Quick Take for Friday, September 29, 2006 (Based on Fast Affiliate Ratings)

ABC Equals its Top Friday Adult 18-49 Performance Since the Middle of May and its Best Adult 18-34 Number since Early April

Building Solidly on its Lead-in, "Men in Trees" Defeats CBS' "Close to Home" from 9-10pm in Women 18-34 and Men 18-34

Marking a Series-High in Men 18-34, "Men in Trees" Generates ABC's Strongest Rating in the Hour with Regular Programming in Over 7 Months

An Edition of "20/20" Exploring the Gender Gap and the Differences Between Male and Female Brains is Up Across the Adult Demographics, Equaling The ABC Newsmagazine's Top Young Adult Numbers in Over 4 Months

Friday Night (8:00-11:00 p.m.)

With programming that included a repeat of "Grey's Anatomy," an original episode of "Men in Trees" and an installment of "20/20" on the difference between the brains of men and women, ABC took second place on Friday among Women 18-34 (2.2/8 - tied w/CBS).

* The Network equaled its best Adult 18-49 delivery (2.2/7) on the evening since the middle of May and its matched its top Adult 18-34 number (1.7/7) on the evening since early April - since 5/19/06 and 4/7/06, respectively.

"Men in Trees" (9:00-10:00 p.m.)

Opposite competition in the time period, including CBS' "Close to Home" and NBC's "Dateline: To Catch a Predator," ABC's "Men in Trees" continued to build nicely on its lead-in again this week (a repeat "Grey's Anatomy"), increasing by 1.2 million viewers (6.9 million vs. 5.7 million) and by 11% in Adults 18-49 (2.1/7 vs. 1.9/7). The new ABC drama was very competitive in the hour with young adult viewers, beating CBS' "Close to Home" in both Women 18-34 (2.0/7 vs. 1.9/7) and Men 18-34 (1.1/5 vs. 1.0/5).

* "Men in Trees" produced a series-high among Men 18-34, marking ABC's top rating in the hour with regular programming in nearly 7 months - since 3/3/06.

* On average, "Men in Trees" has improved ABC's delivery in the Friday 9 o'clock hour 2.1 million viewers (7.8 million vs. 5.7 million) and by 16% in Adults 18-49 (2.2/7 vs. 1.9/6), over the same three weeks last year.

"20/20" (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

An edition of "20/20" on the gender gap in the 10 o'clock hour, looking at the differences between male and female brains, the brainwork behind sex, as well as questioning some common myths between the sexes, tied NBC's "Law & Order" in Men 18-34 (1.4/6) and beat out CBS' "Numbers" in Women 18-34 (2.4/8 vs. 2.2/8). The ABC newsmagazine built on its lead-in by 9% in Total Viewers (7.5 million vs. 6.9 million) and by 24% in Adults 18-49 (2.6/8 vs. 2.1/7).

* "20/20" was up solidly from the prior week across the adult demographics: AD18-34 +27% (1.9/7 vs. 1.5/6), AD18-49 +18% (2.6/8 vs. 2.2/7) & AD25-54 +7% (3.0/8 vs. 2.8/8). The ABC newsmagazine matched its top Adult 18-34 and Adult 18-49 deliveries in over 4 months - since 5/12/06 and 5/19/06, respectively.

Source: Nielsen Media Research (Fast Affiliate Ratings, Live+SD), 9/29/06