Primetime Ratings Report For the week of October 16, 2006
ABC is No. 1 in Adults 18-49 for the 5th Week in a Row and is Up Over the Same Week Last Year in the Key Sales Demo Even Without �MNF� This Year
In Adults 18-49, ABC is Off to the Most Competitive Start for Any Network
In 5 Years and is Delivering its Longest Winning Streak in 6-1/2 Years
ABC Airs 8 of the Top 20 TV Program for the Week in Adults 18-49,
Including 4 of the Top 5; Net Places 4 of the Top 5 Most-Watched Shows
ABC�s �Wife Swap� Hits Season Highs Monday at 8pm in Viewers and Adults 18-49
�The Bachelor: Rome� Delivers Season Highs in Viewers and Young Adults
Achieving Monday Highs Across the Board, ABC�s �What About Brian�
Beats NBC�s �Studio 60� in the Key Adult 18-49 Sales Demographic
ABC�s �Dancing with the Stars� Tallies Season Highs, Standing as
Tuesday�s No. 1 TV Program in Total Viewers and Across the Adult Demos
�Help Me Help You� Marks its Best Viewer and Young Adult Numbers Since its Debut
ABC�s �Boston Legal� Sees its Strongest Performance Since its Season Opener
Growing its Audience for the Fourth Week in a Row, �DWTS the Results Show�
Leads on Wednesday and Continues to Hit Series Highs in Viewers and Young Adults
For the Third Consecutive Week, ABC�s �Lost� is Wednesday�s No. 1 TV
Show in Adults 25-54, Adults 18-49, Adults 18-34 and Among Teens 12-17
ABC�s �The Nine� Grows Week to Week in Adults 18-34 and with Key Women
ABC�s �Ugly Betty� Cuts into CBS� �Survivor� in Viewers and Young Adults,
Growing its Audience Week to Week Among Adults 18-49, Adults 18-34 and Men
ABC�s �Grey�s Anatomy� Draws More Viewers than �C.S.I.� for the 4th Time in
5 Weeks, Dominating the CBS Drama in Adults 18-49 for the 5th Week in a Row
For the 5th Straight Week, ABC Airs Sunday�s No. 1 TV Program in Total Viewers
And Adults 18-49, as �Desperate Housewives� Tops Fox�s 2006 World Series Game 2
ABC Claims Sunday�s Top 3 Entertainment Series in the Key Adult 18-49 Sales Demo
WEEK No. 5:
During the week of October 16, 2006, ABC ranked No. 1 in the key Adult 18-49 sales demographic for the fifth week in a row. Among Adults 18-49, ABC (4.0/11) bested the second-place networks by 5% (CBS � 3.8/10 and Fox � 3.8/11 tied in rating) and outpaced fourth-place NBC by 25% (3.2/9). ABC also led its fifth straight week among Adults 18-34 (3.2/10) and across each of the women demographics: W18-34 (4.2/13), W18-49 (5.3/14) & W25-54 (6.2/15). Disney-owned ABC remained the highest-rated broadcaster for the week with Teens 12-17 (2.0/7) and Kids 2-11 (1.5/6). ABC aired the No. 1 TV programs on 4 nights of the week (Tuesday � �Dancing with the Stars,� Wednesday � �Lost,� Thursday � �Grey�s Anatomy� and Sunday � �Desperate Housewives�). It also claimed the most-watched television shows on all 4 evenings.
� Even without the advantage of �Monday Night Football� in its averages year, ABC was up over the same week last year in both Total Viewers (11.2 million vs. 10.5 million) and Adults 18-49 (4.0/11 vs. 3.9/11). It was the fifth consecutive week that ABC has been up over the comparable year-ago week in Total Viewers.
� In holding the No. 1 position in Adults 18-49 on each of the first five weeks of the season, ABC is delivering its most competitive start to a TV Season in at least 15 years -- preceding the start of the Nielsen electronic database in September of 1991. In addition, ABC is off to the best season start for any television network in 5 years � since beginning of the �01-02 TV Season, when NBC also ranked No. 1 during the opening 5 weeks. ABC is also in the middle of its longest winning streak during the course of a television season in over 6 years � since a streak during spring 2000, during the weeks of 2/21-4/17/00, when �Millionaire� was running hot.
� Excluding sports from the season averages to adjust for the loss of �MNF,� ABC�s primetime performance is outrunning last season by 16% in Total Viewers (12.3 million vs. 10.6 million), by 10% in Adults 18-49 (4.4/12 vs. 4.0/11) and by 13% in Adults 18-34 (3.6/11 vs. 3.2/10) over the first five weeks of last season.
� ABC aired 8 of the week�s Top 10 English language TV programs among Hispanic Adults 18-49: �Grey�s� � No. 1, �Housewives� � No. 2, �DWTS� and �Lost� tied at No. 3, �What About Brian� � No. 6, with �Ugly Betty,� �DWTS the Results Show� and �Brothers & Sisters� tied at No. 8. The only non-ABC shows in the Top 10 were Fox�s �MLB NLCS Game 7� (No. 5) and CBS� �C.S.I.� (No. 6).
Weekly Rankings: ABC aired 8 of the week�s Top 20 TV series in Adults 18-49, including 4 of the Top 5 programs: �Grey�s Anatomy� � No. 1, �Desperate Housewives� � No. 2, �Lost� � No. 4, �Dancing with the Stars� � No. 5, �DWTS the Results Show� � No. 15, �Extreme Makeover: Home Edition� and �Brothers & Sisters� tied at No. 16 and �Ugly Betty� � No. 20. The Network claimed 4 of the Top 5 most-watched TV programs during the week: �Grey�s Anatomy� � No. 1 (fourth time in 5 weeks), �Dancing with the Stars� � No. 2 (highest rank yet this season), �Desperate Housewives� � No. 4 and �DWTS the Results Show� � No. 5. ABC�s �Dancing with the Stars� stood as TV�s No. 1 unscripted program of the week in both Total Viewers and Adults 18-49. Additionally, �Grey�s Anatomy� and �Desperate Housewives� stood as the Top 2 TV program of the week in each of the key adult (A18-34/A18-49/A25-54) and women demos (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54). ABC�s broad appealing �Extreme Makeover: Home Edition� and �Dancing with the Stars� qualified as the Top 2 broadcasts for the week with Kids 2-11.
Monday
With �Wife Swap� leading into �The Bachelor: Rome,� followed by �What About Brian� at 10:00 p.m., ABC produced its largest Monday night audience (8.0 million) and top Adult 18-49 rating (3.3/8) with regular programming on the night since early May -- since 5/1/06. For the second straight week, ABC hit Monday season highs in each of the women demographics. ABC ranked as the No. 1 Network on Monday night among Women 18-34 (4.4/12).
� ABC surged from its delivery on the same night last year by +29% in Women 18-34 (4.4/12 vs. 3.4/10), by +20% in Women 18-49 (4.8/11 vs. 4.0/10) and by +18% in Women 25-54 (5.2/12 vs. 4.4/10), a night which included a �Monday Night Football� game (St. Louis at Indianapolis) and an episode of �Wife Swap.�
�Wife Swap� (8:00-9:00 p.m.)
�Wife Swap� gave ABC a solid start from 8:00-9:00 p.m., taking second place in the hour among Adults 18-34 (2.9/9) and Adults 18-49 (3.3/9).
� �Wife Swap� delivered a season high in the 8 o'clock hour among Total Viewers (8.1 million) and across the adult demos: AD18-34 (2.9/9), AD18-49 (3.3/9) and AD25-54 (3.6/9).
�The Bachelor: Rome� (9:00-10:00 p.m.)
From 9:00-10:00 p.m. �The Bachelor� built on its lead-in and grew by 10% in Total Viewers and by 9% in Adults 18-49 from start to finish. �The Bachelor: Rome� took second place in its time period with its core audience of Women 18-34 (4.5/11), beating CBS' comedies by 13% (�Two and a Half Men�/�Old Christine� � 4.0/10).
� Hitting season highs, ABC's �The Bachelor: Rome� was from the prior week by 10% in Total Viewers (8.7 million vs. 7.9 million) and by 6% in Adults 18-49 (3.3/8 vs. 3.1/7).
�What About Brian� (10:00-11:00 p.m.)
ABC�s �What About Brian� beat NBC's �Studio 60� during the 10 o'clock hour by 3% among Adults 18-49 (3.2/8 vs. 3.1/8) and by a more substantial 28% in Adults 18-34 (3.2/9 vs. 2.5/7). The NBC drama sank to new lows in viewers and young adults.
� Growing from its week-earlier season premiere, �What About Brian� achieved its largest-ever Monday audience (7.3 million), matched its high among Adults 18-49 (3.2/8) and hit a new Monday high with Adults 18-34 (3.2/9).
� ABC's �What About Brian� retained an impressive 97% of its Adult 18-49 lead-in from �The Bachelor� (3.2/8 vs. 3.3/8) and built on its lead-in by 10% in Adults 18-34 (3.2/9 vs. 2.9/7).
Tuesday
ABC dominated on Tuesday night, beating its closest competition by 2.9 million viewers (16.0 million vs. 13.1 million - CBS) and by 21% in Adults 18-49 (4.6/12 vs. 3.8/10 - NBC). The Net marked its 6th straight Tuesday as the most-watched TV network, and was the top-rated net on the night in Adults 18-49 on 5 of the past 6 Tuesdays.
� Growing by 6% in Total Viewers and 7% in Adults 18-49 from the previous week (15.1 million & 4.3/11 on 10/3/06), ABC matched its strongest Tuesday performance this season -- tied with season premiere Tuesday on 9/26/06.
� ABC�s Tuesday night numbers are up sharply over last season. Compared to the same point a year ago, ABC�s Tuesday delivery has increased by 32% in Total Viewers (15.1 million vs. 11.4 million) and by 26% in Adults 18-49 (4.3/11 vs. 3.4/9).
�Dancing with the Stars� (8:00-9:31 p.m.)
Tuesday's No. 1 TV program in viewers and young adults, ABC's �Dancing with the Stars� continued to lead its time period by wide margins. In its time period, ABC�s �DWTS� outpaced second-place CBS by 44% in Total Viewers (21.3 million vs. 14.7 million) and by 58% in Adults 18-49 (6.0/16 vs. 3.8/10). �DWTS� qualified as Tuesday�s most-watched program for the 6th straight week and was once again the night�s No. 1 TV show among Adults 18-34 (4.6/13), Adults 18-49 (6.0/16) and Adults 25-54 (7.4/17).
� �Dancing with the Stars� garnered season highs in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, representing the series� third-strongest performance ever, behind only its two previous season finales.
� �DWTS� continued to produce ABC�s largest non-sports audience in the time period in well over 6 years and its top Adult 18-49 numbers in nearly 3 years � since 5/16/00 and 11/4/03, respectively.
�Help Me Help You� (9:31-10:01 p.m.)
ABC�s �Help Me Help You� took second place in its half-hour among Women 18-49 (4.3/10) and Women 25-54 (5.6/12).
� �Help Me Help You� was up over the prior week in Total Viewers (10.3 million vs. 9.9 million) and Adults 18-49 (3.1/8 vs. 3.0/8), with its best numbers since its debut telecast (on 9/26/06).
�Boston Legal� (10:01-11:00 p.m.)
ABC's �Boston Legal� finished ahead of its CBS competition in the 10 o�clock hour among Total Viewers (10.8 million vs. 10.3 million) and Adults 18-49 (3.2/8 vs. 3.1/8).
� Posting its best numbers since its season opener on 9/19/06, ABC�s �Boston Legal� was up from the prior week by 7% in Total Viewers and by 10% in Adults 18-49 (10.1 million & 2.9/8 on 10/10/06).
Wednesday
ABC won its third straight Wednesday in the key Adult 18-49 sales demographic (4.9/13) and also stood as the most-watched TV network of the evening (14.6 million). Rounding out its top standings, ABC was also the No. 1 net on the night with Adults 18-34 (3.9/12) and Adults 25-54 (5.9/14).
� The Network was up week to week in Total Viewers (14.6 million vs. 14.5 million) and Adults 18-34 (3.9/12 vs. 3.7/11).
�Dancing with the Stars the Results Show� (8:00-9:00 p.m.)
Growing its Viewer and Adults 18-49 numbers for the fourth week in a row, ABC�s �Dancing with the Stars the Results Show� delivered the No. 1 position during Wednesday's 8 o'clock hour for the sixth straight week. From 8:00-9:00 p.m., �DWTS the Results Show� outpaced second-place CBS' �Jericho� by 8.3 million viewers (19.2 million vs. 10.9 million) and by 61% in Adults 18-49 (5.0/14 vs. 3.1/9). In the same hour, NBC�s second airings of �30 Rock� and �20 Good Years� declined from their week-ago premieres and continued to lose audience for NBC in the hour, as �20 Good Years� actually dropped into fifth place at 8:30 p.m. in viewers and young adults, behind CW�s �Top Model.� ABC�s �DWTS the Results Show� stood as Wednesday�s most-watched television program.
� ABC�s �Dancing� results program again achieved series highs in viewers and young adults, continuing to mark the Net�s largest non-sports audience in the time period since May 2005 and its top Adult 18-49 number since January 2006 � since 5/25/05 and 1/11/06, respectively.
�Lost� (9:00-10:01 p.m.)
The No. 1 TV program of the night in Adults 18-49 for the third straight week (on each of its telecasts this season), ABC's �Lost� towered over its nearest time period competition by 47% (6.6/16 vs. 4.5/11 � CBS� �Criminal Minds�). �Lost� (16.3 million) also drew a larger audience than �Criminal Minds� (16.2 million), as the two Touchstone-produced dramas combined to attract 32.5 million Total Viewers to the time period.
� For the third week in a row, �Lost� qualified as Wednesday�s No. 1 TV program across the key adult demos (AD18-34 � 5.7/16, AD18-49 � 6.6/16 and AD25-54 � 7.6/17) and among Teens 12-17 (3.5/12).
� �Lost� was up from the prior week by among Men 18-34 (5.0/15 vs. 4.7/14) and Women 25-54 (8.8/18 vs. 8.6/19)
�The Nine� (10:01-11:00 p.m.)
During the 10 o�clock hour, ABC's �The Nine� defeated NBC�s �Dateline� by nearly 1 million viewers (8.2 million vs. 7.3 million) and by 19% in Adults 18-49 (3.1/8 vs. 2.6/7).
� �The Nine� held 100% of its Adult 18-49 audience week to week and was up from the prior week among Adults 18-34 (2.3/7 vs. 2.1/6) and across all women demos: W18-34 (3.2/9 vs. 2.9/8), W18-49 (4.1/10 vs. 3.9/10) and W25-54 (4.7/11 vs. 4.6/11).
Thursday
For the fifth week in a row, ABC stood as Thursday�s No. 1 network in Adults 18-49, beating out second-place CBS by 5% (5.8/15 vs. 5.5/14). ABC also led the evening by solid margins among Adults 18-34 (5.3/15), across each of the key women demographics (W18-34 - 7.5/20, W18-49 - 8.2/20, & W25-54 � 9.0/19) and among Teens 12-17 (2.8/10).
� ABC is trending well ahead of its performance on Thursday night at the same point last year. ABC�s Thursday night delivery has jumped by 9.3 million viewers (15.9 million vs. 6.6 million) and by 195% in Adults 18-49 (6.2/16 vs. 2.1/6), over the same point last season.
�Ugly Betty� (8:00-9:00 p.m.)
Continuing to take a bite out of CBS� �Survivor� in Thursday�s 8 o�clock hour, ABC�s �Ugly Betty� delivered a solid second, pacing well ahead of NBC�s comedies (�My Name is Earl�/�The Office�) in Total Viewers (+4.7 million - 13.2 million vs. 8.5 million) and Adults 18-49 (+16% - 4.4/12 vs. 3.8/10). �Survivor� tallied its worst-ever viewer and young adult numbers for a fall telecast of the CBS reality series (15.0 million & 5.3/14), and has now marked its three lowest fall deliveries ever during the last three weeks. For its fourth straight telecast (on each of the series� airings), ABC�s �Betty� won the Thursday 8 o�clock hour among Women 18-34, besting second-place �Survivor� by 23% (5.3/15 vs. 4.3/12). The ABC freshman series also held the No. 1 position in the time period with Women 18-49 for the 3rd time in 4 telecasts (6.2/16).
� �Ugly Betty� was up from the prior week among Adults 18-49 (4.4/12 vs. 4.3/12) and Adults 18-34 (3.7/11 vs. 3.6/11). Although it aired against post-season MLB baseball on Fox, �Ugly Betty� was up across the key men demographics over the prior week: M18-34 (2.0/7 vs. 1.9/6), M18-49 (2.5/7 vs. 2.3/7) and M25-54 (2.9/8 vs. 2.8/7).
� Delivering strong tune-in for ABC in the hour throughout its telecast, �Ugly Betty� gained 13% in viewers (12.4 million to 14.0 million) and 20% in Adults 18-49 (4.0/12 to 4.8/12) from its first half-hour to its second half-hour.
� Over the course of its four telecasts, �Ugly Betty� has improved the hour for ABC by 95% in Total Viewers (14.4 million vs. 7.4 million) and by 92% in Adults 18-49 (4.6/13 vs. 2.4/7) over the same nights last year.
�Grey�s Anatomy� (9:00-10:01 p.m.)
ABC's �Grey's Anatomy� attracted more viewers than �C.S.I.� for the third week in a row (4 of 5 weeks), beating the CBS drama by 1.6 million viewers (22.1 million vs. 20.5 million). Winning the time period by 39% in Adults 18-49 (9.6/23 vs. 6.9/18), �Grey�s� defeated �C.S.I.� for the fifth straight week in the key adult sales demographic. Against �Grey�s,� CBS� �C.S.I.� fell to its smallest audience and lowest Adult 18-49 number for an original telecast since May 2004 � since 5/6/04. �Grey�s� was up week to week, delivering its best Adult 18-49 rating since its premiere telecast (since 9/21/06). Despite facing Fox�s MLB playoff baseball, �Grey�s� also delivered its best men numbers since its premiere in the time period.
� In addition to qualifying as the No. 1 TV show on Thursday in Total Viewers for the third week in a row, it was also the highest-rated program of the evening for the 5th consecutive week with Adults 18-34 (9.0/24), Adults 18-49 (9.6/23) and Adults 25-54 (10.3/22).
�Six Degrees� (10:01-11:00 p.m.)
During the 10 o'clock hour, ABC's freshman �Six Degrees� continued to outperform its CBS freshman drama competition (�Shark�) among Adults 18-34 (3.2/10), as well as among Women 18-34 (4.7/13). In fact, �Six Degrees� defeated �Shark� by 10% in Adults 18-34 (3.2/10 vs. 2.9/9).
� �Six Degrees� retained all of its Adult 18-34 audience week to week (3.2/10), while growing its delivery by 9% with Women 18-34 (4.7/13 vs. 4.3/12).
� On average, �Six Degrees� has improved ABC's numbers the hour by 63% in Total Viewers (9.8 million vs. 6.0 million) and by 100% in Adults 18-49 (4.0/11 vs. 2.0/5) over the same nights last season.
Friday
�Men in Trees� (9:00-10:00 p.m.)
For the sixth consecutive week, on each of its broadcasts in the time period, ABC�s �Men in Trees� built on its lead-in. The new ABC series built on its lead-in (the season premiere of �Extreme Makeover�) by 1.4 million viewers (6.2 million vs. 4.8 million) and by 13% in Adults 18-49 (1.7/5 vs. 1.5/5).
� To date, �Men in Trees� has boosted ABC�s numbers on Friday from 9:00-10:00 p.m. hour by 1.5 million viewers (7.3 million vs. 5.8 million) and by 5% in Adults 18-49 (2.1/7 vs. 2.0/6) over the same nights last year.
Sunday
Against Fox�s high-rated NFL overrun leading into Game 2 of the 2006 World Series, ABC delivered a solid second-place finish during Sunday�s primetime in Total Viewers (13.5 million) and Adults 18-49 (5.3/13). Even though part of its lineup was in repeat (�Extreme Makeover: Home Edition�), ABC ranked as the No. 1 network on the night across each of the key women demographics: W18-34 (5.3/15), W18-49 (6.9/17) and W25-54 (7.9/18).
� ABC�s �Desperate Housewives� qualified as Sunday�s No. 1 TV program for the fifth week in a row among Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, topping competition including Fox�s World Series game. Also for the fifth straight week, ABC delivered the Top 3 entertainment series on Sunday evening in the key Adult 18-49 sales demographic, with �Desperate Housewives,� �Brothers & Sisters� and a repeat of �Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.�
�America�s Funniest Home Videos� (7:00-8:00 p.m.)
Competing against Fox�s high-rated NFL overrun and World Series coverage, ABC�s �America�s Funniest Home Videos� held strong. The venerable ABC video clip show took second place among young adults, with an average audience of 9.6 million viewers tallied a 3.1 rating, 9 share among Adults 18-49, essentially even with the prior week�s delivery (9.8 million & 3.1/9 on 10/15/06). Opposite stiff competition, �AFHV� delivered substantial tune-in for ABC throughout the opening hour on Sunday, building 2.9 million viewers (8.2 million to 11.1 million) and 44% in Adults 18-49 (2.5/8 to 3.6/10) from start to finish.
� Pacing behind only the prior week in viewers, �America�s Funniest Home Videos� produced its second-strongest largest audience and matched its highest Adult 18-49 number in nearly 8 months � since 2/26/06 & 2/19/06, respectively.
�Extreme Makeover: Home Edition� (8:00-9:00 p.m.)
From 8:00-9:00 p.m., ABC�s repeat airing of �Extreme Makeover: Home Edition� beat CBS� original �Amazing Race� by 1.9 million viewers (12.8 million vs. 10.9 million) and by 29% in Adults 18-49 (4.9/12 vs. 3.8/9). �Home Edition� won its hour, overshadowing Fox�s World Series coverage across the women demos (W18-34 - 5.0/14, W18-49 � 6.1/15 & W25-54 � 6.9/15), among Teens 12-17 (3.1/10) and Kids 2-11 (3.3/11).
�Desperate Housewives� (9:00-10:01 p.m.)
Sunday�s No. 1 TV program for the 5th week in a row in Total Viewers (19.7 million) and Adults 18-49 (8.1/18), ABC�s �Desperate Housewives� defeated competition during in the 9 o�clock hour, including Fox�s World Series coverage (19.0 million & 6.1/15), and CBS� �Cold Case� (14.8 million & 4.3/10).
� Despite going up against the World Series, ABC�s �Desperate Housewives� was up from the prior week in Men 18-34 (4.2/11 vs. 4.0/11) and retained all of its Men 18-49 audience (5.2/12).
�Brothers & Sisters� (10:01-11:00 p.m.)
ABC�s freshman �Brothers & Sisters� beat out its CBS drama competition during the 10 o�clock hour by 14% among Adults 18-49 (4.9/12 vs. 4.3/11 � �Without a Trace�) and ranked No. 1 in the time period, ahead of the World Series, across key women (W18-34 � 4.8/14, W18-49 - 7.1/18 & W25-54 - 8.4/19).
� Although it competed against the World Series, ABC�s freshman drama �Brothers & Sisters� retained 98% of its Adult 18-49 audience from the previous week (4.9/12 vs. 5.0/12).
Source: Nielsen Media Research, NTI and NHTI (Live+SD, Most Current), week of 10/16/06, or as dated.
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