ABC is Monday's Most-Watched Network for 8th Straight Week

ABC was most-watched TV network for the 2nd straight Monday of the May Sweep (16.5 million), ranking #1 on the evening for the 8th consecutive week. The Net earned a strong second during prime in Adults 18-49 to CBS (tied in audience share - 3.6/10 vs. 3.8/10), beating Fox by 16% and NBC by 125%. ABC was up week to week in viewers and young adults, while building its overall audience from the year-ago Monday for the 7th time in 8 weeks.

ABC's Dancing with the Stars took first-place its time period and qualified as Monday's most-watched television series (19.0 million) for the 8th week in a row. Opposite stiff original sweep competition from 8-10pm on CBS (How I Met Your Mother/Rules of Engagement/Two and a Half Men/Big Bang Theory) and Fox (House/24), the ABC unscripted series grew in each half-hour, gaining 3.3 million viewers and 29% in Adults 18-49 from start to finish.

ABC's Castle ranked #1 at 10pm in Total Viewers (11.4 million) and took a strong second in the hour to CBS' veteran CSI: Miami among Adults 18-49 (2.6/7). In fact ABC's sophomore Castle registered as the #1 TV show in its hour in Total Viewers for the 6th time in 8 telecasts. Castle was up over its season-finale performance on the year-ago night (5/11/09), when it also had a DWTS lead-in, among Total Viewers (+1.4 million - 11.4 million vs. 10.0 million) and Adults 18-49 (+8% - 2.6/7 vs. 2.4/7). The ABC drama pulled in its biggest audience in 4 weeks - since 4/12/10.

Quick Take for Monday, May 10, 2010 (Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Program Ratings)

ABC is No. 1 in Viewers on the Night for the 8th Week in a Row, While Standing as the Most-Watched Net for the 2nd Straight Monday in May

ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" Leads its Time Slot and Stands as Monday's Most-Watched Television Series for the 8th Consecutive Week

"Castle" is No. 1 at 10pm in Viewers for the 6th Time in 8 Weeks, Topping its Year-Ago Finale by 1.4 Million Viewers and by 8% in Adults 18-49

Monday Night (8:00-11:00 p.m.)

ABC was most-watched TV network for the 2nd straight Monday of the May Sweep (16.5 million), ranking No. 1 on the evening for the 8th consecutive week. The Net earned a strong second during prime in Adults 18-49 to CBS (tied in audience share - 3.6/10 vs. 3.8/10), beating Fox by 16% (3.1/9) and NBC by 125% (1.6/4). ABC was up week to week in viewers and young adults, while building its overall audience from the year-ago Monday for the 7th time in 8 weeks.

"Dancing with the Stars" (8:00-10:00 p.m.)

ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" took first place in its time period and qualified as Monday's most-watched television series (19.0 million) for the 8th week in a row. Opposite stiff original sweep competition from 8:00 - 10:00 p.m. on CBS ("How I Met Your Mother"/"Rules of Engagement"/"Two and a Half Men"/"Big Bang Theory") and Fox ("House"/"24"), the ABC unscripted series grew in each half-hour, gaining 3.3 million viewers (16.9 million to 20.2 million) and 29% in Adults 18-49 (3.4/10 to 4.4/11) from start to finish.

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

ABC's "Castle" ranked No. 1 at 10:00 p.m. in Total Viewers (11.4 million) and took a strong second in the hour to CBS' veteran "CSI: Miami" among Adults 18-49 (2.6/7). In fact ABC's sophomore "Castle" registered as the No. 1 TV show in its hour in Total Viewers for the 6th time in 8 telecasts. "Castle" was up over its Season Finale performance on the year-ago night (5/11/09), when it also had a "DWTS" lead-in, among Total Viewers (+1.4 million - 11.4 million vs. 10.0 million) and Adults 18-49 (+8% - 2.6/7 vs. 2.4/7). The ABC drama pulled in its biggest audience in 4 weeks - since 4/12/10.

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 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.

Source: Nielsen Media Research (Fast Affiliate Ratings, Live + Same Day Program Ratings), 5/10/10.

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