ABC's 'Lost' Dominates CBS and NBC Competition at 9PM in Adults 18-49

Quick Take for Tuesday, March 16, 2010 (Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Ratings)

Jumping Over its Lead-in and Building Throughout its Telecast Against a 2-Hour "Idol," ABC's "Lost" Dominates its CBS and NBC Competition at 9pm in Adults 18-49

"Lost" is Tuesday's No. 1 Scripted TV Show in Adults 18-49 for 7 Weeks Running

"Lost" Ranks Among TV's Top Gainers in DVR Playback This Season, Surging by 2.2 Million Viewers and by 1.1 Adult 18-49 Rating Points Over its First-Reported Numbers

"FlashForward" Special Boosts the 10 O'clock Hour for ABC Among Young Adults

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

Against stiff all-original competition at 9:00 p.m. on Fox (second hour of a 2-hour "American Idol" - Top 6 Female and Male Performances), CBS ("NCIS: LA") and NBC (second hour of a 2-hour "Biggest Loser"), ABC's "Lost" jumped from its lead-in by 4.9 million viewers (8.8 million vs. 3.9 million) and by 217% in young adults (3.8/10 vs. 1.2/4) and grew its audience throughout its broadcast. Despite CBS' (original "NCIS") and NBC's (first hour of "Biggest Loser") substantial lead-in advantages coming into the hour, ABC's "Lost" dominated its non-"Idol" competition in the time slot among Adults 18-49 (3.8/10), topping "NCIS: LA" by 19% (3.2/8) and "Biggest Loser" by 23% (3.1/8).

"Lost" qualified as Tuesday's No. 1 scripted TV show for the 7th week in a row in Adults 18-49, Adults 18-34 and among key Men (M18-34/M18-49).

One of TV's biggest gainers through time-shifted viewing this season, ABC's "Lost" is generating big increases over its first-reported numbers through DVR playback, picking up an average +2.2 million viewers (11.0 million to 13.2 million) and an additional +1.1 Adult 18-49 rating points (+22% - 5.0 to 6.1) from the initially reported Live + Same Day Numbers to the Live + 7 Day DVR finals.

"FlashForward What Did You See" (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

Against original dramas on CBS ("The Good Wife") and NBC ("Parenthood"), the special "FlashForward What Did You See" boosted the hour for ABC by 7% in Adults 18-49 (1.6/4 vs. 1.5/4) and by 18% in Adults 18-34 (1.3/4 vs. 1.1/4) over the season finale of "the forgotten" the previous week. The ABC special was a lead up to the 2-hour return of "FlashForward" this Thursday from 8:00-10:00 p.m. (on 3/18/10).

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 30% 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, Live + Same Day Program Ratings), 3/16/10.

Photo: Courtesy of ABC

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