Overall: During the week of 8/1/11, ABC finished in a virtual tie for #1 among Adults 18-49 with Fox (pacing within 1-tenth of a rating point and tied in audience share).
Additionally, the Net ranked #1 with Adults 25-54 and won the week with key Women. ABC claimed 5 of the week’s Top 20 TV shows among Adults 18-49: The Bachelorette and The Bachelorette: After the Final Rose tied at #5, Wipeout-TUES and Wipeout-THURS tied at #16 and Take the Money & Run – #20. The Net aired 2 of the Top 5 most-watched shows overall with The Bachelorette (#3) and The Bachelorette: After the Finale Rose (#5).
ABC delivered the #1 newsmagazine for the 6th time in 7 weeks in Adults 18-49, as Primetime Nightline: Beyond Belief and 20/20 tied for the top position. Growing week to week in viewers (+9%) and young adults (+8%), ABC drew its biggest audience in 4 weeks and equaled its highest-rated non-sports week this summer in Adults 18-49. In addition, ABC was up the most over the prior week in Total Viewers, and the only broadcaster to grow in Adults 18-49.
Monday: With strong turnouts for the season closer of The Bachelorette and The Bachelorette: After the Final Rose special, ABC delivered a definitive victory on Monday night, beating its second-place Fox by 4.0 million viewers and by 17% among Adults 18-49. In fact, the Net ranked #1 all 6 half-hours on Monday evening with viewers and young adults.
ABC has registered as the most-watched television network on every regular Monday of Summer 2011 (excluding only July 4th), holding the top position on 20 of the past 21 weeks. ABC scored Monday summer-highs in both Total Viewers and Adults 18-49. On its 7th-season finale, ABC’s The Bachelorette once again rose to the top of its 2-hour time period, leading its nearest competitor (Fox) by 4.3 million viewers and by 17% in Adults 18-49. Building by 18% in Total Viewers and by 32% in Adults 18-49 from start to finish, The Bachelorette attracted 10.7 million viewers during its final half-hour as Ashley picked J.P. Rosenbaum and then accepted his marriage proposal.
The Bachelorette qualified as Monday’s most-watched TV show on every original telecast this summer. Building its numbers for the 2nd week in a row, The Bachelorette produced its most-watched telecast this season. Drawing an average audience of 9.0 million viewers and a 2.9 rating, 8 share in Adults 18-49 during its seventh season, ABC’s The Bachelorette generated the series’ 2nd-strongest Summer edition ever. Towering over the 10 o’clock hour, ABC’s The Bachelorette: After the Final Rose beat its combined CBS and NBC competition in the time period by wide margins in both Total Viewers (+22%) and Adults 18-49 (+75%). ABC’s After the Final Rose special built on its lead-in to stand as Monday’s #1 TV program in Adults 18-49. Posting summer-highs, The Bachelorette: After the Final Rose generated the Network’s strongest summer performance in the hour in 1 year – since 8/2/10.
Tuesday: Featuring the series premiere of Take the Money & Run at 9pm, ABC surged over the prior week by 18% in Total Viewers and by 33% in Adults 18-49. The Net attracted its largest overall Tuesday audience in 6 weeks (since 6/21/11) and tied its best non-sports young adult number this summer.
At 8pm, ABC’s Wipeout earned second place in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, while ranking as the #1 broadcast program in the slot with Teens 12-17 and Kids 2-11. Opposite its unscripted competition in the hour, Wipeout drew a larger overall audience than Fox’s Hell’s Kitchen and outdelivered NBC’s It’s Worth What? by 67% in Adults 18-49. Building nicely over its last original airing (on 6/28/11) in viewers (+18%) and young adults (+11%), Wipeout scored summer highs in the time period on both Nielsen measures.
Against established unscripted competition from 9-10pm on NBC (opening hour of America’s Got Talent) and Fox (Masterchef), ABC’s Take the Money & Run debuted with impressive lead-in retention, holding 95% of Wipeout’s Adult 18-49 audience, 100% in Adults 18-34 and building by 7% in Men 18-34. Boosting the hour week to week in Total Viewers (+20%) and Adults 18-49 (+36%), Take the Money & Run produced ABC’s largest audience in the hour in 5 weeks (since 6/28/11) and equaled the Net’s highest young adult rating with a series in the time slot this summer. Up against the final hour of America’s Got Talent at 10pm, ABC’s Combat Hospital grew week to week in Adults 18-49 (+11%) and Adults 25-54 (+9%), tying the series’ best results in five and four weeks, respectively – since 6/28/11 and 7/5/11.
Wednesday: With 4 comedy repeats leading into Primetime Nightline: Beyond Belief, ABC surged week to week by 22% in Total Viewers and by 18% in Adults 18-49, producing its 2nd-most-watched Wednesday night this summer and equaling its highest young adult number since mid-June – since 6/15/11.
In addition, the Net soared over the same Wednesday last year (8/4/10) by 18% in viewers and by 18% in young adults. At 8 o’clock, ABC’s replay The Middle grew over the prior week’s repeat by 10% in Total Viewers and by 33% in Adults 18-49, generating the Net’s largest audience in the half-hour in 8 weeks (since 6/8/11) and 2nd-best young adult rating of the summer. In fact, The Middle produced its best repeat performance in Adults 18-49 in any time period since the beginning of June (6/1/11).
The ABC sophomore comedy was up over its year-ago rebroadcast in the time slot by 5% in viewers and by 20% in young adults. Growing over the prior week’s encore by 10% in Total Viewers and by 17% in Adults 18-49, ABC’s replay Modern Family at 8:30pm posted the Net’s 2nd-best numbers in the half-hour this summer. At 9:00pm, ABC’s repeat Modern Family defeated CBS’ replay Criminal Minds in the half-hour by 15% in Adults 18-49 and qualified as Wednesday’s #1 scripted show on the major nets in young adults.
The ABC comedy gained 7% week to week in Adults 18-49 to match the series’ best repeat performance in the time slot in 5 weeks – since 6/29/11. At 10 o’clock, ABC’s Primetime Nightline: Beyond Belief improved on the previous week’s performance in the hour by 2.0 million Viewers, by 30% in Adults 18-49 and by 31% in Adults 25-54. On average this summer to date, Primetime Nightline is improving ABC’s performance in the hour by 15% in Total Viewers, by 22% in Adults 18-49 and by 23% in Adults 25-54 over the comparable nights last year.
Thursday: ABC ranked as the 2nd-most-watched network on Thursday to a Big Brother-driven CBS, outdelivering Fox by 1.6 million viewers and by 33% with young adults. ABC’s Wipeout qualified as the most-watched TV show in Thursday’s 8 o’clock hour for the 7th consecutive week and led its slot in Adults 18-49 for the 6th time in 7 weeks, defeating its unscripted time period competition on Fox (So You Think You Can Dance) by 1.2 million viewers and by 18% in young adults.
The wide-appealing ABC unscripted series stood as Thursday’s highest-rated broadcast show in Teens 12-17 and Kids 2-11 for the 6th week running. From 9-10pm, ABC’s freshman Expedition Impossible earned second among the major nets in the hour to CBS’ veteran Big Brother 13 in both Total Viewers and Adults 18-49. Building by 13% week to week, Expedition Impossible hit its highest Men 25-54 number in 5 weeks – since 6/30/11. ABC’s Rookie Blue registered as the #1 broadcast series in 10 o’clock hour among Adults 18-49 for the 6th time in 7 telecasts this summer. Rookie Blue continued to improve its time period for ABC year to year, up over original programming on the year-ago evening in viewers (+11%) and young adults (+8%).
Friday: ABC ranked #1 on Friday among the major nets in Adults 18-49 for the 5th straight week, defeating CBS and NBC by 10% and Fox by 57%. During the 10 o’clock hour, ABC’s 20/20 saw week-to-week increases of 9% in Total Viewers, 8% in Adults 18-49 and 6% in Adults 25-54, hitting a 5-week-high in each of the key target demos (since w/o 6/15/11). 20/20 featured Elizabeth Vargas’ eye-opening report on the children of hoarders. 20/20 stood as Friday’s #1 TV program in the key Adults 25-54 news demo.
Saturday: With the rebroadcast of Harry Potter & The Goblet of Fire from 8-11pm, ABC ran as the #1 network on Saturday night in Adults 18-49, beating both CBS and NBC by 33%. The Net also qualified as the night’s top-rated broadcaster in Teens 12-17 and Kids 2-11 for the 3rd week in a row. It was ABC’s 2nd win on the night in 3 weeks in young adults.
Sunday: ABC’s repeat America’s Funniest Home Videos finished #1 in Sunday’s 7 o’clock hour among Adults 18-49 for the 4th straight telecast, defeating CBS’ repeat 60 Minutes by 8%, Fox’s replay animated comedies by 44% (American Dad/Family Guy) and NBC’s Dateline by 160%. America’s Funniest Home Videos drew its 2nd-largest audience this summer and hit a summer-high with Adults 18-49. From 9-10pm, a repeat telecast of the series premiere for Take the Money & Run posted ABC’s highest Adult 18-49 rating in the hour this summer with regular programming.
(source: ABC)
