Overall: During the week of 10/17/11, ABC finished #2 in Adults 18-34 and ranked #1 with Women 18-49 for the 2nd week in a row. ABC aired 6 of the week’s Top 20 non-sports programs in Adults 18-49, and for the first time ever Modern Family emerged as the #1 TV show overall in the key young adult sales demo: Modern Family – #1 TV show, Once Upon a Time – #6 (TV’s #1 drama), Grey’s Anatomy – #12, DWTS – #16, while Last Man Standing and Suburgatory tied at #18. The Net claimed 4 of the week’s Top 15 most-watched TV shows overall, delivering the Top 2 unscripted telecasts with Dancing and the most-watched new show with Once Upon a Time: DWTS – #2, DWTS: The Results – #10, Modern Family – #12 and Once Upon a Time – #13. For the 5th consecutive week this season, ABC generated increasing year-over-year returns during the 10 o’clock hour. On Monday-Friday from 10-11pm as a lead-in to affiliates’ late-local news, ABC produced double-digit percentage gains over the year-ago week with Total Viewers (+18%), Adults 18-49 (+15%) and Adults 25-54 (+12%). ABC was the only net to demonstrate an increase in the hour on any of the three Nielsen measures. Building its primetime numbers for the 2nd week running with viewers and young adults, ABC drew its largest audience and equaled its top Adult 18-49 rating in 4 weeks – since season-premiere week – w/o 9/19/11.
Monday: Featuring Dancing with the Stars and Castle, ABC once again qualified as Monday’s most-watched TV network, topping CBS by a season-best 3.9 million viewers (HIMYM/2 Broke Girls/Two and a Half Men/Mike & Molly/Hawaii Five-0), Fox by 7.3 million viewers (Terra Nova/House) and NBC by 11.8 million viewers (The Sing Off/Prime Suspect). Among Adults 18-49, ABC beat out Fox’s line up by 3% and NBC’s line up by 138%. ABC stood as Monday’s #1 net in Total Viewers for the 5th week in a row. ABC grew week to week in viewers (+7%) and young adults (+15%), generating its largest audience on the night since season-premiere Monday (on 9/19/11). Picking up audience throughout its telecast against CBS’ Two and a Half Men- led comedy block, Dancing with the Stars made ABC the top draw overall in its time slot for the 5th straight week, while finishing #2 in Adults 18-49 with a 10% advantage over Fox’s dramas and doubling NBC’s The Sing Off (+106%). ABC’s Dancing stood as Monday’s most-watched TV show for the 2nd week in a row. Building its viewer count for the 2nd week in a row (+6%) and gaining week to week with Adults 18-49 (+10%), DWTS generated its most-watched telecast in 4 weeks – since its season opener. For the 5th week running this season, ABC’s Castle registered as the most-watched scripted show in Monday’s 10 o’clock hour. In addition, ABC’s Castle was the evening’s most-watched drama telecast overall, pacing ahead of CBS’ Hawaii Five-0, Fox’s House and Fox’s Terra Nova. Building week to week in Total Viewers (+9% ) and Adults 18-49 (+19%), Castle marked its strongest results in 3 weeks – since 9/26/11. Castle rose over its year-ago telecast, increasing its overall audience year to year for the 4th time in 5 tries this season.
Tuesday: With its line-up of Last Man Standing, Man Up!, DWTS: The Results and Body of Proof, ABC finished as the 2nd-most-watched TV network overall to CBS on Tuesday, topping Fox (with a special 2-hour The X Factor) and more than doubling NBC’s audience on the evening (+110% over 2-hour The Biggest Loser 12/Parenthood). In addition among Adults 18-49, ABC outdelivered NBC by 26%. The Network hit its 2nd-highest-rated Tuesday this season among Adults 18-49 and Adults 18-34. Exhibiting strong retention of its premiere delivery in the half-hour the prior week at 8pm against NCIS and X Factor, ABC’s Last Man Standing ranked #2 in its slot with Total Viewers and Adults 18-34, while running #1 with hard-to-reach Men 18-34. Versus its big series debut performance in the half-hour the prior week, Last Man Standing retained 91% of its premiere Adult 18-49 audience, 96% in Adults 18-34 and actually grew +5% with Men 18-34. Last Man Standing boosted its slot for ABC by double-digit percentages over the same night last year with Total Viewers (+41%) and Adults 18-49 (+41%). At 8:30pm against stiff competition from the second half-hours of CBS’ top-rated NCIS and Fox’s The X Factor, the series debut of ABC’s Man Up! defeated NBC’s time-period established The Biggest Loser by wide margins in Total Viewers (+53%) and Adults 18-49 (+26%). Man Up! showed solid retention of its Last Man Standing lead-in among key young adult demos: W18-49 (80%), M18-49 (81%) and AD18-34 (83%). Man Up! improved its half-hour year to year for ABC across key demos: Total Viewers (+3%), Adults 18-49 (+4%), Adults 18-34 (+19%) and Men 18-34 (+21%). Building on its lead-in at 9pm, ABC’s Dancing with the Stars: The Results ran as the 2nd-most-watched TV show in its hour, outpacing Fox’s X Factor by 3.3 million viewers and NBC’s The Biggest Loser by 8.5 million viewers. The ABC dancing results show also held the #2 position in the hour among key Women (W18-34/W18-49) and beat out the second hour of NBC’s Biggest Loser by 30% in Adults 18-49. Reality television star and fashion expert Carson Kressley was the fifth celebrity contestant to be eliminated from the ABC dance competition this season. For the 5th week in a row this season, ABC’s Body of Proof ranked as the 2nd-most-watched TV show overall in Tuesday’s 10 o’clock hour, beating NBC’s Parenthood by a margin of 4.3 million viewers. Body of Proof was up over the prior week in viewers (+3%) and young adults (+6%). Continuing to deliver much stronger lead-in retention for ABC in the hour year over year, Body of Proof grew its time period over the year-ago evening by 1.4 million viewers and by 6% in Adults 18-49.
Wednesday: Opposite the 2011 World Series Game 1 on Fox, ABC finished #2 on Wednesday night among Adults 18-49, while ranking #1 across all key Women demos (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54). For the 4th straight week this season, as Modern Family outdelivered the World Series, ABC aired Wednesday’s #1 TV show. In fact it was the 2nd year in a row for the ABC hit comedy to beat out Game 1 of the World Series in the key young adult sales demo. The Net continued to produce improved year-over-year returns on the evening, jumping over the year-ago Wednesday in viewers (+23%) and young adults (+32%) for the 5th consecutive week this season. At 8pm, ABC’s The Middle dominated its comedy competition in the half-hour, defeating NBC’s Up All Night by 3.5 million viewers and by 43% in Adults 18-49. In addition, The Middle won its half-hour over the World Series with Women 18-49, while qualifying as the #2 regular program in its slot with Adults 18-34 and Men 18-34. The ABC comedy once again registered as the time slot’s top-rated broadcast series with Teens 12-17. Opposite World Series competition, The Middle grew week to week with Total Viewers, Adults 18-49 (3rd straight week of growth), Adults 25-54, Women 18-49 (season high) and Women 25-54 (season high). Rising over its year-ago performance for the 5th straight broadcast this season, The Middle grew over the same night last year by 7% in viewers and by 15% in young adults. Increasing from its Adult 18-49 lead-in for the 4th time in as many telecasts at 8:30pm, ABC’s Suburgatory topped the World Series in the half-hour with key Women (W18-49/W25-54) and beat its CBS and NBC competition with Adults 18-34. Despite facing the Fall Classic, Suburgatory held 100% of its Adult 18-49 audience week to week, while hitting series highs across all key Men (M18-34/M18-49/M25-54). Suburgatory once again generated substantial improvement for the Net over the year-ago time period occupant (Better with You) in viewers (+29%) and young adults (+48%). Building on its lead-in at 9pm to take first place in its slot with Adults 18-49 over the World Series (+36%) and CBS’ Criminal Minds (+50%), ABC’s Modern Family registered as the evening’s #1 TV program for the 5th week running this season. In fact the ABC comedy won its slot over the World Series across all key Adult demos (AD18-34/AD18-49/AD25-54). Up year to year for the 5th consecutive telecast this season, Modern Family improved over its year-ago telecast by 8% in viewers and by 21% with young adults. In the 9:30pm half-hour, ABC’s sophomore Happy Endings stood as the #1 series in its slot for the 3rd week running in Adults 18-34 and Women 18-34. The ABC comedy was also the highest-rated series in its time period with hard-to-reach Men 18-34. ABC’s Happy Endings hit series highs across all key Men demographics (M18-34/M18-49/M25-54). Once again gaining on its Total Viewer lead-in (+1.1 million) during the 10 o’clock hour against established dramas on both CBS (CSI) and NBC (L&O: SVU), ABC’s freshman drama Revenge ran neck-and-neck with CSI among Adults 18-49 (pacing within 1-tenth of a rating point and tied in audience share) and easily beat out Law & Order: SVU (+14%). In addition, Revenge was the #1 series in the hour for its 5th consecutive airing with Adults 18-34 and Women 18-34, while winning its hour outright over the World Series with Women 18-49 and Women 25-54. For the new series’ 5th straight telecast, Revenge produced enormous time-period improvement for ABC, surging over the year-ago night in viewers (+78%) and young adults (+92%). In fact, Revenge stands as ABC’s most-watched series in Wednesday’s 10 o’clock hour in more than 4 years – since Lost during the 2006-07 TV Season.
Thursday: Tripling its lead-in (+200%) at 9pm opposite Fox’s 2011 World Series Game 2, ABC self-starter Grey’s Anatomy stood as Thursday’s #1 drama in Adults 18-49 for the 5th week running this season. Leading its first-run non-sports competition in the 9 o’clock hour by wide margins with young adults, Grey’s beat out CBS’ Person of Interest by 33%. In addition, the ABC drama dominated its time slot over the World Series across all key Women measures (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54). Grey’s qualified as Thursday’s #1 TV show overall with Women 18-49 for the 4th time in 5 weeks this season. Despite facing the World Series, Grey’s held 100% of its Adult 18-49 audience week to week, while growing among Adults 25-54 to post best-since-premiere number. In addition, the ABC drama increased over the prior week across all key Men: M18-34 (+8%), M18-49 (+13%) and M25-54 (+5%). ABC’s Private Practice ran neck-and-neck with CBS’ The Mentalist for the drama lead in the 10 o’clock hour among Adults 18-49. Beating The Mentalist, Private Practice registered as the #1 drama in the hour for the 4th straight week with Adults 18-34 and among key Women (W18-34/W18-49). Up against the Fall Classic, Private Practice marked its highest ratings since its season opener with Adult 25-54 and key Women demos (W18-34/W18-49).
Friday: With the premiere of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition in its new Friday 8-9pm time period, followed by a second episode of Home Edition leading into 20/20, ABC ranked #1 on Friday in Adults 18-49, equaling a 10-month high on the night in the key young adult sales demo – best since 12/31/10. From 8-9pm on its new night, ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition opened as the 2nd-most-watched TV show, outdrawing its established unscripted competition in the hour by 1.6 million viewers (Fox’s Kitchen Nightmares). Home Edition drew ABC’s biggest audience in the hour since April – since 4/15/11. Building sharply on its lead-in at 9pm (+42%), a second episode of Home Edition ran neck-and-neck for #1 with CBS’ CSI: NY in the hour among Adults 18-49 (pacing within 1-tenth of a rating point of the lead). Drawing a younger audience, ABC’s Home Edition beat out CSI: NY by 44% with Adults 18-34. Home Edition marked ABC’s highest Adult 18-49 rating in the hour in 9 months, equaling the net’s top number since last November – since 11/12/10. At 10pm, ABC’s 20/20 jumped over its lead-in to rank #1 in its time period with Adults 18-49 and Adults 25-54, standing as Friday’s highest-rated TV show in the key young adult sales demo. 20/20 featured Chris Cuomo’s exclusive interview with Bernie Madoff’s daughter-in-law, Stephanie Madoff Mack, about the largest financial scandal in American history, plus Barbara Walters’ exclusive sit-down interview with Mariah Carey and husband Nick Cannon discussing intimate details of their struggle to conceive, Mariah’s high-risk pregnancy, parenthood and the unique dynamic of their marriage. Posting its top results in well over 1-1/2 years, ABC’s 20/20 drew its biggest audience on the night since February 2010 and tied its highest Adult 18-49 rating since January 2010 – since 2/5/10 and 1/8/10, respectively.
Sunday: Opposite big sports competition from Fox’s World Series Game 4 (as well as an NFL overrun) and NBC’s Sunday Night Football, ABC’s Adult 18-49 audience surged by 30% week to week, hitting a season-high and equaling its top-rated Sunday in more than 7 months – since 3/6/11. During the 7pm hour, ABC’s America’s Funniest Home Videos drew its 2nd-largest audience of the season and achieved season highs with key Women (W18-34/W18-49). More than doubling its Adult 18-49 lead-in at 8pm (+167%) and gaining audience throughout its premiere against the World Series and Sunday Night Football, ABC’s series debut of Once Upon a Time opened with an average audience of 12.9 million viewers and 4.0/10 in Adults 18-49, standing as Sunday’s #1 non-sports program. ABC’s Once Upon a Time opened as TV’s #1 drama debut this season in Adults 18-49 and as the top-rated in more than 1 year – since 9/20/10. In fact, ABC claims the season’s Top 2 drama debuts with Once Upon a Time and Revenge, respectively. Once Upon a Time drew ABC’s biggest audience in the time period with regular programming in over 3-1/2 years and its top Adult 18-49 number in nearly 3-1/2 years – since 3/30/08 and 5/11/08, respectively. In Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, Once Upon a Time stands as Sunday’s biggest non-NFL-driven drama opening in 5 years – since ABC’s Brothers & Sisters on 9/24/06. Gaining 11% week to week, ABC’s Desperate Housewives defeated CBS’ The Good Wife by a best-yet 50% in Adults 18-49, dominating the CBS drama for the 5th straight telecast this season. Housewives stood as Sunday’s #2 broadcast series with young adults, behind only Once Upon a Time. Marking its 2nd-highest-numbers this season, ABC’s Desperate Housewives rose by double-digit percentages over the prior week in Total Viewers (+11%) and Adults 18-49 (+11%). During the 10 o’clock hour, ABC’s Pan Am qualified as the #1 drama with Adults 18-34 and Women 18-34, registering as the hour’s top-drama for the 5th week in a row on the latter measure. The new ABC drama retained 100% of it Adult 18-49 audience week to week, while growing by 8% in Adults 18-34 and by 6% in Women 18-34.
(source; ABC)
