endings” ranked No. 1 in its slot with Adults 18-34 and Women 18-34.
“Revenge” (10:00-11:00 p.m.)
Building on its Total Viewer lead-in (+8% – 7.9 million vs. 7.3 million) during the 10 o’clock hour against established dramas on both CBS (“CSI”) and NBC (“L&O: SVU”), ABC’s freshman drama “Revenge” ranked No. 1 in its slot with Adults 18-49 (2.7/7) for the 2nd time in 4 weeks. In addition, “Revenge” was the No. 1 show in the hour for its 4th telecast in a row with Adults 18-34 and Women 18-34, while also leading with Adults 25-54.
The new ABC drama was up week to week in Total Viewers (+3%) and Adults 18-49 (+13%). In addition, “Revenge” surged by 22% week to week with Adults 18-34, hitting its 2nd-highest number to date.
“Revenge” continued to post big time-period increases for ABC, jumping over the year-ago night (“20/20 SP Edition” = 6.1 million and 1.7/5) in viewers (+30%) and young adults (+59%).
Thursday
As “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Private Practice” posted solid gains, ABC was up week to week by 8% in Total Viewers (7.5 million vs. 6.9 million) and by 14% in Adults 18-49 (2.4/7 vs. 2.1/6).
“Grey’s Anatomy” (9:00-10:02 p.m.)
Jumping over its lead-in (+69% in viewers/+177% in young adults) opposite the second hour of “The X Factor,” ABC self-starter “Grey’s Anatomy” surged over the prior week by 1.3 million viewers (10.0 million vs. 8.7 million) and by 16% in Adults 18-49 (3.6/9 vs. 3.1/8). For the 4th straight week this season, “Grey’s” qualified as Thursday’s No. 1 drama in Adults 18-49 and led its scripted competition in the 9 o’clock hour by strong margins, outdelivering CBS’ “Person of Interest” by 29% (2.8/7) and NBC’s comedies (“The Office”/”Whitney”) by a season-best 38% (2.6/7). In addition, the ABC drama ranked No. 1 overall in its time slot across all key Women demos and registered as the night’s No. 1 TV show with Women 18-49 and Women 25-54.
“Private Practice” (10:02-11:00 p.m.)
Rising week to week by 7% in viewers (6.5 million vs. 6.1 million) and by 10% in young adults (2.3/6 vs. 2.1/5), ABC’s “Private Practice” paced well ahead of its NBC drama competition in the 10:00 p.m. hour, widening its advantage over “Prime Suspect” (4.6 million and 1.3/3) week to week to 33% in Total Viewers and 77% in Adults 18-49. For its 3rd straight telecast this season, “Private Practice” stood as the No. 1 drama in the hour with Adults 18-34 and among key Women demos (W18-34/W18-49).
Friday
“Last Man Standing” (8:00-9:00 p.m.)
Just 3 nights after its highly successful series debut on Tuesday at 8:00 p.m., a rebroadcast of ABC’s “Last Man Standing” came in as the 2nd-most-watched TV program (4.7 million) during Friday’s 8 o’clock hour, outdrawing Fox’s original “Kitchen Nightmares” by 1.1 million viewers (3.6 million) and its repeat comedy competition on NBC (“The Office”/”Parks and Recreation”) by 3.0 million viewers (1.7 million).
“20/20” (10:00-11:00 p.m.)
Surging over its lead-in at 10:00 p.m. by 1.7 million viewers (4.8 million vs. 3.1 million) and gaining audience throughout its broadcast, ABC’s “20/20” produced its most-watched telecast in over 2 months and equaled a 13-week high in the key Adult 25-54 news demo – since 8/5/11 and 7/8/11, respectively. “20/20” featured Diane Sawyer’s report, “A Hidden America: Children of the Plains,” which took in-depth look at the young dreamers and survivors of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, fighting against decades of neglect.
Sunday
“America’s Funniest Home Videos” (7:00-8:00 p.m.)
Jumping by over 2.0 million viewers (5.4 million to 7.6 million) and by 58% in Adults 18-49 (1.2/3 to 1.9/5) from its first half-hour to its second half-hour opposite Fox’s enormous NFL overrun (Cowboys-Patriots) during the 7:00 p.m. hour, ABC’s “America’s Funniest Home Videos” was up week to week by 14% in Adults 18-49 (1.6/4 vs. 1.4/4).
“Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” (8:00-9:00 p.m.)
Building sharply on its lead-in at 8:00 p.m. against Fox’s NFL overrun-boosted “The X-Factor” and NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” (Vikings-Bears), ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” posted week-to-week gains with Women 18-34 (+6% – 1.8/5 vs. 1.7/5).
“Desperate Housewives” (9:00-10:01 p.m.)
During the 9 o’clock hour, ABC’s “Desperate Housewives” jumped by 42% over its lead-in (2.7/6 vs. 1.9/5) against “Sunday Night Football” to beat out CBS’ “The Good Wife” (2.1/5) by a wide margin (+29%) for the 4th consecutive telecast in Adults 18-49. In addition, the ABC drama qualified as Sunday’s No. 2 scripted telecast in Adults 18-49 and the night’s top-rated entertainment broadcast with Women 18-49 for the 4th week running.
“Pan Am” (10:01-11:00 p.m.)
During the 10 o’clock hour, ABC’s “Pan Am” finished No. 2 among the broadcast nets to NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” with Women 18-34 (1.8/5), running as Sunday’s top 10:00 p.m. drama for the 4th week in a row. In addition, the new ABC drama showed strong week-to-week retention of its Adult 18-49 audience (95% – 1.8/4 vs. 1.9/5).
WEEK NO. 4: ADULTS 18-49 TOTAL VIEWERS
No.1 FOX 3.0 No.1 CBS 10,620,000
No.2 CBS 2.6 No.2 FOX 9,030,000
No.3 ABC 2.3 No.3 ABC 8,620,000
No.4 NBC 2.1 No.4 NBC 6,370,000
No.5 CW 0.7 No.5 CW 1,720,000
(Source: ABC – The Nielsen Company, National, Live+ Same Day Program Ratings, week of 10/10/11)
