or


[05/31/06 - 12:00 AM]
Primetime Ratings Report for the Week of May 22-28, 2006

[via press release from ABC]

Primetime Ratings Report For the week of May 22-28, 2006

Growing its Viewer and Young Adult Audience from the Same Week Last Year, ABC Takes Second Place During the Week Across the Adult Demographics

ABC Concludes the Official 2005-06 TV Season with its Strongest Results in 5 Years and as the Only Network to Grow its Adult 18-49 Audience Year to Year

No. 1 with Women, �Oprah Winfrey�s Legends Ball� Produces ABC�s Largest Non-Sports Audience in the Monday 8-9pm Hour Since March 2003, Along with its Strongest Women Ratings in the Time Slot in Close to 3-1/2 Years

�Stephen King�s Desperation� Outperforms its NBC Movie Competition on Tuesday, Bringing ABC its Top Viewer and Young Adult Numbers on the Evening in 6 Weeks

In Viewers and Young Adults, Wednesday�s �Lost� Finale Produces ABC�s Strongest Non-Sports Performance in the Time Period Since September

Surging from its Lead-in and Throughout its Season Ender, ABC�s �Lost� Posts its Best Delivery Against �Idol� This Season and the Series� Strongest Numbers Since February

ABC Wins the First Post-Season Friday in Adults 18-49, as the Theatrical �Freaky Friday� and ABC News� �20/20� Each Hold the No. 1 Positions in Their Time Periods

ABC�s All Repeat Lineup Takes Second on Sunday to Fox�s NASCAR Coverage in Adults 18-49, with a Repeat of �Grey�s� Ranking as the No. 1 Regular Show at 10pm

WEEK No. 36:

During the week spanning the final three nights of the official 2005-06 TV Season and the first four nights of the post-season, ABC earned second place to Fox across each of the key adult measures: Adults 18-34 (2.2/7), Adults 18-49 (2.7/8) and Adults 25-54 (3.1/9 � tied w/CBS).

� ABC was up from the same week last year in Total Viewers (7.3 million vs. 7.2 million) and Adults 18-49 (2.7/8 vs. 2.6/8).

� ABC finished the official 2005-06 Television Season taking second place among Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, with its second consecutive year of gains on both counts: Total Viewers (+7% -10.8 million vs. 10.1 million) and Adults 18-49 (+8% - 4.0/11 vs. 3.7/10). ABC was the only network to increase audience over last season in the key Adult 18-49 sales demographic. The Network drew its largest audience and highest Adult 18-49 rating in 5 years � since the 2000-01 television season.

Rankings: ABC aired 4 of the week�s Top 20 TV programs among Adults 18-49: �Lost� � No. 4, �Oprah Winfrey�s Legends Ball� � No. 11, �Lost SP - 5/24 (clip show)� � No. 16 and �Alias SP - 5/22 (series finale)� � No. 18. In addition, �Lost� (No. 4) and �Oprah Winfrey�s Legends Ball� (No. 13) were among the Top 15 most-watched television programs during the week. ABC News� �Primetime� and �20/20� tied as the highest-rated newsmagazine for the week in Adults 18-49 and Adults 25-54.

Monday

Boosted by a strong turn-out for �Oprah Winfrey�s Legends Ball,� ABC�s primetime delivery was up from the same night last May Sweep (5/23/05) by 2.1 million viewers (8.3 million vs. 6.2 million) and by 35% in Adults 18-49 (3.1/8 vs. 2.3/6).

�Oprah Winfrey�s Legends Ball� (8:00-9:00 p.m.)

ABC�s telecast of �Oprah Winfrey�s Legends Ball� ranked a strong No. 1 in its time period across each of the key women demographics (W18-34 � 5.3/14, W18-49 � 5.8/15 and W25-54 � 6.7/16), beating season finale programming on CBS (�King of Queens�/�Old Christine�) and Fox (�24�), along with NBC�s �Deal or No Deal.�

� �Oprah Winfrey�s Legends Ball� attracted ABC�s largest non-sports audience (11.6 million) in the time period since March of 2003 (since 3/17/03). The Oprah Winfrey special delivered ABC�s highest ratings in the hour in close to 3-1/2 years among Women 18-34, Women 18-49 and Women 25-54 � since 1/13/03.

�Alias� (9:00-11:00 p.m.)

In its series finale, ABC�s �Alias� delivered its highest rating of the season among Adults 18-34 (2.5/6), while matching its top number this season among and Adults 18-49 (2.7/6).

Tuesday

�ABC Premiere Event: Stephen King�s Desperation� (8:00 -11:00 p.m.)

The �ABC Premiere Event� presentation of �Stephen King�s Desperation� drew 7.5 million viewers and posted a 2.5 rating, 7 share among Adults 18-49 on average during its telecast. ABC was up by 1.7 million viewers and by 25% among Adults 18-49 compared to the Net�s performance the same night last May (5.8 million & 2.0/5 on 5/24/06).

� �Stephen King�s Desperation� brought ABC its highest Adults 18-49 performance on the night in 6 weeks � since 4/11/06.

� �Stephen King�s Desperation� outperformed its movie competition on the night, NBC�s �10.5: Apocalypse � Part 2,� (6.5 million & 2.2/6 from 9:00-11:00 p.m.) by 1.0 million viewers and by 14% among Adults 18-49.

Wednesday

Taking second to �Idol�-driven Fox on the night, ABC attracted its largest non-sports Wednesday night audience (14.7 million) and highest Adult 18-49 number (6.1/15) on the evening in 8 months � since 9/28/05.

�Lost: Reckoning� (8:00-9:00 p.m.)

A replay of �Lost: Reckoning,� a clip-show recapping the season, marked ABC�s top ratings in the time period in 4 months among Total Viewers (8.4 million) and Adult 18-49 (3.2/9). ABC earned second to Fox in the hour, opposite the first hour of the �American Idol� season finale.

�Lost� (9:00-11:00 p.m.)

Going up against the second hour of Fox�s �American Idol� season finale, ABC�s �Lost� doubled its lead-in, grew throughout its 2-hour telecast to attract an average audience of 17.8 million viewers and a 7.6 rating, 18 share in Adults 18-49 from 9:00-11:00 p.m. ABC�s �Lost� held second place to Fox�s �Idol� during the 9 o�clock hour, and then went on to rank a dominant No. 1 during the 10 o�clock hour, beating the combined deliveries of CBS and NBC by 3.1 million viewers (19.2 million vs. 16.1 million) and by 59% in Adults 18-49 (8.1/21 vs. 5.1/12).

� The sophomore season finale of �Lost� generated ABC�s biggest non-sports audience and top Adult 18-49 rating in the 2-hour time period since September 2005, its second-highest numbers of the season � best since 9/21/05. In Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, �Lost� marked its strongest performance of the season, when going head-to-head against �American Idol,� with its highest numbers in more than 3 months � since 2/15/06. The show marked its highest Adult 18-34 rating (6.6/17) in over 4 months � since 1/18/06.

� Doubling its lead-in against �Idol,� �Lost� grew in each half-hour of its 2-hour telecast, gaining 3.3 million viewers (16.3 million to 19.6 million) and 19% and Adults 18-49 (7.0/16 to 8.3/21) from its first half-hour to its final half-hour.

� ABC�s �Lost� qualified as TV�s No. 1 scripted program on Wednesday in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49. The ABC sophomore series has been the top-rated scripted program on Wednesday in the key Adult 18-49 sales demographic in all 23 of its original telecasts this season.

Friday

ABC won the first post-TV season Friday night among Adults 18-49 (2.1/7) and Adults 18-34 (1.7/7).

�ABC Friday Movie of the Week: Freaky Friday� (8:00-10:00 p.m.)

�Freaky Friday,� starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan, drew 5.8 million viewers and a 2.0 rating, 7 share among Adults 18-49, winning its time period on the latter measure. The 2003 theatrical also led its 2-hour time period in Adults 18-34 (1.7/7), Teens 12-17 (1.7/8) and Kids 2-11 (1.8/8).

� The movie attracted viewers throughout its telecast. It gained 2.1 million viewers (5.0 million to 7.1 million) and 93% in Adults 18-49 (1.4/6 to 2.7/9) from its first to its final half-hour.

�20/20� (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

In the final hour of prime, �20/20� ranked No. 1 in Adults 18-49 (2.3/8) and Adults 18-34 (1.6/6).

Sunday

ABC�s all repeat lineup placed second on Sunday night among Adults 18-49 (1.9/7), behind Fox�s NASCAR coverage, which ran throughout prime into the 10 o�clock hour. ABC led the evening -- beating Fox -- in each of the key women demographics: Women 18-34 (1.9/7), Women 18-49 (2.4/8) and Women 25-54 (2.8/9).

�Grey�s Anatomy� (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

A repeat episode of ABC�s �Grey�s Anatomy� was the top non-sports program of the hour in Total Viewers (6.4 million) and Adults 18-49 (2.2/7). It won the hour, ahead of Fox�s NASCAR, across the key women demographics: Women 18-34 (2.4/8), Women 18-49 (3.2/10) and Women 25-54 (3.6/10).

Source: Nielsen Media Research (Live+SD), week of 5/22/06, or as dated.





  [may 2006]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
 


· 10.5: APOCALYPSE (NBC)
· 20/20 (ABC)
· 24 (FOX)
· ALIAS (ABC)
· AMERICAN IDOL (ABC)
· DEAL OR NO DEAL (CNBC)
· GREY'S ANATOMY (ABC)
· KING OF QUEENS, THE (CBS)
· LOST (ABC)
· NEW ADVENTURES OF OLD CHRISTINE, THE (CBS)
· STEPHEN KING'S DESPERATION (ABC)
· WHAT WOULD YOU DO? (ABC)





most recent ratings | view all posts
[09/12/25 - 02:43 PM]
"The Groomsmen: First Look" Launches Hallmark Channel's "Fall Into Love" Seasonal Stunt with Chart-Topping Ratings
The film was the #1 most-watched entertainment cable program on Saturday among Households, Women 18+, Persons 18+, and Total Viewers.

[09/12/25 - 05:31 AM]
ESPN Networks Deliver Most-Watched WNBA Regular Season Ever
ESPN networks aired eight of the top 10 most-watched WNBA games during the 2025 season, highlighted by its most-watched WNBA game ever - 2.7 million viewers for Chicago Sky at Indiana Fever on May 17 (ABC).

[09/10/25 - 02:09 PM]
ESPN Delivers Most Viewed Tennis Telecast of the Year and Most Viewed US Open Since 2022
The Men's Championship averaged 3 million viewers on ABC, up 82% vs. 2024 while the Women's Championship averaged 2.4 million on ESPN, up 50% vs. 2024.

[09/09/25 - 03:43 PM]
On Pace for Record Year, ESPN Formula 1 Viewership Earns 10th Event High of '25 Season
F1 races are averaging 1.4M viewers this season across ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC, ahead of the all-time series record average of 1.21M that was set in 2022.

[09/09/25 - 03:29 PM]
ABC Scores Three of the Top Four Best Audiences of College Football's Week 2; "College GameDay" Delivers Second Most-Watched Regular Season Show on Record
Michigan/Oklahoma (9.7 million viewers) was ABC's most-viewed Week 2 game since 2006.

[09/09/25 - 03:17 PM]
FOX's "Big Noon Saturday" & "Big Noon Kickoff" Up Big Through Week 2
Iowa-Iowa State scored 4,278,000 viewers on FOX, most-watched game in the noon window.

[09/09/25 - 02:26 PM]
NBC Sports Posts Largest Two-Game NFL Kickoff Weekend Audience in a Decade & Second Best All-Time, Averaging 26.5 Million Viewers Across NBC & Peacock
NBC's 2025 NFL Kickoff Weekend average viewership trailed only 2015, as Steelers-Patriots in NFL Kickoff '15 and Cowboys-Giants in the Sunday night opener averaged 27.2 million viewers.

[09/09/25 - 02:01 PM]
FOX NFL Delivers Most-Watched Week 1 NFL Singleheader on Any Network Since 2015
17.9 million viewers tuned in to watch Sunday's FOX NFL singleheader - the most-watched Week 1 NFL singleheader on any network since 2015.

[09/09/25 - 01:43 PM]
"20/20" Ranks No. 1 Across the Board for Friday, Sept. 5
Airing against NFL competition on YouTube and U.S. Open Tennis on ESPN, "20/20" turned in its strongest Adults 25-54 performance since June and best Total Viewer and Adults 18-49 numbers since July.

[09/09/25 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10 Week of September 1: "Wednesday" Season 2 Does the Dead Dance to No. 1 in Top 10
"My Life with the Walter Boys" collectively brought in another 10.9 million views, putting the series at No. 2 on the English TV list.

[09/09/25 - 07:00 AM]
TLC's "90 Day: Hunt for Love" Draws Over 11.6M Viewers Across Platforms
The series emerged as one of the network's most-watched new titles of the year and currently ranks as the #2 freshman series on cable in 2025 to date among P/W25-54.

[09/08/25 - 02:45 PM]
The "2025 MTV Video Music Awards" Delivers Its Largest Television Audience Since 2019, Up +42% from Last Year
The telecast was seen by more than 5.5 million viewers on the CBS Television Network, simulcast on MTV and streaming on Paramount+.

[09/08/25 - 09:40 AM]
Cowboys-Eagles on NBC & Peacock Is 2nd Most-Watched NFL Kickoff Game
The exciting back-and-forth put the Eagles ahead 21-20 at halftime and averaged 34.3 million viewers on NBC and Peacock from 9:30-9:45 p.m. ET (late second quarter) - marking the largest peak audience ever for an NFL Kickoff Game.

[09/05/25 - 09:01 AM]
ESPN Networks Command Historic Viewership with Second Most-Watched Labor Day Weekend in at Least 30 Years
From Saturday, August 30 through Monday, September 1, fans consumed 16.8 billion minutes across ABC, ESPN and ESPN2, up 25 percent year-over-year.

[09/03/25 - 04:14 PM]
"Big Noon Kickoff" Scores Monster Week 1 Audience on FOX
Starting at 11:00 AM ET, "Big Noon Kickoff" scored 3,756,000 viewers on FOX.