'Wipeout' Sees Strong Improvement In Year-to-Year Ratings

Opposite an "Idol"-fueled Fox, ABC finished in a virtual tie for No. 2 with CBS on Thursday in Adults 18-49, pacing within 1-tenth of a rating point and tied in audience share (2.9/8 vs. 3.0/8).

"Wipeout" (8:00-9:00 p.m.)

In the 8 o'clock hour, up against Fox's "American Idol" and CBS' original comedies ("The Big Bang Theory"/"$#*! My Dad Says"), ABC's Winter "Wipeout" (6.9 million and 2.2/6) beat out NBC's original comedies ("Community"/"Perfect Couples" = 3.5 million and 1.7/5) by wide margins, leading by 3.4 million viewers and by 29% in Adults 18-49. The broad-appealing ABC unscripted series ranked No. 2 against its broadcast competitors in the hour with Teens 12-17 and Kids 2-11, behind only "Idol."

· Despite going up against increased competition year to year from "Idol" in the time period, "Wipeout" improved the hour for ABC over the year-ago night by substantial margins in viewers (+21%) and young adults (+47%).

· Season to date, ABC's "Wipeout" stands as the No. 1 TV show on the major networks in terms of Family Coviewing, with 32% of its Adult 18-49 audience watching with Teens 12-17 or Kids 2-11.

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

ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" won Thursday's 9 o'clock hour among Adults 18-49, qualifying as the No. 1 series in the slot for its 14th straight original airing this season. In its time period, "Grey's" (3.9/10) beat out Fox's "Idol"-led "Bones" by 18% (3.3/9), NBC's comedies ("The Office"/"Parks and Recreation") by 26% (3.1/8) and CBS' "CSI" by 39% (2.8/7). "Grey's" registered as Thursday's No. 1 scripted TV program for the 2nd week in a row in the key young adult sales demo (tie).

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

Growing week to week, ABC's "Private Practice" (7.3 million and 2.7/7) defeated NBC's comedies ("30 Rock"/"Outsourced" = 4.1 million and 2.0/6) in the 10 o'clock hour by 3.2 million viewers and by 35% in Adults 18-49. Additionally, for its 13th consecutive first-run telecast this season, the ABC drama finished as the No. 1 scripted TV show in its hour with key Women (W18-34/W18-49).

· "Private Practice" built its numbers week to week in both Total Viewers (+4% - 7.3 million vs. 7.0 million) and Adults 18-49 (+8% - 2.7/7 vs. 2.5/7).

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 39% currently, from 35% at the same point in 2010. 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: The Nielsen Company (Fast Affiliate, Live + Same Day Ratings), 2/10/11.

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