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[10/25/05 - 12:00 AM]
Primetime Ratings Report for the Week of October 17-23, 2005

[via press release from ABC]

Primetime Ratings Report For the week of October 17-23, 2005

ABC Claims 4 of Top 10 Programs of the Week in Viewers and Young Adults; �Desperate Housewives� is No. 1 for the Fifth Week in a Row in Adults 18-49

ABC Ranks the No. 1 in Adults 18-34 for the Fifth Straight Week, The Network�s Longest Weekly Winning Streak in the Demo in 11 Years

Growing from the Same Week Last Year, Season to Date ABC is Up by 1.2 Million Viewers and by 11% in Adults 18-49, the Only Net to Grow in the Key Sales Demo

Ranking No. 1 on Monday in Adults 18-49 for 7 Straight Weeks, ABC Delivers its Longest Winning Streak on the Evening in 6 Years

ABC�s �Commander In Chief� Leads Tuesday at 9pm by 5.2 Million Viewers, Continuing to Improve the Time Period for ABC in Viewers and Adults 18-49

ABC�s �Boston Legal� Beats CBS� �Close to Home,� Improving the Tuesday 10 O�clock Hour for ABC Among Viewers and Key Adults

ABC Wins its Fifth Straight Wednesday Across Viewers, Adults and Teens

ABC�s �George Lopez� and �Freddie� Rank No. 1 from 8-9pm on Wednesday Among Adults 18-49, Beating Fox�s MLB Baseball Playoff Coverage

For the Second Week in a Row, �Freddie� Builds on its �George Lopez� Lead-in

�Lost� is Wednesday�s No. 1 Show for the Fifth Consecutive Week, Dominating Its Time Period and Posting the Series� Highest-Ever Men 18-34 Number

ABC�s �Invasion� Ranks No. 1 Wednesday at 10pm Among Adults 18-34, Earning its Second-Highest Ratings to Date in Women 18-34 and Women 18-49

ABC Takes its Fifth Straight Sunday, Up Substantially from the Same Night Last Year, When it Also Faced Fox�s Coverage of the World Series Game 2

The No. 1 Show on Sunday, �Desperate Housewives� is the Top Draw in its Time Period, Beating the World Series in Viewers and Young Adults

With Season-Best Retention of its Lead-in, ABC�s �Grey�s Anatomy� Leads Sunday at 10pm by Wide Margins in Viewers and Young Adults

WEEK No. 5:

ABC took a strong second place during the week of October 17, 2005 among Adults 18-49 (3.9/11), tied in audience share and is pacing within two-tenths of a rating of first-place CBS (4.2/11).

� For the fifth week in a row, ABC stood as the No. 1 television network in Adults 18-34, beating out second-place Fox by 10% (3.2/10 vs. 2.9/9). This represents ABC�s longest weekly Adult 18-34 winning streak in 11 years � since a streak from week of 10/31-12/26/94.

� ABC was the biggest network gainer over the same week last year (w/o 10/18/04), growing by 1.6 million viewers (10.5 million vs. 8.9 million) and 15% among Adults 18-49 (3.9/11 vs. 3.4/9). Season to date, ABC is up by 1.2 million viewers (11.1 million vs. 9.9 million) and by 11% among Adults 18-49 (4.2/11 vs. 3.8/10) over the same point last season. The Net is up the most among the 6 broadcast networks this season among Total Viewers and Adults 18-49. In fact only ABC is up this season in Adults 18-49, while the other nets are either flat or down: ABC = +11% (4.2/11 vs. 3.8/10), CBS = flat (4.0/11), NBC = -13% (3.3/9 vs. 3.8/10), Fox = -24% (3.2/9 vs. 4.2/11), WB = -12% (1.5/4 vs. 1.7/4) and UPN = flat (1.5/4).

Rankings: ABC aired 4 of the Top 10 TV shows during the week, including 2 of the Top 3 among Total Viewers and 3 of the Top 4 in Adults 18-49. Viewers: �Desperate Housewives� � No. 2, �Lost� � No. 3, �Grey�s Anatomy� � No. 5 and �Commander In Chief� � No. 10. Adults 18-49: �Desperate Housewives� � No. 1, �Lost� � No. 3, �Grey�s Anatomy� � No. 4 and �NFL Monday Night Football � No. 9. The No. 1 TV program in Adults 18-49 for the fifth 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 �Lost� stood as the week�s No. 1 television program in Men 18-49, Men 18-34 and Teens 12-17. Sunday�s replay of �Extreme Makeover: Home Edition� qualifies as TV�s highest-rated repeat telecast on any net in Adults 18-49 since early May � since 5/4/05, a repeat of �Stacked� coming out of Fox�s �American Idol�.

Monday

For the 7th week in a row, ABC earned the No. 1 position on Monday night among Adults 18-49 (4.9/13 � tied with CBS). The Network is delivering its longest winning streak on the night in 6 years � since a streak that went from 11/1/99-1/3/00. ABC also delivered the No. 1 network position on Monday night in Adults 18-34 (4.0/12), Teens 12-17 (2.2/8-tie) and Kids 2-11 (1.5/6).

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

ABC�s �Wife Swap� earned second place in its time period among Adults 18-49, beating out NBC�s �Surface� (3.1/9 vs. 3.0/8). The ABC unscripted show ranked No. 1 in its time period among its core audience of Women 18-34 (3.4/11).

� Over the course of its five telecasts in the hour, �Wife Swap� has improved the time period for ABC by wide margins. Versus ABC�s delivery last season in the time period with regular programming during the run of �Monday Night Football,� �Wife Swap� increased the Network�s delivery by 2.7 million viewers (7.5 million vs. 4.8 million) and by 81% in Adults 18-49 (2.9/9 vs. 1.6/5).

�Monday Night Football: St. Louis at Indianapolis� (9:07 p.m. � 12:02 a.m.)

ABC�s broadcast of �NFL Monday Night Football,� between the St. Louis Rams and the Indianapolis Colts, drew an average audience of 14.5 million viewers and a 5.8 rating, 15 share among Adults 18-49. Although the game was fairly close throughout the first half, the Colts scored 31 points during the second half of the contest to beat the Rams by 45-28.

� ABC�s regular season �NFL Monday Night Football� game beat Fox�s �MLB National League Baseball Championship Game 5� by nearly 4 million viewers and by 61% in Adults 18-49 (St. Louis-Houston = 11.6 million & 3.6/9).

� ABC�s �MNF� stood as the No. 1 TV program of the evening among Adults 18-34 (4.9/14) and across each of the key men demographics: Men 18-34 (6.3/19), Men 18-49 (7.7/20) and Men 25-54 (8.8/21).

Tuesday

�Commander In Chief� (9:00-10:01 p.m.)

Surging from its lead-in and gaining audience throughout its telecast, ABC�s �Commander In Chief� was the top draw in its time period, outpacing second-place CBS (�Amazing Race�) by 5.2 million viewers (16.3 million vs. 11.1 million). The new ABC drama also won the time slot among Adults 25-54 (5.9/13).

� On average, �Commander In Chief� has improved the time period for ABC by 6.5 million viewers (16.5 million vs. 10.0 million) and by 10% in Adults 18-49 (4.5/11 vs. 4.1/10) from the Net�s performance in the hour at the same point last season.

� �Commander In Chief� again produced strong tune-in for ABC in the 9:00 p.m. hour, jumping from its lead-in by 8.7 million viewers and by 54% in Adults 18-49. From its first half-hour to its second half-hour, the freshman drama grew by 7% in Total Viewers (15.7 million to 16.8 million) and by 10% among Adults 18-49 (4.1/10 to 4.5/11).

�Boston Legal� (10:01-11:00 p.m.)

Taking second-place in its hour to time period veteran �Law & Order: SVU,� ABC�s �Boston Legal� outpaced CBS� �Close to Home� in Total Viewers (11.6 million vs. 9.9 million) and among Adults 18-49 (3.4/9 vs. 3.3/9).

� Versus ABC�s delivery with original series programming in the hour last season (�NYPD Blue�/�Line of Fire�), �Boston Legal� has improved the Net�s 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 (4.6/11 vs. 4.0/10) on average.

Wednesday

For the fifth straight week, ABC took first place on Wednesday evening in viewers (13.5 million), across the adult demos (AD18-34 � 5.1/14, AD18-49 � 5.7/14 and AD25-54 � 6.4/15) and among Teens 12-17 (2.9/10). ABC defeated second-place Fox on the night, with its coverage of the deciding Game 6 of the �MLB Baseball National League Championship Series,� by 4% in viewers and by 36% in Adults 18-49 (13.0 million viewers & 4.2/10).

�George Lopez� (8:00-8:30 p.m.)

For the third week in a row, ABC�s �George Lopez� won its half-hour among Adults 18-49 (3.0/9). �George Lopez� defeated its comedy competition in the time period, CBS� �Still Standing,� by 13% in Total Viewers (7.9 million vs. 7.0 million) and by 30% in Adults 18-49 (3.0/9 vs. 2.3/7).

�Freddie� (8:30-9:00 p.m.)

Building on its lead-in for the second week in a row in viewers and young adults, ABC�s second telecast of �Freddie� won its time period in the key Adult 18-49 sales demographic (3.5/9) for the second straight week, beating Fox�s �MLB Baseball Playoffs� on both occasions. Like its lead-in, �Freddie� beat out its comedy competition in its time period (CBS� �Yes, Dear�) by solid margins in Total Viewers (+7% - 8.1 million vs. 7.6 million) and Adults 18-49 (+35% - 3.5/9 vs. 2.6/7).

�Lost� (9:00-10:00 p.m.)

ABC�s �Lost� posted a dominant victory in its time period competition, surpassing second-place Fox�s MLB Baseball Playoff game between Houston and St Louis by 7.2 million viewers (21.4 million vs. 14.2 million) and by 111% in Adults 18-49 (9.3/22 vs. 4.4/11).

� The sophomore ABC drama was the highest-rated television program on Wednesday in viewers and young adults for the fifth straight week.

� Opposite the deciding sixth game of professional baseball�s 2005 National League Championship Series, �Lost� delivered the series� second-highest rating ever among Adults 18-34 (8.2/22) and hit it highest-ever rating among Men 18-34 (7.5/22 - tie).

�Invasion� (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

Versus its NBC and CBS drama competition, ABC�s �Invasion� took a close second in the 10 o�clock hour among Adults 18-49, just one-tenth of a rating point out of a tie for first place with CBS� �C.S.I.: NY� (4.7/12 vs. 4.8/12). The ABC freshman drama won the time period among Adults 18-34 (4.4/12), topping Fox�s playoff baseball coverage (4.0/12), NBC�s �Law & Order� (3.4/10) and CBS� �C.S.I.: NY� (3.8/11). �Invasion� was the second-highest-rated show of the night in Adults 18-34, trailing only �Lost.�

� Behind only its debut telecast, ABC�s �Invasion� marked the series� second-highest numbers to date among Women 18-34 (4.813) and Women 18-49 (5.4/13).

� On average �Invasion� has improved ABC�s performance in the hour by 38% in Total Viewers (12.6 million vs. 9.1 million), by 37% in Adults 18-49 (5.2/13 vs. 3.8/10) and by 40% in Adults 25-54 (6.0/14 vs. 4.3/10) over the Net�s average with original regular programming last season.

Sunday

ABC was the No. 1 network on Sunday for the fifth straight week, leading second-place Fox, with its coverage of the �2005 World Series Game 2,� in both Total Viewers and Adults 18-49. ABC beat Fox�s primetime coverage of the 2005 World Series in both in Total Viewers (16.3 million vs. 6.1 million) and Adults 18-49 (6.8/16 vs. 5.2/13). For the third week in a row ABC won the night across all key demographic categories, including Total Viewers, Adults (AD18-34/AD18-49/AD25-54), Teens 12-17 and Kids 2-11.

� ABC was up from same night last year by 2.4 million viewers and by 17% in Adults 18-49, when it also faced Game 2 of the World Series on Fox (13.9 million & 5.8/14 on 10/24/04).

� ABC�s �Desperate Housewives� and �Grey�s Anatomy� stood as the Top 2 TV programs on Sunday in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, respectively.

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

From 7-8pm, �America�s Funniest Home Videos� was the top non-sports show in the hour among Total Viewers (9.0 million) and Adults 18-49 (2.8/8).

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

Surging from its lead-in and gaining audience against the World Series, ABC�s repeat installment of �Extreme Makeover: Home Edition� ranked as the No. 1 show in its hour, beating the World Series across the key adult demographics (AD 18-34 � 4.5/12, AD 18-49 � 5.1/12 and AD 25-54 � 5.7/12) among Teens 12-17 (3.3/10) and Kids 2-11 (3.5/12).

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

The No. 1 show on Sunday night for the fifth week in a row in viewers and young adults, ABC�s �Desperate Housewives� (25.2 million & 11.0/24) beat the World Series (17.8 million & 5.8/13) in the time period by wide margins to dominate the hour in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49.

� �Desperate Housewives� was up sharply from the same night last year (21.5 million & 9.7/21 on 10/24/04), when it also faced the second game of the World Series.

�Grey�s Anatomy� (10:01-11:00 p.m.)

With its best lead-in audience retention of the season, ABC�s �Grey�s Anatomy� won the 10 o�clock hour, beating the World Series. Against its entertainment competition, ABC�s �Grey�s Anatomy� outdrew NBC�s �Crossing Jordan� by 5.9 million viewers (18.0 million vs. 12.1 million) and overshadowed its combined NBC and CBS competition by 43% in Adults 18-49 (8.3/20 vs. 5.8/13). The ABC sophomore drama also topped the combined NBC and CBS Adult 25-54 numbers during the final hour of the night by 28% (9.2/20 vs. 7.2/15).

Source: Nielsen Media Research, week of 10/17/05, or as dated.





  [october 2005]  
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· AMAZING RACE, THE (CBS)
· AMERICAN IDOL (ABC)
· AMERICA'S FUNNIEST HOME VIDEOS (ABC)
· BOSTON LEGAL (ABC)
· CLOSE TO HOME (CBS)
· COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF (ABC)
· CROSSING JORDAN (NBC)
· CSI: NEW YORK (CBS)
· DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES (ABC)
· EXTREME MAKEOVER: HOME EDITION (HGTV)
· FREDDIE (ABC)
· GEORGE LOPEZ SHOW, THE (ABC)
· 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)
· STACKED (FOX)
· STILL STANDING (CBS)
· SURFACE (NBC)
· WIFE SWAP (PARAMOUNT)
· YES, DEAR (CBS)





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