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
[07/03/25 - 02:33 PM]
ABC News Same-Day Primetime Special "Verdict: The Diddy Trial" Is No. 1 in Adults 18-49 and Adults 25-54
Versus the competition in the time period, "Verdict: The Diddy Trial" outperformed NBC by +40% in Adults 18-49 (212,000 vs. 151,000) and +22% in Adults 25-54.

[07/02/25 - 06:44 PM]
Tyler Perry's "Divorced Sistas" Quickly Rises to Become BET+'s Most Watched Original Series in Platform History
Just halfway through the eight-episode season, existing subscribers and new fans of the show have boosted the drama series to the most-watched series premiere on BET+ in just three weeks.

[07/02/25 - 02:38 PM]
Hallmark Channel Earns #1 Most-Watched Network on Weekends Throughout June with "Passport to Love" Programming Event
"Passport to Love" helped elevate Hallmark Channel to be the #1 most-watched network on weekends throughout the month of June.

[07/01/25 - 12:01 PM]
Top 10 Week of June 23: "Squid Game" Season 3 Takes Over with Record-Breaking Global Debut at No. 1
"The Waterfront" was a Top 10 hit once more as the No. 1 series on the English TV list (11.6 million views).

[07/01/25 - 10:26 AM]
ESPN Formula 1 Viewership Notes After Austrian Grand Prix
ESPN's live telecast on Sunday, June 29, averaged 1.1 million viewers, a two percent gain over last year's race and the largest audience ever for the event on U.S. television.

[07/01/25 - 09:16 AM]
ESPN's "Sunday Night Baseball" Featuring the Minnesota Twins vs. Detroit Tigers Averaged 2 Million Viewers - Up 66% from Last Year's Comparable Game
The audience peaked with 2,304,000 viewers in the 9:15 p.m. ET quarter hour.

[06/27/25 - 02:29 PM]
"Live with Kelly and Mark" Gears Up for Summer Rising Week to Week in All Key Measures
Wednesday, June 11, was the most-viewed day of the week among Total Viewers (2.164 million).

[06/27/25 - 10:31 AM]
"Jimmy Kimmel Live" Tops Late-Night in Adults 18-49 for Third Week in a Row
Winning three of five nights in Kimmel's final week before summer guest hosts, Thursday, June 19, was the show's strongest night among Adults 18-49 (0.35 rating).

[06/25/25 - 11:55 AM]
Prime Video Finishes Groundbreaking First Season of Exclusive NASCAR Coverage
According to Nielsen, NASCAR on Prime posted a season average of 2.16 million viewers (AMA P2+) across five events, and attracted droves of younger viewers to its live coverage.

[06/25/25 - 07:58 AM]
ABC News Primetime Special "Karen Read: The Verdict - A Special Edition of 20/20" Ranks #1 Across All of Broadcast and Cable in Adults 18-49
Plus: "Karen Read: The Verdict" placed No. 1 based on views among all titles on Hulu on Thursday (6/19), Friday (6/20) and Saturday (6/21).

[06/24/25 - 03:03 PM]
ABC News' "Nightline" Ranks No. 1 in All Key Target Demos 18-49 vs. CBS' "After Midnight" and NBC's "Late Night with Seth Meyers" for 2nd Consecutive Week, and Claims Top Spot in Total Viewers for the 5th Straight Week
On Monday (6/16/25), "Nightline" scored its most-watched telecast (1.112 million) in 5 months.

[06/24/25 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10 Week of June 16: "Tyler Perry's Straw" Leads Top 10 for Third Week, "The Waterfront" Swims to No. 1
Plus: "Ginny & Georgia" Season 3 racked up another 8.1 million views and felt peachy keen at No. 2, while Season 2 landed at No. 8 and Season 1 at No. 10, with an additional 2.7 million views each.

[06/24/25 - 08:42 AM]
Third Most-Watched WNBA Game Ever on ESPN: Indiana Fever vs Las Vegas Aces Averaged 1.7 Million Viewers, Up 52% from Last Year's ESPN Average
Said coverage peaked at 2.2 million viewers.

[06/23/25 - 12:09 PM]
Indiana Pacers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder Game 7 on ABC and ESPN+ Is Most-Watched NBA Finals Game in Six Years
The seven-game series averaged 10,266,000 viewers and delivered the seven most-watched broadcasts on all of television since the first week of May.

[06/18/25 - 09:01 AM]
Murder Mystery May Drives Acorn TV to the Most Successful Month In Its History
Total hours watched surpassed 20 million for the first time in Acorn TV history, with unique engaged subscribers also achieving an all-time high, up double digits from the streamer's average over the past 12 months.