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[10/18/05 - 12:00 AM]
Primetime Ratings Report for the Week of October 10-16, 2005

[via press release from ABC]

Primetime Ratings Report For the week of October 10-16, 2005

ABC Claims 4 of Top 5 TV Programs for the Week in Adults 18-49, While Airing 5 of the Top 10 Most-Watched Shows of the Week

Continuing to Post Increases Over the Same Week Last Year, ABC is Up The Most This Season Among the Networks in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49

ABC Leads its 6th Consecutive Monday Night Among Adults 18-49, The Network�s Longest Winning Streak on the Evening in 6 Years

�Wife Swap� Posts its Strongest Numbers Yet in its New Time Period, Improving the Slot for ABC by Wide Margins in Viewers and Young Adults

�Rodney� Builds on its �Jim� Lead and Grows from its Week-ago Season Opener

ABC�s �Commander In Chief� Wins Tuesday at 9pm in Viewers and Adults 18-49, Bringing ABC Substantial Time Period Improvement on Both Nielsen Measures

ABC Leads its Fourth Straight Wednesday in Viewers, Adults and Teens

�George Lopez� is No. 1 Wednesday at 8pm for the Second Week in a Row

The Debut of �Freddie� Builds on its �George Lopez� Lead-in and Wins Its Half-hour in Adults 18-49, 17% Ahead of Fox�s MLB Baseball Playoffs

Ranking as the Night�s No. 1 TV Show and Dominating the 9 O�clock Hour, ABC�s �Lost� Delivers Increases Over the Prior Week in Key Demographics

ABC�s �Invasion� Sees its Viewer and Young Adult Numbers Climb Week to Week

In the Friday 8 O�clock Hour, ABC�s �Supernanny� Ties CBS� �Ghost Whisperer� for The No. 1 Position in Adults 18-49, With its Best Numbers Yet in its New Time Slot

ABC Wins its Fourth Consecutive Sunday in Viewers and Across the Adult Demos

Sunday�s No. 1 TV Show in Viewers and Adults 18-49, �Desperate Housewives� Overshadows its Competition and Grows Week to Week in the Adult Demographics

ABC�s �Grey�s Anatomy� Marks Season-Best Ratings in Adults 18-49 and Adults 18-34, Delivering Another Commanding Win in the 10 O�clock Hour in Viewers and Adults

WEEK No. 4:

ABC finished a strong second during the week in Adults 18-49 (4.1/11), just one tenth of a rating point out of a tie for first place with CBS (4.2/11). ABC ranked as the No. 1 TV network for the week among Adults 18-34, 10% ahead of second-place CBS (3.3/10 vs. 3.0/9).

� ABC was up from the same week last year (w/o 10/11/04) by 7% in Total Viewers (10.7 million vs. 10.0 million) and 8% among Adults 18-49 (4.1/11 vs. 3.8/10). Season to date, the Network has increased its primetime audience by more than 1 million viewers (11.2 million vs. 10.1 million) and by 8% among Adults 18-49 (4.2/11 vs. 3.9/11) over the same point last season. ABC is up the most among the 6 broadcast networks this season in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49.

Rankings: ABC claimed 4 of the Top 5 TV shows of the week in Adults 18-49, while placing 7 programs in the week�s Top 20: �Desperate Housewives� � No. 1, �Lost� � No. 3, �Grey�s Anatomy� � No. 4 �Extreme Makeover: Home Edition� � No. 5, �NFL Monday Night Football � No. 8, �Invasion� � No. 16 and �Commander In Chief� � No. 18. ABC aired 5 of the Top 10 most-watched shows of the week: �Desperate Housewives� � No. 2, �Lost� � No. 3, �Grey�s Anatomy� � No. 6, �Commander In Chief� � No. 9 and �Extreme Makeover: Home Edition� � No. 10. Along with ranking as the highest-rated TV show in Adults 18-49 for the fourth straight week, ABC�s �Desperate Housewives� also stood as the No. 1 program of the week in Adults 18-34, Adults 25-54 and across the women demographics (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54). ABC�s �Monday Night Football� ranked as the No. 1 program of the week among Men 18-34 and Men 18-49. ABC�s �Lost� was the week�s top-rated broadcast among Teens 12-17. Sunday�s �Home Edition� stood as the No. 1 unscripted show of the week in Adults 18-49.

Monday

For the 6th straight week, ABC won Monday night among Adults 18-49. It is the Network�s longest winning streak on the evening in the key sales demographic in 6 years � since a streak that went from 11/1/99-1/3/00. During primetime, ABC (5.1/13) outpaced second-place Fox by 6% (4.8/12), third-place CBS by 9% (4.2/10) and fourth-place NBC by 19% (3.3/8). ABC also delivered the No. 1 network position on Monday night in Adults 25-54 (5.8/13-tie), Teens 12-17 (2.6/9) and Kids 2-11 (1.5/6-tie).

�Wife Swap� (8:00-9:00 p.m. Note: �Wife Swap� airs at various times across the U.S.)*

ABC�s �Wife Swap� ranked No. 1 in its time period across each of the key women demographics: Women 18-34 (4.0/12), Women 18-49 (4.7/13) and Women 25-54 (5.1/12).

� �Wife Swap� achieved its strongest numbers yet in its new time period among Total Viewers (8.1 million) and Adults 18-49 (3.2/9). In fact, the show has grown its Total Viewer count on each of its telecasts since its premiere in the time period.

� Over the course of its four telecasts in the hour, �Wife Swap� has improved the time period for ABC by substantial margins. Versus ABC�s delivery last season in the time period with regular programming during the run of �Monday Night Football,� �Wife Swap� has boosted the Net�s delivery by 2.4 million viewers (7.2 million vs. 4.8 million) and by 75% in Adults 18-49 (2.8/8 vs. 1.6/5).

�Monday Night Football: Pittsburgh at San Diego� (9:07 p.m. � 12:29 a.m.)

ABC�s broadcast of �NFL Monday Night Football,� featuring the Pittsburgh Steelers against the San Diego Chargers, attracted an average audience of 15.7 million viewers and logged a 6.3 rating, 16 share among Adults 18-49. The Steelers rallied during the 4th quarter to beat the Chargers by a score of 24-22.

� ABC�s regular season �NFL Monday Night Football� game beat Fox�s series-deciding �MLB AL Baseball Playoff Game 5� by 2 million viewers and by 35% in Adults 18-49 (Yankees-Angels = 13.7 million & 4.9/12).

� ABC�s �MNF� stood as the No. 1 TV program of the evening among Adults 18-49 (6.3/16), Adults 18-34 (5.6/16) and across each of the key men demographics: Men 18-34 (7.8/22), Men 18-49 (8.6/22) and Men 25-54 (9.4/23).

Tuesday

�Rodney� (8:30-9:00 p.m.)

At 8:30 p.m., ABC�s �Rodney� built on its �According to Jim� lead-in among Total Viewers (8.0 million vs. 7.8 million) and Adults 18-49 (3.0/8 vs. 2.8/8). Additionally, �Rodney� was up over its week-earlier season premiere in the time period by 7% in Viewers (8.0 million vs. 7.5 million) and by 7% in Adults 18-49 (3.0/8 vs. 2.8/7).

�Commander In Chief� (9:00-10:00 p.m.)

Continuing to show strong build on its lead-in and throughout its broadcast, ABC�s �Commander In Chief� won its 9:00-10:00 p.m. time period among Total Viewers (16.2 million) and Adults 18-49 (4.7/11). �Commander In Chief� outdrew its nearest competition in the hour by 5.1 million viewers (11.1 million � Fox�s MLB Playoff Game). The ABC drama also won the time slot among Adults 25-54 (6.4/14) and Women 18-49 (5.8/13).

� On average, �Commander In Chief� has improved the time period for ABC by 6.3 million viewers (16.5 million vs. 10.2 million) and by 10% in Adults 18-49 (4.6/11 vs. 4.2/10) from the net�s delivery in the hour at the same point last season.

� �Commander In Chief� continues to generate strong tune-in for ABC in the 9:00 p.m. hour, surging from its lead-in by 8.2 million viewers and by 57% in Adults 18-49. The freshman drama increased by 1.4 million viewers (15.5 million to 16.9 million) and by 11% among Adults 18-49 (4.5/11 to 5.0/12) from start to finish.

�Boston Legal� (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

Holding second-place in its hour to time period veteran �Law & Order: SVU,� ABC�s �Boston Legal� beat CBS� �Close to Home� by 8% in Total Viewers (10.9 million vs. 10.1 million) and tied among Adults 18-49 (3.4/9).

� Compared to ABC�s average with original series programming in the hour last season (�NYPD Blue�/�Line of Fire�), �Boston Legal� has improved the Net�s time period performance by 24% in Total Viewers (11.7 million vs. 9.4 million), by 17% in Adults 18-34 (2.1/6 vs. 1.8/5), by 9% in Adults 18-49 (3.5/9 vs. 3.2/8) and by 15% in Adults 25-54 (4.6/10 vs. 4.0/10) on average.

Wednesday

For the fourth consecutive week, ABC delivered the No. 1 position on Wednesday night in viewers (14.1 million), across the adult demos (AD18-34 � 5.2/15, AD18-49 � 6.0/16 and AD25-54 � 6.8/16) and among Teens 12-17 (3.4/12). ABC defeated second-place Fox on the night by 1.5 million viewers and by 50% in Adults 18-49 (12.6 million viewers & 4.0/10 � Fox and CBS tied in A18-49).

� ABC was up week-to-week across the adult demographics: Adults 18-34 (5.2/15 vs. 4.7/14), Adults 18-49 (6.0/16 vs. 5.7/15) and Adults 25-54 (6.8/16 vs. 6.7/16).

�George Lopez� (8:00-8:30 p.m.)

For the second week in a row, ABC�s �George Lopez� won its time period in Total Viewers (8.8 million) and Adults 18-49 (3.4/10). The fifth-year ABC comedy also ranked No. 1 in its half-hour among Adults 18-34 (3.0/10) and Adults 25-54 (3.9/10).

� The show was up from its week-ago season premiere by 11% in Adults 18-34 (3.0/10 vs. 2.7/8).

�Freddie� (8:30-9:00 p.m.)

Building on its lead-in by 7% in viewers and 24% in Adults 18-49, ABC�s series debut of �Freddie� ranked No. 1 in its time period in the key Adult 18-49 sales demographic. �Freddie� beat out its closest competition in the half-hour by 17% (4.2/11 vs. 3.6/11 � Fox MLB Baseball Playoffs). The Freddie Prinze Jr. sitcom also won its time period in Adults 18-34 (3.8/11) and Adults 25-54 (4.6/11).

� Among Adults 18-49, �Freddie� stands as ABC�s highest-rated comedy series premiere in 2 years � since 10/1/03.

�Lost� (9:00-10:00 p.m.)

ABC�s �Lost� overshadowed its time period competition, topping second-place CBS� �Criminal Minds� by 7.9 million viewers (21.7 million vs. 13.8 million) and by 124% in Adults 18-49 (9.4/22 vs. 4.2/10).

� The sophomore ABC drama was the highest-rated television program on Wednesday for the fourth week in a row.

� �Lost� was up over the previous week�s performance among Adults 18-34 (8.0/22) and Adults 18-49 (9.4/22). The show posted its second-highest-ever rating among Teens 12-17 (5.7/18).

�Invasion� (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

Growing from the prior week in viewers and young adults, ABC�s �Invasion� topped NBC�s veteran �Law & Order� by 6% in Total Viewers (11.6 million vs. 10.9 million) and by 37% among Adults 18-49 (4.8/12 vs. 3.5/9) in the 10 o�clock hour. The freshman ABC drama ranked No. 1 in its time period in Adults 18-34 (4.2/13), qualifying as the second-highest-rated series of the night, behind only �Lost.�

� ABC�s �Invasion� was up from the prior week in Total Viewers (11.6 million vs. 11.4 million) and Adults 18-49 (4.8/12 vs. 4.4/11).

� On average, �Invasion� has improved ABC�s performance in the time period by 42% in Total Viewers (12.9 million vs. 9.1 million), 39% in Adults 18-49 (5.3/14 vs. 3.8/10) and 44% in Adults 25-54 (6.2/14 vs. 4.3/10) over the Net�s average with original regular programming last season.

Friday

�Supernanny� (8:00-9:00 p.m.)

ABC�s �Supernanny� ranked No. 1 in its hour among Adults 18-49 (2.3/8-tie) for the first time this season. The unscripted series also took the top spot in its time period in Adults 18-34 (2.1/9) and Kids 2-11 (1.8/7).

� �Supernanny� posted season-best numbers in the hour in both Total Viewers (7.0 million) and Adults 18-49 (2.3/8).

Sunday

ABC won its fourth consecutive Sunday night, despite facing CBS� NFL Football overrun during the opening hour of the night and Fox�s MLB Baseball Playoff coverage throughout primetime. ABC topped second-place CBS on the evening by 3.0 million viewers (17.2 million vs. 14.2 million) and by 79% in Adults 18-49 (7.5/19 vs. 4.2/11). In fact, ABC led the night across all key demographic categories, including Total Viewers, Adults (AD18-34/AD18-49/AD25-54), Teens 12-17 and Kids 2-11.

� For the second week in a row, ABC aired the Top 3 TV shows on Sunday night across each of the adult demographics (AD18-34/AD18-49/AD25-54), with �Desperate Housewives,� �Grey�s Anatomy� and �Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,� respectively. Additionally, �Desperate Housewives,� �Grey�s Anatomy� and �Home Edition� were the three most-watched television shows on Sunday evening.

�Extreme Makeover: Home Edition � 10/16� (7:00-8:00 p.m.)

A special 7 o�clock edition of �Extreme Makeover: Home Edition� was the top non-sports show in the hour among Total Viewers (8.7 million) and Adults 18-49 (3.4/10).

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

In its regular 8 o�clock time period, �Extreme Makeover: Home Edition� ranked a dominant No. 1 among Adults 18-49, outpacing second-place CBS in the hour by 70% (6.8/17 vs. 4.0/10). The hit ABC unscripted show also took first-place in its time slot among Adults 25-54 (7.5/16), Adults 18-34 (5.3/15), Teens 12-17 (3.5/11) and Kids 2-11 (3.3/12).

� �Home Edition� earned its second-highest numbers of the season in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49.

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

The No. 1 show on Sunday night in Total Viewers (25.8 million) and Adults 18-49 (11.4/25), �Desperate Housewives� towered over its time period competition. The sophomore ABC program topped second-place CBS by 11.8 million viewers (14.0 million), while beating its combined network competition in Adults 18-49 by 4% (11.0/24 � CBS, NBC, Fox and WB combined).

� �Desperate Housewives� was up from the prior week among Adults 25-54, Adults 18-49, Adults 18-34 and in each of the women demographics (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54).

�Grey�s Anatomy� (10:01-11:00 p.m.)

�Grey�s Anatomy� won the 10 o�clock hour by wide margins. In its time period, ABC�s �Grey�s Anatomy� outdrew second-place NBC�s �Crossing Jordan� by 7.1 million viewers (18.3 million vs. 11.2 million) and outdelivered its combined NBC and CBS competition by 30% in Adults 18-49 (8.4/20 vs. 6.5/16). The ABC sophomore drama also beat the combined NBC and CBS Adult 25-54 delivery in the final hour of the evening by 13% (9.3/21 vs. 8.2/18).

� �Grey�s Anatomy� delivered its best retention this season of its �Housewives� lead-in across the adult demographics. �Grey�s� marked season-high ratings in Adults 18-49 and Adults 18-34.

Source: Nielsen Media Research, week of 10/10/05, or as dated.





  [october 2005]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
      


· ACCORDING TO JIM (ABC)
· CLOSE TO HOME (CBS)
· COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF (ABC)
· CRIMINAL MINDS (CBS)
· CROSSING JORDAN (NBC)
· DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES (ABC)
· EXTREME MAKEOVER: HOME EDITION (HGTV)
· FREDDIE (ABC)
· GEORGE LOPEZ SHOW, THE (ABC)
· GHOST WHISPERER (CBS)
· GREY'S ANATOMY (ABC)
· INVASION (ABC)
· LAW & ORDER (NBC)
· LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT (NBC)
· LINE OF FIRE (ABC)
· LOST (ABC)
· MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL (ESPN)
· NYPD BLUE (ABC)
· RODNEY (ABC)
· SUPERNANNY (LIFETIME)
· WIFE SWAP (PARAMOUNT)





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