For the 5th Straight Week, ABC is No. 2 in Viewers and No. 1 in Women 18-34.
ABC Claims 4 of the Top 10 TV Shows in Adults 18-49, the Most for Any Net, with “Modern Family,” “DWTS,” “Grey’s” and “Housewives”.
“Modern Family” is the No. 1 Scripted Series for the 3rd Week Running And “DWTS” is the No. 1 Unscripted Show for the 5th Consecutive Week.
ABC Wins Monday Night in Total Viewers for the 5th Consecutive Week.
“Dancing with the Stars” Leads its 2-Hour Time Slot in Viewers and Adults 18-49, Beating CBS’ Comedy Block by 9.2 Million Viewers and by 14% in Young Adults.
ABC’s “Castle” Outdraws CBS’ “Hawaii Five-0” in Viewers for the First Time Ever.
For the 2nd Tuesday in a Row, ABC is the Only Net Up Year to Year in Viewers.
“No Ordinary Family” Takes Second in its Hour with Viewers, Improving its Time Slot on Average by 3.5 Million Viewers and by 59% in Adults 18-49.
“DWTS: The Results” is Up this Season by Wide Margins in Viewers and Adults 18-49.
“Detroit 1-8-7” Builds Week to Week by 13% in Viewers and 6% in Adults 18-49.
ABC’s Wednesday is Up Year to Year for the 3rd Week in a Row, as its 8-10pm Comedy Block Surges Against Post-Season Major League Baseball Competition.
Scoring its Best Results Since its Season Opener, “The Middle” Draws the Series’ 3rd-Largest Audience and Continues to Pace Well Ahead of its Year-Ago Results.
Up Week to Week, “Better with You” Continues to Beat NBC’s “Undercovers”.
Bettering its Year-Ago Results for the 5th Week in a Row, “Modern Family” Generates its 3rd-Biggest Numbers Ever in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49.
ABC’s “Cougar Town” Builds its Overall Audience for the 3rd Consecutive Week.
Surging from its Lead-in, “Grey’s” Wins in Adults 18-49 for the 5th Straight Week.
ABC Hits Season Highs on both Friday and Saturday in Viewers and Adults 18-49.
“America’s Funniest Home Videos” Draws its Largest Audience Since February.
“Home Edition” Produces its Most-Watched Telecast of the Season.
“Housewives” is Sunday’s No. 1 Entertainment Show for the 4th Week in a Row.
WEEK No. 5:
During another week where professional sports coverage boosted the other nets averages (w/o 10/18/10), ABC earned a solid second place in Total Viewers (8.9 million) and finished No. 1 with Women 18-34 (2.4/8) for the 5th time in 5 weeks this season.
ABC drew its biggest weekly audience in since September – since w/o 9/27/10.
Rankings: For the 3rd week in a row, ABC’s “Modern Family” finished as TV’s No. 1 scripted show in Adults 18-49, while for the 5th week running this season “Dancing with the Stars” stood the No. 1 unscripted series. ABC continued to deliver the most Top 10 TV shows (tying CBS) with 4 of the weekly Top 10 in Adults 18-49: “Modern Family” – No. 3, “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Dancing with the Stars” tied at No. 8 and “Desperate Housewives” – No. 10.
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 38% currently, from 33% 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
ABC won Monday night in Total Viewers for the 5th consecutive week. During prime, ABC outperformed CBS by 6.2 million viewers (16.6 million vs. 10.4 million) and by 6% in Adults 18-49 (3.5/9 vs. 3.3/9).
Growing its Monday results year to year for the 5th week in a row, ABC was up over the same night last season by 2.1 million viewers and by 9% in Adults 18-49 (14.5 million and 3.2/8 on 10/19/09).
“Dancing with the Stars” (8:00-10:01 p.m.)
ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” led its 2-hour time period in Total Viewers (19.3 million) and Adults 18-49 (4.0/10), taking the top spot in viewers for the 5th time in as many weeks. “DWTS” defeated CBS’ original comedy block (10.1 million & 3.5/9) by 9.2 million viewers and by 14% in Adults 18-49.
Season to date, “DWTS” is improving substantially over its year-ago averages by 3.3 million viewers (20.7 million vs. 17.4 million) and by 21% among Adults 18-49 (4.6/11 vs. 3.8/9).
“Castle” (10:01-11:00 p.m.)
ABC’s “Castle” outdrew CBS’s high-profile reboot, “Hawaii Five-0,” for the first-time ever in Total Viewers (11.0 million vs. 10.9 million). In addition, “Castle” beat the CBS drama across all key Women demographics (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54) for the 2nd week in a row.
ABC’s “Castle” topped NBC’s “Chase” for the 5th week in a row in both Total Viewers (+112% – 11.0 million vs. 5.2 million) and Adults 18-49 (+56% – 2.5/7 vs. 1.6/4).
“Castle” was up over its performance on the same night last year for the 5th straight telecast, growing by 13% in Total Viewers and by 4% in Adults 18-49 (9.7 million and 2.4/6 on 10/19/09). In fact, compared to the same point last season, “Castle” is up by 1.4 million viewers (11.8 million vs. 10.4 million) and by 11% in Adults 18-49 (3.0/8 vs. 2.7/7).
Tuesday
With its new Tuesday schedule, ABC took second on the night in both Total Viewers (10.3 million) and Adults 18-49 (2.4/7), turning in the Net’s most competitive Tuesday finish this season in the key
young adult sales demo. For the 4th straight week, ABC built on the same night last year (10/20/09) in Total Viewers by nearly 1.0 million viewers (10.3 million vs. 9.4 million). In fact, for the second straight week, ABC was the only net to see its Total Viewer count on the night improve year to year.
“No Ordinary Family” (8:00-9:00 p.m.)
In the Tuesday 8 o’clock hour, ABC’s “No Ordinary Family” (7.4 million) placed second in its time period in Total Viewers, beating NBC’s “The Biggest Loser” (6.8 million) and Fox’s rebroadcast “Glee” (5.7 million). Building audience in the opening hour of the evening, “No Ordinary Family” increased in Total Viewers (+3% – 7.3 million to 7.5 million) and Adults 18-49 (+10% – 2.1/6 to 2.3/6) from its first half-hour to its second half-hour.
Growing its time slot by wide margins year to year on all 4 of its telecasts, on average “No Ordinary Family” is improving the hour for ABC by 3.5 million viewers (9.0 million vs. 5.5 million) and by 59% in Adults 18-49 (2.7/8 vs. 1.7/5) from the same point last season.
“Dancing with the Stars: The Results Show” (9:00-10:01 p.m.)
Building on its lead-in and picking up audience throughout its telecast, ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars: The Results” finished second in its hour among Total Viewers (15.5 million). The ABC dance competition ranked No. 1 in its slot across all key Women demos (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54). “DWTS: The Results” held solid advantages over its unscripted competition in the time period, beating “The Biggest Loser” by 8.0 million viewers (15.5 million vs. 7.3 million and by 15% in Adults 18-49 (3.2/8 vs. 2.7/7). Television icon Florence Henderson was the fifth celebrity eliminated from the dance competition this season.
The ABC dancing results show continues to trend ahead of its year-ago performance, up on average this season by 3.3 million viewers (17.1 million vs. 13.8 million) and by 23% in Adults 18-49 (3.7/10 vs. 3.0/8) from the same point a year ago.
“Detroit 1-8-7” (10:01-11:00 p.m.)
ABC’s “Detroit 1-8-7” saw increases of 13% in Total Viewers (7.9 million vs. 7.0 million) and 6% in Adults 18-49 (1.8/5 vs. 1.7/5) over its week-ago performance. The freshman ABC drama was once again the 2nd-most-watched TV show in the 10 o’clock hour, outdrawing NBC’s sophomore drama, “Parenthood,” for the 5th straight week (+3.0 million viewer advantage – 8.3 million vs. 4.9 million).
Wednesday
Exhibiting year-to-year improvement on Wednesday for the 3rd consecutive week (despite facing an MLB Playoff game this year), ABC was up over the year-ago night (10/21/09) by 1.0 million viewers (7.3 million vs. 6.3 million) and by 14% in Adults 18-49 (2.5/7 vs. 2.2/6). It was the Net’s 3rd time in 3 nights this week to build its overall audience from the same night last year.
In addition, ABC’s 8:00-10:00 p.m. comedy block surged over the same night last year by 1.6 million viewers (8.7 million vs. 7.1 million) and by 24% in Adults 18-49 (3.1/9 vs. 2.5/7).
“The Middle” (8:00-8:30 p.m.)
Scoring its best results since its season opener (on 9/22/10), ABC’s “The Middle” continued to rank as the 2nd-most-watched TV series in the 8:00 p.m. half-hour to CBS’ “Survivor: Nicaragua,” beating NBC’s “Undercovers” by 2.8 million viewers (8.5 million vs. 5.7 million) and by 73% in Adults 18-49 (2.6/8 vs. 1.5/5).
The sophomore comedy greatly improved its time-period for ABC from the same night last year in viewers (+2.7 million) and young adults (+73%). On average this season, “The Middle” is up from its own performance at this point last year (when it had the added advantage of airing at 8:30 p.m., with higher overall viewing levels) in both Total Viewers (+16%) and Adults 18-49 (+17%).
Despite facing Fox’s post-season Major League Baseball Game, “The Middle” produced its 3rd-most-watched telecast ever, behind only its two season premieres.
“Better with You” (8:30-9:30 p.m.)
Building its overall audience week to week against the baseball game, “Better with You” continued to dominate its freshman competition in the half-hour among Adults 18-49, beating NBC’s “Undercovers” by 11% in Total Viewers (6.9 million vs. 6.1 million) and by 31% in Adults 18-49 (2.1/6 vs. 1.6/5).
The freshman comedy improved its half-hour year to year for ABC in both Total Viewers (+5%) and Adults 18-49 (+5%).
“Modern Family” (9:00-9:31 p.m.)
Standing as Wednesday’s dominant No. 1 TV show for the 5th week running this season, ABC’s “Modern Family” jumped into the lead at 9:00 p.m., besting second-place CBS’ “Criminal Minds” by 34% in Adults 18-49 (4.7/13 vs. 3.5/10).
“Modern Family” outdelivered its year-ago performance for the 5th week in a row this season. On average in its sophomore season, “Modern Family’s” numbers are up over the same point last year by 2.8 million viewers and by 37% in Adults 18-49.
“Modern Family” posted the series’ 3rd-highest-ever numbers in viewers (12.0 million) and young adults (4.7/13).
“Cougar Town” (9:31-10:00 p.m.)
Building its overall audience for the 3rd week in a row at 9:30pm, ABC’s “Cougar Town” attracted its biggest audience (7.4 million) since its season opener and generated its 2nd-most-watched telecast since January – since 1/20/10.
The ABC comedy won its half-hour with Women 18-34 for the 3rd week in a row and finished No. 1 in Adults 18-34 for the 2nd week running.
“The Whole Truth” (10:00-11:00 p.m.)
On its return to the 10 o’clock hour, after being pre-empted for an ABC News special the previous week, ABC’s “The Whole Truth” matched the series’ 2nd-highest number with Adults 18-49 (1.3/4).
Thursday
Up against MLB Playoffs during primetime on Fox, ABC stood as the No. 1 non-sports Net on Thursday for the 5th week in a row this season with Adults 18-34 (2.3/7) and No. 1 overall with key Women demos: W18-34 (3.7/11) and W18-49 (4.0/11).
“Grey’s Anatomy” (9:00-10:01 p.m.)
Surging from its lead-in (+156% in Viewers/+233% in Adults 18-49), ABC self-starter “Grey’s Anatomy” shot to the top of Thursday’s 9 o’clock hour to lead its time period for the 5th consecutive week in Adults 18-49. In its time period, “Grey’s” (4.0/11) bettered Fox’s “2010 National League Championship Series – Game 5” by +14% (3.5/10), CBS’ “CSI” by +18% (3.4/9) and NBC’s comedies by +38% (“The Office”/”Outsourced” – 2.9/8).
“Private Practice” (10:01-11:00 p.m.)
In the 10 o’clock hour, ABC’s “Private Practice” stood as the No. 2 series in viewers to CBS’ “The Mentalist,” beating out NBC’s “The Apprentice” by 4.1 million viewers (7.7 million vs. 3.6 million) and by 108% in Adults 18-49 (2.7/8 vs. 1.3/4). For the 5th week in a row, “Private Practice” dominated “The Mentalist” with Adults 18-34, outdelivering the CBS drama by 22% (2.2/7 vs. 1.8/6).
Friday
Delivering its best numbers on the night this season, ABC placed second against its network rivals on Friday in Total Viewers (4.3 million) and Adults 18-49 (1.2/4-tie), outdelivering NBC (+8% and +33% – 4.0 million and 0.9/3, respectively) and Fox (+79% and +71% – 2.4 million and 0.7/2, respectively).
“Primetime: What Would You Do?” (9:00-10:00 p.m.)
Building on its lead-in (+7% in viewers/+44% in AD18-49), ABC’s rebroadcast “Primetime: What Would You Do?” posted week-to-week increases for the net in the 9 o’clock hour, its 2nd straight week of gains in both Total Viewers (4.1 million) and Adults 18-49 (1.3/4).
“Primetime: What Would You Do?” outperformed the first hour of NBC’s “Dateline” by 44% in Adults 18-49 (1.3/4 vs. 0.9/2) and by 22% in Adults 25-54 (1.6/4 vs. 1.3/4).
“20/20” (10:00-11:00 p.m.)
ABC’s 20/20 finished as the No. 2 program in the 10 o’clock hour, defeating the second hour of NBC’s “Dateline” by 4% in Total Viewers (5.2 million vs. 5.0 million), by 25% in Adults 18-49 (1.5/5 vs. 1.2/4) and by 12% in Adults 25-54 (1.9/6 vs. 1.7/5). “20/20” featured a Brian Ross investigation of American fugitives accused of using new technology to scam thousands of senior citizens.
Saturday
Despite going up against Fox’s post-season baseball coverage during primetime (“MLB NLCS Game 6”), ABC’s “Saturday Night Football,” featuring Oklahoma at Missouri, drove the Network to season-highs on the night in Total Viewers (6.5 million) and Adults 18-49 (2.2/7).
Sunday
Opposite sports-driven competition on the night on CBS (NFL overrun) and NBC (“Sunday Night Football”), ABC saw its overall audience (9.3 million) grow over the previous week for the 2nd week in a row.
“America’s Funniest Home Videos” (7:00-8:00 p.m.)
At 7:00 p.m., ABC’s “America’s Funniest Home Videos” hit a season-high in Total Viewers (7.6 million), drawing the show’s largest audience since February – since 2/28/10.
“Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” (8:00-9:00 p.m.)
Building on the previous week in both Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” attracted its largest audience (9.0 million) of the season and saw its best young adult (2.4/6) performance in 3 weeks – since 10/3/10.
“Desperate Housewives” (9:00-10:01 p.m.)
Against another big “Sunday Night Football” match-up on NBC (Minnesota Vikings-Green Bay Packers), ABC’s “Desperate Housewives” registered as Sunday’s No. 1 entertainment TV show among Adults 18-49 (3.9/9) for the 4th week in a row. “Housewives” also finished No. 1 against its non-sports competition in its 9 o’clock time slot in viewers (12.2 million) and young adults (3.9/9) for the 3rd week in a row.
“Brothers & Sisters” (10:01-11:00 p.m.)
Opposite the conclusion of the strong NFL game on NBC, ABC’s “Brothers & Sisters” outperformed its CBS competition (“Undercover Boss”/”CSI: Miami” combo) by solid margins across each of the key Women demographics: Women 18-34 (2.6/7 vs. 2.4/7), Women 18-49 (3.7/10 vs. 3.2/8) and Women 25-54 (4.7/11 vs. 4.0/10).
WEEK NO. 5: ADULTS 18-49 TOTAL VIEWERS
No.1 CBS 2.9 No.1 CBS 11,560,000
No.2 NBC 2.7 No.2 ABC 8,860,000
No.3 ABC 2.5 No.3 NBC 8,010,000
No.4 FOX 2.4 No.4 FOX 7,500,000
No.5 CW 0.9 No.5 CW 2,140,000
(Source: ABC – The Nielsen Company (National, Live+ Same Day Program Ratings), week of 10/18/10, unless stated otherwise)
