ABC Finishes No. 2 For 3rd Consecutive Week

During the week of May 3, 2010, ABC earned second place to CBS in Total Viewers (8.2 million) and, for the 3rd straight week, finished No. 2 to Fox with Adults 18-49 (2.5/8). In fact among Adults 18-49, ABC paced within just 4-tenths of a rating point and 1 audience share of an "Idol"-driven Fox for the week (2.5/8 vs. 2.9/9).

· Growing its numbers for the 2nd week in a row, ABC drew its biggest audience since March and, among Adults 18-49 (2.5/8), equaled its highest-rated non-Oscar week since the beginning of January - since the weeks of 3/29 and 1/4/10, respectively.

Rankings: ABC claimed 5 of the week's Top 10 TV programs in Adults 18-49, tying a season-best: "Dancing with the Stars" - No. 5, "Lost" - No. 7, "Modern Family" - No. 8, with "Grey's Anatomy" and "Desperate Housewives" tied at No. 10. ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" finished as the most-watched TV show overall for the 3rd consecutive week, registering as the No. 1 television series on 5 of the last 6 Nielsen weeks. In doing so, "DWTS" became ABC's first-ever series to outdraw both editions of "Idol" and rank as the No. 1 TV show for 3 straight weeks. ABC's season opener of "Primetime: What Would You Do?," which stood as Friday's No. 1 TV show in Adults 18-49, qualified as the week's No. 1 newsmagazine with key Adults (AD18-49/AD25-54). In fact ABC News delivered the Top 2 newsmagazines for the week in Adults 18-49 with "Primetime: What Would You Do?" and "20/20."

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 36% currently, from 31% 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 qualified as the most-watched TV network on the opening Monday of the May Sweep (15.1 million), ranking No. 1 on the night for the 7th week in a row. In fact it was the 4th straight year for ABC to register as the most-watched network on the first Monday of May. ABC placed a strong second during prime in Adults 18-49 to Fox, as it beat Fox by 9% (3.7/10 vs. 3.4/9) in head-to-head competition from 8:00 - 10:00 p.m.

"Dancing with the Stars" (8:00-9:32 p.m.)

ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" took first place in its time period for the 7th week running in both Total Viewers (19.6 million) and Adults 18-49 (4.1/12), beating out stiff original Sweep competition from 8:00-9:30 p.m. on CBS ("How I Met Your Mother"/"Rules of Engagement"/"Big Bang Theory" = 8.7 million and 3.5/10) and Fox ("House"/"24" = 9.7 million and 3.6/10). "DWTS" qualified as Monday's most-watched television series for the 7th week in a row.

"Romantically Challenged" (9:32-10:00 p.m.)

ABC freshman "Romantically Challenged" placed second in 9:30 p.m. half-hour in Total Viewers (9.6 million), and for the 3rd week running took second place among key Women demos (W18-49/W25-54). In fact the new ABC comedy outdrew the final half-hour of Fox's "24" in Total Viewers (8.9 million). "Romantically Challenged" built its overall audience week to week by 5% (9.6 million vs. 9.1 million).

"Castle" (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

Building on its lead-in with viewers and young adults, ABC's original "Castle" outdrew CBS' original "CSI: Miami" for No. 1 at 10:00 p.m. by 1.1 million viewers (10.7 million vs. 9.6 million), and finished in a near tie for first-place in Adults 18-49 (2.5/7 vs. 2.7/7). In fact ABC's sophomore "Castle" stood as the most-watched TV show in Monday's 10 o'clock hour for the 5th time in 7 telecasts. Impressively, "Castle" still managed to grow its overall audience year to year by 7% (10.7 million vs. 10.0 million on 5/4/09), even though it had the added advantage of a direct lead-in from a 2-hour "DWTS" on the year-ago night.

Tuesday

ABC's Tuesday lineup of "DWTS the Results Show," "Lost" and "V" continued to deliver impressive year-to-year returns, as the Net was up over the same night last year for the 5th time in 6 weeks. ABC's numbers surged over the same Tuesday a year ago (5/5/09), also a night of all-original programming, by 1.3 million viewers (9.1 million vs. 7.8 million) and by 40% in Adults 18-49 (2.8/8 vs. 2.0/6).

"DWTS the Results Show" (8:00-9:00 p.m.)

Continuing to grow its new earlier 8 o'clock time slot for ABC against Fox's "American Idol," "DWTS the Results Show" outdrew NBC's time-slot veteran, "The Biggest Loser," by 4.5 million viewers (12.0 million vs. 7.5 million). Model, actress, mother, entrepreneur, philanthropist and activist Pamela Anderson was the 6th celebrity dancer eliminated from the contest this season.

· Among Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, "DWTS the Results Show" is generating ABC's highest numbers in the time period against "American Idol" in 7 years - since 2003.

"Lost" (9:00-10:02 p.m.)

Opposite stiff original demographic competition at 9pm on Fox ("Idol"-fueled "Glee") and NBC (second hour of a 2-hour "The Biggest Loser"), ABC's "Lost" surged from its lead-in by 67% in Adults 18-49 (4.0/10). Taking second place in Adults 18-49, "Lost" outperformed "The Biggest Loser" by 11% (3.6/9) and "NCIS: LA" by a best-ever 43% (2.8/7) in the hour. Topping "Glee," Lost ranked No. 1 in the hour across all key Men demos (M18-34/M18-49/M25-54).

· "Lost" was up from its last original telecast two weeks ago in Total Viewers (9.6 million vs. 9.5 million) and Adults 18-49 (+8% - 4.0/10 vs. 3.7/10), hitting a 5-week high on both counts - since 3/30/10.

· "Lost" DVR Update: TV's No. 2 biggest gainer in Adults 18-49 DVR playback this season (behind only Grey's Anatomy), "Lost" pulls in an additional 2.2 million viewers and picks up 1.2 rating points among young adults from the first-reported Live + Same Day numbers to the finalized Live + 7 Day averages. That's up by 19% and 23%, respectively, over its DVR lift last season.

"V-TUE" (10:02-11:00 p.m.)

Building by 11% among Adults 18-49 week to week (2.1/6 vs. 1.9/5), "V" continued to greatly improve Tuesday's 10 o'clock hour for ABC year to year. Versus the year-ago night with original drama programming (1.6/4 - "Cupid"), "V" boosted the hour by 31% and once again made ABC the only net to grow in the 10:00 p.m. hour year to year. CBS (-12%) and NBC (-32%) were both down in the hour from the year-ago night.

· "V" finished No. 1 against its CBS and NBC drama competition in the hour with Men 18-49 (2.0/6) for the 6th straight week, topping "The Good Wife" by 18% (1.7/5) and NBC's "Parenthood" by 18% (1.7/5).

· "V" DVR Update: On average in its 10 o'clock time slot, "V" delivers big gains over its first-reported numbers through DVR playback, jumping by 1.8 million viewers and by an additional 8-tenths of an Adult 18-49 rating point (+32%) from the initially reported Live + Same Day Numbers to the Live + 7 Day DVR finals.

Wednesday

"The Middle" (8:30-9:00 p.m.)

Jumping over its lead-in by 2.0 million viewers and by 77% with young adults, ABC's self-starter "The Middle" won its half-hour for its 3rd straight original telecast in both Total Viewers (6.8 million) and Adults 18-49 (2.3/7).

· Among Adults 18-49, the ABC freshman comedy has finished as the No. 1 scripted show in its half-hour on 5 of its last 6 first-run broadcasts.

"Modern Family" (9:00-9:30 p.m.)

Opposite "Idol" at 9:00 p.m., ABC's "Modern Family" built sharply on its lead-in (+2.7 million viewers/+70% in AD18-49) to stand as the No. 1 scripted show in its time slot with Adults 18-49 (3.9/11), defeating originals of CBS' "Criminal Minds" by 18% (3.3/9) and NBC's "Mercy" by 255% (1.1/3). In addition, for its 4th straight original telecast, the ABC rookie ran in a virtual tie with "Idol" as the No. 1 program in the half-hour with Men 18-34 (3.2/11 vs. 3.3/12).

· "Modern Family" registered as Wednesday's No. 1 scripted TV show for its 10th consecutive first-run broadcast in young adults.

"Cougar Town" (9:30-10:01 p.m.)

Opposite the second half-hour of a surging "Idol," ABC freshman "Cougar Town" bested "Criminal Minds" by 5% in Adults 18-34 (2.1/7 vs. 2.0/7), qualifying as the top scripted show against its broadcast rivals in its slot for its 5th straight original airing.

Thursday

ABC took second place on Thursday in Total Viewers (8.0 million) and Adults 18-49 (2.7/8), while dominating the night for the 2nd straight week with Women 18-34 by 48% over its nearest competition (3.4/11 vs. 2.4/8 - CBS and NBC-tied).

· Growing on the night for the 3rd straight week, ABC generated its largest Thursday audience in 6 weeks - since 3/25/10.

"Grey's Anatomy" (9:00-10:01 p.m.)

Surging 192% over its lead-in at 9:00p.m., self-starter "Grey's Anatomy" won its hour by strong margins among Adults 18-49. During the 9 o'clock hour, ABC's "Grey's" (3.8/11) outdelivered CBS' "CSI" by 23% (3.1/9), NBC's comedies by 23% ("The Office"/"30 Rock" = 3.1/9) and Fox's "Fringe" by 68% (2.2/6). Grey's tallied its 19th time in 20 original broadcasts this season to qualify as Thursday's No. 1 scripted series with Adults 18-49.

· Up over the prior week, "Grey's" generated its most-watched telecast (11.0 million) since March - since 3/25/10.

"Private Practice" (10:01-11:00 p.m.)

ABC's Private Practice placed a solid second to CBS' "The Mentalist" at 10 o'clock among Total Viewers (8.2 million) and Adults 18-49 (2.8/8), topping NBC's "Marriage Ref" (4.9 million and 2.2/6) by 3.3 million viewers and by 27% in young adults, respectively. The ABC drama dominated the hour with Adults 18-34 (2.5/8), beating "The Mentalist" by 39% (1.8/6) and "Marriage Ref" by 39% (1.8/6). It was the 20th straight original telecast this season for "Private Practice" to stand as the No. 1 scripted program in the hour with Adults 18-34 and key Women (W18-34/W18-49).

· Increasing its overall audience week to week, "Private Practice" drew its biggest audience in 6 weeks - since 3/25/10.

Friday

With its lineup of "Wife Swap," the season premiere of "Primetime: What Would You Do?" and "20/20," ABC ranked No. 1 on Friday against its broadcast rivals among Adults 18-49 (1.6/6 - tied w/CBS - ESPN won the night with NBA Playoff coverage) and key Women demos (W18-34/W18-49), as well as registering as the night's top-rated broadcaster with Teens 12-17 and Kids 2-11.

· In Total Viewers (5.3 million) and Adults 18-49 (1.6/6), ABC marked its strongest Friday in 6 weeks - since 3/26/10.

"Wife Swap" (8:00-9:00 p.m.)

Hitting season-highs, ABC's "Wife Swap" was the second-most-watched show (4.4 million) in the 8:00 p.m. hour to CBS' veteran "Ghost Whisperer," beating NBC's season premiere of "Friday Night Lights" by 13% in Total Viewers and by 17% in Adults 18-49.

· Marking season-high results with viewers (4.4 million) and young adults (1.4/5), "Wife Swap" drew the series' biggest overall audience in more than 1 year - since 4/17/09.

"Primetime: What Would You Do?" (9:00-10:00 p.m.)

Building sharply on its lead-in (+1.6 million/+36% in AD18-49), the season premiere of ABC News' "Primetime: What Would You Do?" won the 9 o'clock hour (1.9/6-tie) and finished as Friday's No. 1 TV program overall in Adults 18-49. The premiere of "What Would You Do?" beat out established time-period competition including CBS' "Medium" (+6% - 1.8/6), NBC News' "Dateline" (+73% - 1.1/4) and Fox's "Kitchen Nightmares" (+27% - 1.5/5). Using hidden cameras, "What Would You Do?" sets up everyday scenarios and then captures people's reactions.

· In viewers and young adults, "Primetime: What Would You Do?" generated ABC's second-highest numbers with regular programming in the hour this season, behind only the highly-rated series debut of "Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution" on 3/26/10. In addition, "What Would You Do?" improved the time period for ABC by 30% in Total Viewers (6.0 million vs. 4.6 million) and by 36% in Adults 18-49 (1.9/6 vs. 1.4/5) over its averages this season with regular programming.

"20/20" (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

ABC News' "20/20" ranked No. 1 against its regular competition the 10 o'clock hour among Adults 18-49 (1.6/5), defeating the second hour of NBC's 2-hour "Dateline" by 7% (1.5/5) and CBS' "Miami Medical" by 23% (1.3/4). "20/20" featured the investigation of three alleged arson cases with the help of the nation's leading fire experts. The ABC newsmagazine also ranked as the No. 1 series in the time slot among Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-34.

· "20/20" posted is highest-rated telecast since March with Total Viewers, Adults 18-49 and Adults 25-54 - since 3/26/10.

Sunday

ABC took first place on Sunday for the 3rd consecutive week in Adults 18-49 (2.6/8), beating second-place Fox by 13% (2.3/7), third-place NBC by 24% (2.1/7) and fourth-place CBS by 44% (1.8/5).

"America's Funniest Home Videos" (7:00-8:00 p.m.)

ABC's "America's Funniest Home Videos" ranked a dominant No. 1 in the 7 o'clock hour among Adults 18-49 (2.0/8), outdelivering its nearest competition by 33% (CBS' "60 Minutes" = 1.5/6). In fact the venerable 20-year veteran ABC video clip-show won its time slot for the 3rd time in 4 broadcasts in the key young adult sales demo.

· In Total Viewers (7.5 million) and Adults 18-49 (2.0/8), "AFV" marked its strongest performance in 10 weeks - since 2/28/10.

"Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" (8:00-9:00 p.m.)

From 8:00-9:00 p.m., "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" earned second place to CBS' season finale of "The Amazing Race XVI" among Total Viewers, Adults 25-54 and key Women (W18-49/W25-54). The broad-appealing ABC unscripted series was the No. 1 broadcast in the hour with Kids 2-11. ABC's "Home Edition" topped its NBC unscripted competition in the hour by wide margins, defeating "Minute to Win It" by 2.5 million viewers (7.7 million vs. 5.2 million) and by 29% in Adults 18-49 (2.2/7 vs. 1.7/5).

"Desperate Housewives" (9:00-10:01 p.m.)

ABC's "Desperate Housewives" won Sunday's 9 o'clock hour among Adults 18-49. In its time slot, "Housewives" (3.8/10) defeated Fox's animated comedies by 12% ("Family Guy"/"American Dad" = 3.4/9), the opening hour of NBC's "Celebrity Apprentice" by 41% (2.7/7) and the first hour of CBS' "Jesse Stone" movie by 192% (1.3/4).

· In addition, "Housewives" placed as Sunday's No. 1 TV show for the 4th week in a row among Adults 18-49 (tie). In addition, the ABC veteran series tallied its 9th consecutive original broadcast as Sunday's No. 1 scripted TV series in viewers and young adults.

"Brothers & Sisters" (10:01-11:00 p.m.)

ABC's "Brothers & Sisters" took second place in the 10 o'clock hour with Total Viewers (8.2 million) and Adults 18-49 (2.5/7), while ranking No. 1 against the final hour of CBS' movie and NBC's 2-hour "Celebrity Apprentice" across all key Women (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54).

· Building its Adult 18-49 audience for its 3rd straight telecast, "Brothers & Sisters" tied its highest number in nearly 4 months - since 1/17/10.

Source: The Nielsen Company (National Live+Same Day Program Ratings), week of 5/3/10, unless stated otherwise.

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