Primetime Ratings Report
For the week of October 27, 2008
(Based on National Live + Same Day Program Ratings)
Growing in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49 for the 2nd Consecutive Frame,
ABC Turns in its Strongest Results in 5 Weeks, Since Season-Premiere Week
ABC Takes a Strong Second for the Week in Viewers and Young Adults,
While Ranking No. 1 for the 6th Straight Week This Season with Key Women
ABC Claims 6 of the Week's Top 20 TV Shows in Adults 18-49
And Places 4 of the Top 10 Most Watched Programs Overall
"Dancing with the Stars" Is Monday's Most-Watched TV Program for the 6th Consecutive Week, Posting Multi-Week Highs in Viewers and Young Adults
"Samantha Who?" Is Up Week to Week in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49,
While Leading its Half-Hour for the 3rd Consecutive Week in Key Women
With its Largest Audience in 3 Weeks, "Boston Legal" Tops NBC's "My Own
Worst Enemy" for the 3rd Straight Week and by a Season-Best 3.3 Million Viewers
ABC's Tuesday Airing of "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" Qualifies as Broadcast TV's Highest-Rated Scripted Telecast Among Kids in Nearly 1 Year
"Dancing with the Stars Results" Hits Season Highs for the 2nd Straight Week
Achieving Season Highs, "Pushing Daisies" Sees its Numbers Jump by
1 Million Viewers and by 21% Among Adults 18-49 Over the Prior Week
"Private Practice" Beats "Criminal Minds" in Adults 18-34 for the 4th Week in a Row, Standing as Wednesday's No. 1 TV Series in Women 18-34 for the 4th Week Running
Growing Week to Week, ABC's "Dirty Sexy Money" Tops NBC's "Lipstick Jungle"
In Wednesday's 10pm Hour for the 4th Straight Week in Viewers and Adults 18-49
ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" Stands as Thursday's No. 1 Program Among Adults 18-49 and Draws its Largest Audience Since its Season Premiere
Posting Gains Over the Prior Week in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49,
ABC's "Life on Mars" Posts Best-Since-Premiere Performance Among Young Adults
ABC Wins Saturday Night with its Best Viewer and Adult Numbers of the Season, as
"Saturday Night Football" Scores the Franchise's Biggest Audience in Nearly 2 Years
"Desperate Housewives" is Sunday's Most-Watched Series for 5th Time in 6 Weeks
WEEK No. 6:
During the week (w/o 10/27/08), ABC earned a strong second place in viewers (10.1 million) and young adults [AD18-34 (2.4/7)/AD18-49 (3.1/8)], while ranking No. 1 in Adults 25-54 (3.0/9 - 3-way tie with CBS and Fox). Taking second to a sports-fueled Fox in Adults 18-49, which benefited from 2 nights of World Series coverage and another big NFL overrun on Sunday, ABC defeated CBS and NBC by 11% in the key young adult sales demo (CBS and NBC tied with a 2.8 rating). For the 6th consecutive week this season, ABC stood as the No. 1 network among Women 18-34 (3.0/9) and Women 18-49 (3.8/10).
� Growing its numbers for the 2nd straight frame in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, ABC posted its strongest results in 5 weeks on both Nielsen measures � since season premiere week (w/o 9/22/08).
Rankings: ABC aired 6 of the week's Top 20 TV programs among Adults 18-49: "Desperate Housewives" � No. 4, "Grey's Anatomy" � No. 5, "Saturday Night Football" � No. 11, "Dancing with the Stars" � No. 13, while "DWTS Results" and "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" tied at No. 18. The Network placed 4 of the Top 10 most-watched television shows overall for the week: "Dancing with the Stars" � No. 3, "DWTS Results" � No. 4, "Desperate Housewives" � No. 8 and "Grey's Anatomy" � No. 9. Between "Grey's Anatomy" and "Desperate Housewives," ABC delivered the Top 2 TV programs for the week across all key Women demographics (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54).
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 28% currently, from 20% at the same point in 2007. 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
Standing as the night's most-watched network for the 6th week in a row, ABC's Monday lineup was up over the previous week by 4% in Total Viewers (14.2 million vs. 13.7 million) and by 3% in Adults 18-49 (3.3/8 vs. 3.2/8). ABC bested Fox by 2.1 million viewers (12.1 million) with its coverage of the 2008 World Series Game 5. Among Adults 18-49, ABC beat CBS by 6% (3.1/8) and NBC by 14% (2.9/7).
"Dancing with the Stars" (8:00-9:32 p.m.)
Monday's most-watched program for the 6th time in as many weeks, ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" saw week-to-week increases in both Total Viewers (18.9 million vs. 18.5 million) and Adults 18-49 (4.2/10 vs. 4.1/10). In fact, "DWTS" drew is largest audience in 4 weeks (since 9/29/08) and best young adult rating in 3 weeks (since 10/06/08). "DWTS" ranked as Monday's No. 1 broadcast program among Adults 18-49 and the night's top program overall among Women 18-49 (6.1/14) and Adults 25-54 (5.5/12).
"Samantha Who?" (9:32-10:02 p.m.)
ABC's "Samantha Who?" was up over the prior week in both Total Viewers (10.5 million vs. 9.6 million) and Adults 18-49 (2.8/6 vs. 2.7/6). For the 3rd week in a row, the ABC sitcom won its half-hour among Women18-49 (4.3/9) and Women 25-54 (5.3/11).
"Boston Legal" (10:02-11:00 p.m.)
Building on the previous week's performance in Total Viewers (8.6 million vs. 8.1 million) and retaining 100% of its Adults 18-49 rating (2.1/5), ABC's "Boston Legal" logged its largest audience in 3 weeks (since 10/06/08). "Boston Legal" defeated NBC's "My Own Worst Enemy" for the 3rd week
running by a season best 3.3 million viewers (8.6 million vs. 5.3 million). Additionally, the ABC drama beat the NBC series among Women 18-49 (2.8/7 vs. 2.3/6) and Adults 25-54 (3.0/7 vs. 2.6/6) for the second week in a row.
Tuesday
Growing over the previous week in viewers and young adults for the second week in a row, ABC delivered its largest audience (11.7 million) and highest Adults 18-49 rating (3.1/8) since season premiere Tuesday � since 9/23/08, excluding the night of the second Presidential debate.
"It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" (8:00-9:00 p.m.)
ABC's special annual telecast of "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" attracted 10.4 million viewers and a 3.4 rating, 9 share in Adults 18-49, taking second in its time period in the key young adult sales demo. The animated Halloween special posted season high ratings in the hour for ABC among Teens 12-17 (2.6/9) and Kids 2-11 (5.5/18). The Peanuts holiday classic ranked as Tuesday's No. 1 program in Kids 2-11 and stood as broadcast television's highest rated scripted telecast in the key kids demographic in nearly 1 year � since 12/4/07 with CBS' "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer."
"Dancing with the Stars Results" (9:00-10:02 p.m.)
ABC's "Dancing with the Stars Results" ranked No. 1 in the 9 o'clock hour in Total Viewers (17.4 million) and Adults 18-49 (3.9/9-tied), hitting season highs for the second straight week in both Nielsen measures. For the first time this season, "DWTS Results" qualified as Tuesday's most-watched program and ranked No. 1 in its time period in the key young adult sales demo. "DWTS Results" also led its time period among Women 18-49 (5.4/12) and Women 25-54 (7.2/15) for the 5th straight telecast. "DWTS Results" beat its unscripted competition in the time period, NBC's second hour of "The Biggest Loser: Families," by 8.8 million viewers and 8% in Adults 18-49 ("Loser" = 8.6 million & 3.6/9). Actress Cloris Leachman was the sixth dancer to leave the competition this season.
Wednesday
Despite going up against the final game of the 2008 World Series (conclusion of Game 5), ABC was up 6% week to week in Total Viewers (6.9 million vs. 6.5 million) and 4% in Adults 18-49 (2.4/6 vs. 2.3/6), marking its highest-rated Wednesday in 4 weeks in the key young adult sales demo � since 10/1/08. ABC took second place on the night to Fox's World Series coverage in Adults 18-34 (2.1/6) and Women 18-34 (3.0/8).
"Pushing Daisies" (8:00-9:00 p.m.)
During the 8 o'clock hour, with the Obama political ad airing on CBS, NBC and Fox from 8:00-8:30 p.m., ABC's "Pushing Daisies" gained 1 million viewers (6.7 million vs. 5.7 million) and 21% in Adults 18-49 (2.3/6 vs. 1.9/5) from the prior week, achieving season highs in both Nielsen measures.
"Private Practice" (9:00-10:01 p.m.)
Jumping from its lead-in and gaining audience during the 9 o'clock hour, ABC's "Private Practice" led its drama competition in its time period for the 4th week running among Adults 18-34, beating CBS' "Criminal Minds" by 25% (2.5/7 vs. 2.0/5). The ABC sophomore drama also registered as Wednesday's No. 1 TV series for its 4th straight telecast among Women 18-34 (3.9/10).
"Dirty Sexy Money" (10:00-11:00 p.m.)
During the final hour of the evening opposite CBS' veteran drama "C.S.I.: NY," ABC's "Dirty Sexy Money" beat out its NBC sophomore drama competition, "Lipstick Jungle," for its 4th straight telecast in Total Viewers (+24% - 6.1 million vs. 4.9 million) and Adults 18-49 (+5% - 2.0/5 vs. 1.9/5).
� "Dirty Sexy Money" was up from the prior week in both Total Viewers (6.1 million vs. 5.7 million) and Adults 18-49 (2.0/5 vs. 1.9/5).
Thursday
ABC took second on Thursday among Total Viewers (10.7 million) and Adults 18-49 (3.6/10). The Network ranked No. 1 on the evening among Women 18-49 (5.1/13) and Women 18-34 (4.5/13). In fact, ABC led Thursday night for the 6th week in a row among Women 18-34 with its highest rating in the demo since season premiere Thursday (9/25/08).
"Ugly Betty" (8:00-9:00 p.m.)
ABC's "Ugly Betty" took second place at 8:00 p.m. in Total Viewers (8.6 million) and Adults 18-49 (2.6/7), beating NBC's comedies on both counts ("My Name is Earl"/"Kath & Kim" = 5.9 million & 2.4/7 in AD18-49). "Betty" took the top spot among Women 18-34, beating CBS' "Survivor" by 22% (3.3/10 vs. 2.7/8). The ABC comedy has held the No. 1 position among younger women in all 6 of its telecasts this season.
"Grey's Anatomy" (9:00-10:01 p.m.)
For the 2nd time in the past 3 weeks, ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" stood as Thursday's No. 1 TV program in Adults 18-49 (5.7/14). The ABC medical drama outperformed CBS' "C.S.I." in the 9 o'clock hour by 19% in the key young adult sales demo (4.8/12) and NBC's "The Office"/"30 Rock" season premiere combo by 27% (4.5/11). In addition, "Grey's Anatomy" won the hour in Adults 18-34, doubling (+100%) the performance of third-place "C.S.I." in Adults 18-34 (5.4/15 vs. 2.7/7).
� "Grey's" was up over the previous week in Total Viewers (15.3 million vs. 14.5 million) and Adults 18-49 (5.7/14 vs. 5.4/13), drawing its largest audience since its season premiere (9/25/08).
"Life on Mars" (10:01-11:00 p.m.)
ABC's "Life on Mars" posted week-to-week increases in Total Viewers (8.1 million vs. 7.9 million) and Adults 18-49 (2.6/7 vs. 2.4/6), earning the freshman drama its highest young adult rating since its series premiere (10/09/08).
� "Life on Mars" defeated CBS' freshman drama, "Eleventh Hour," for the second straight week among Adults 18-34 (1.8/5 vs. 1.6/5) and Women 18-34 (2.4/7 vs. 1.8/5), taking second in the hour in both demos.
Saturday
"Saturday Night Football: Penn State at Ohio State " (8:00-11:00 p.m.)
ABC's "Saturday Night Football," featuring the No. 6-ranked Texas Tech Red Raiders' last-minute upset victory over the No. 1 ranked Texas Longhorns, made the Net No. 1 during prime for the 2nd week in a row, marking ABC's strongest Saturday night performance of the season in Total Viewers (11.2 million) and across each of the key adult demographics [Adults 18-34 (3.4/12), Adults 18-49 (4.0/13) and Adults 25-54 (4.3/12)].
� "Saturday Night Football" (8:06 - 11:58 p.m.) stood as the night's No. 1 TV program in both Total Viewers (12.2 million) and Adults 18-49 (4.4/12) for the 2nd consecutive week. In fact, the game drew the franchise's largest audience in nearly 2 years - 11/25/06.
Sunday
Opposite NBC with its Patriots-Colts "Sunday Night Football" contest and Fox with another big primetime NFL overrun (Giants-Cowboys), ABC won Sunday night for the 6th week in a row among key Women: W18-49 (4.9/12) and W25-54 (5.7/13). ABC defeated CBS on Sunday night by 50% in Adults 18-49 (3.9/9 vs. 2.6/6).
"Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" (8:00-9:00 p.m.)
Surging from its lead-in, "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" dominated its unscripted competition in the time period, CBS' "Amazing Race XII," by 2.0 million viewers (11.7 million vs. 9.7 million) and by a best-of-season 34% in Adults 18-49 (3.9/9 vs. 2.9/7).
� "Home Edition" was up from the prior week in Adults 18-34 and across all key men demographics (M18-34/M18-49/M25-54).
"Desperate Housewives" (9:00-10:01 p.m.)
Sunday's most-watched TV non-sports program, ABC's "Desperate Housewives" was the top entertainment choice in its 9 o'clock time slot in Total Viewers (15.9 million) and Adults 18-49 (5.8/13), holding wide advantages over both CBS' "Cold Case" (11.7 million & 2.6/6) and Fox's animated comedies ("Family Guy"/"American Dad" � 8.6 million & 4.4/10).
� "Housewives" retained 100% of its Adult 18-49 audience (5.8/13) week to week, while growing its Adult 18-34 numbers (4.7/11 vs. 4.6/12).
"Brothers & Sisters" (10:01-11:00 p.m.)
For the 6th week running, ABC's "Brothers & Sisters" ranked No. 1 during Sunday's 10 o'clock hour among key Women 18-49 (4.9/12) and Women 25-54 (5.7/13). Once again the No. 1 non-sports show in the slot in viewers and young adults, "Brothers & Sisters" defeated its drama competition in the hour, CBS' "The Unit," by 7% in Total Viewers (9.6 million vs. 9.0 million) and 48% in Adults 18-49 (3.4/9 vs. 2.3/6).
Source: Nielsen Media Research (National Live+Same Day Program Ratings), week of 10/27/08, unless stated otherwise.
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