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[09/09/08 - 11:02 AM]
NBC Wins Its Fifth Consecutive Primetime Week, Claiming the SepT. 1-7 Crown in 18-49, Total Viewers and Other Measures
NBC spins the numbers for the week of September 1-7.

[via press release from NBC]

NBC WINS ITS FIFTH CONSECUTIVE PRIMETIME WEEK, CLAIMING THE SEPT. 1-7 CROWN IN 18-49, TOTAL VIEWERS AND OTHER MEASURES

NBC HAS FIVE OF THE TOP 10 PROGRAMS OF THE WEEK IN ADULTS 18-49 AND THE TOP FIVE TELECASTS IN TOTAL VIEWERS

NBC WINS ITS SIXTH CONSECUTIVE SUNDAY, AS THE REGULAR SEASON DEBUT OF 'NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL' SCORES DOMINANT NUMBERS

ON MONDAY, 'DEAL OR NO DEAL' TAKES ITS TOUGH HOUR IN 18-49, TOTAL VIEWERS AND OTHER KEY MEASURES, WHILE 'AMERICA'S TOUGHEST JOBS' POSTS A 41 PERCENT GAIN IN 18-49 VS. NBC'S PRE-OLYMPICS SUMMER AVERAGE FOR THE SLOT

ON TUESDAY 'AMERICA'S GOT TALENT' IS THE #1 SHOW OF THE NIGHT IN 18-49 AND TOTAL VIEWERS, DELIVERING NBC'S HIGHEST NON-OLYMPIC RESULTS IN THE SLOT SINCE APRIL 15

'AMERICA'S GOT TALENT' ON WEDNESDAY IS THE MOST-WATCHED SHOW OF THE NIGHT IN TOTAL VIEWERS

NBC DOMINATES THURSDAY NIGHT, DOUBLING ITS CLOSEST BROADCAST RIVAL IN 18-49, AS THE REDSKINS-GIANTS NFL OPENER PUTS A LOT OF NIELSEN POINTS ON THE BOARD

BURBANK, Calif. � September 9, 2008 � NBC won its fifth consecutive primetime week in both adults 18-49 and total viewers, taking the week of September 1-7 with an average 3.1 rating, 9 share in adults 18-49 and 9.2 million viewers overall, according to in-home viewing figures from Nielsen Media Research. NBC also won the week in most key demographic measures, among them adults 25-54, adults 18-34, men and women 18-49 and men and women 25-54.

Excluding football post-game and pre-game telecasts, NBC programmed three of the top five and five of the top 10 telecasts of the week in adults 18-49, with the network's sports, news and entertainment divisions all represented in the week's top 10. NBC's Sunday (Bears-Colts) and Thursday (Redskins-Giants) NFL telecasts were the #1 and #2 programs of the week respectively; NBC News' "Decision '08" Thursday night coverage of the Republican National Convention ranked #4; Tuesday's "America's Got Talent" was #6 and Wednesday's "America's Got Talent" ranked #8 (tied).

In total viewers, NBC had the top five programs of the week, and six of the top 10, with "NBC Sunday Night Football" (#1, 18.4 million), NBC's Thursday NFL telecast (#2, 13.5 million), Monday's "Deal or No Deal" (#3, 11.0 million), Tuesday's "America's Got Talent" (#4, 10.8 million), Wednesday's "America's Got Talent" (#5, 10.2 million) and NBC News' "Decision '08" Thursday coverage of the Republican Convention (#8, 8.7 million). (Note: excluded from the weekly programs rankings are all NFL football pre-game and post-game telecasts, and Fox's primetime Sunday NFL overrun from 7-7:16 p.m. ET).

Primetime averages for the week of September 1-7 in adults 18-49 were NBC (3.1/9), Fox (2.7/8), Univision (1.7/5), CBS (1.5/4), CW (1.4/4), ABC (1.3/3) and Telemundo (0.4/1). In overall total viewers the weekly averages were NBC (9.2 million), Fox (7.2 million), CBS (5.3 million), Univision (4.2 million), ABC (4.1 million), CW (3.1 million) and Telemundo (1.0 million).

Through 50 weeks of the 2007-08 season, Fox leads in primetime's key demographic of adults 18-49 while NBC is #2. Season-to-date averages in adults 18-49 for the period September 24, 2007 through September 7, 2008 are Fox (3.6/10), NBC (2.9/8), ABC and CBS (2.6/7), Univision (1.5/4), CW (0.9/3) and Telemundo (0.4/1). NBC is up 7 percent versus its rating of one year ago while ABC is down 10 percent, CBS is down 19 percent and Fox is up 3 percent.

NBC highlights for the week of September 1-7:

* NBC won its sixth consecutive Sunday night in primetime's key demo of adults 18-49, paced by the #1 program of the week, the "NBC Sunday Night Football" telecast of the Chicago Bears at the Indianapolis Colts. NBC scored the highest Sunday averages in 18-49 and total viewers for any network, excluding Olympics, since ABC's telecast of the Academy Awards February 24.

* On Monday, "Deal or No Deal" won its hour in adults 18-49, adults 25-54, total viewers and other key measures. From its first half-hour to its second, "Deal" surged by 60 percent in 18-49 and 40 percent or 3.8 million persons in total viewers.

* Also on Monday, "America's Toughest Jobs" ranked #2 in adults 18-49 and #1 in total viewers. "Jobs" increased 33 percent in 18-49 rating versus NBC's average in the time period last summer, and gained 41 percent in 18-49 versus NBC's pre-Olympics average this summer in the slot.

* On Tuesday, "America's Got Talent" was the #1 show of the night in both adults 18-49 and total viewers, in a crowded competitive landscape that included CBS's original "Big Brother" and the series premiere of CW's "90210."

* On Wednesday, "America's Got Talent" was up 35 percent in adults 18-49 versus NBC's non-Olympics summer average for its time period. "Talent" was the #1 show of the night in total viewers.

* On Thursday, NBC Sports' coverage of the NFL opening game between the Washington Redskins and the New York Giants paced NBC to a dominant #1 finish in primetime. NBC more than doubled its closest broadcast competitor in adults 18-49.

* Also on Thursday, NBC News' primetime coverage of the final night of the Republican National Convention, featuring Sen. John McCain's acceptance speech, beat the competing ABC-CBS coverage combined in adults 18-49, and ranked among the week's top 10 programs in both adults 18-49 and total viewers.

Ratings reflect "live plus same day" data unless otherwise noted. Season-to-date figures are averages of "live plus seven day" data except for the two most recent weeks, which are "live plus same day."

Additional NBC highlights for the week of September 1-7

On Monday, Sept. 1 from 8-9 p.m. ET, "Deal or No Deal" (2.6 rating, 7 share in adults 18-49, 11.0 million viewers overall) was #1 in adults 18-49, adults 25-54, total viewers and other key measures. Despite the Labor Day holiday, "Deal" delivered NBC's second highest non-Olympic 18-49 rating since April 28 and NBC's second-biggest overall audience in the hour, excluding Olympics, since February 25. From its first to its second half-hour, "Deal" surged by 60 percent in 18-49 rating (to a 3.2/8 from a 2.0/6) and by 40 percent, or 3.6 million persons in total viewers (to 12.8 million from 9.2 million).

Monday from 9-10 p.m. ET, "America's Toughest Jobs" (2.4/6 in 18-49, 7.1 million viewers overall) ranked #2 in adults 18-49 and #1 in total viewers. Despite the Labor Day holiday, "Toughest Jobs" delivered NBC's second-highest non-Olympic viewership in this time period since May 5, trailing only the prior week's series premiere. With its second telecast, "Toughest Jobs" retained 98 percent of the show's solid premiere week viewership (7.1 million vs. 7.3 million on August 25). "Jobs" was up 33 percent in 18-49 rating versus NBC's average in this slot last summer (2.4 vs. 1.8) and gained 41 percent in 18-49 rating versus NBC's pre-Olympics summer average this year in the time period (2.4 vs. 1.7).

Monday from 10-11 p.m. ET, NBC News' coverage of the first night of the Republican National Convention averaged a 1.6/4 in 18-49, a 2.0/5 in adults 25-54 and 5.5 million viewers overall, ranking #1 among the broadcast networks by all three measures.

On Tuesday, Sept. 2 from 8-10 p.m. ET, "America's Got Talent" (2.9/8 in 18-49, 10.8 million viewers overall) was the #1 show of the night in both adults 18-49 and total viewers versus a competitive field that included a first-run "Big Brother" on CBS and the series premiere of CW's "Beverly Hills, 90210." In total viewers, "Talent" topped its closest competitor by 47 percent (10.8 million vs. 7.3 million for CBS from 8-10 p.m.). "Talent" more than doubled the viewership for the debut of "90210" (10.8 million vs. 4.7 million).

In its second week with an 8 p.m. ET start time, "America's Got Talent" continues to deliver significant gains, soaring 53 percent in 18-49 rating versus NBC's pre-Olympic summer average in the time period (2.9 vs. a non-Olympic 1.9 prior to "Talent" in the time period).

Tuesday from 10-11:02 p.m. ET, NBC News' coverage of night two of the Republican National Convention averaged a 1.2/3 in 18-49, a 1.5/4 in adults 25-54 and 4.5 million viewers overall, ranking #1 among the broadcast networks by all three measures

On Wednesday, Sept. 3 from 8-10 p.m. ET, "America's Got Talent" (2.7/7 in 18-49, 10.2 million viewers overall) generated a 35 percent improvement in adults 18-49 versus NBC's non-Olympics summer average in this time period prior to "Talent's" Wednesday debut (2.7 vs. 2.0). Wednesday's "Talent" was the #1 show of the night on any network in total viewers, and ranked #2 from 8-10 p.m. in adults 18-49.

NBC News' 10 p.m. ET coverage of night three of the Republican National Convention was sustaining programming and is not included in the nightly or weekly averages.

On Thursday, Sept. 4, NBC Sports' coverage of the NFL opening game between the Washington Redskins and the New York Giants averaged a 5.4/17 in adults 18-49, 13.5 million viewers overall, and an 8.6/15 household rating/share from 7:08-10:01 p.m. ET.

Thursday from 10:01-11:11 p.m. ET, NBC News' coverage of night four of the Republican National Convention in Denver averaged a 3.4/9 in 18-49, a 3.8/9 in adults 25-54 and 8.7 million viewers overall. In adults 18-49, NBC's convention coverage outperformed the ABC-CBS convention coverage combined (3.4 vs. a 3.0 in 18-49 for ABC and CBS combined).

NBC was a dominant #1 on Thursday night in all key measures. NBC more than doubled its closest broadcast competitor in primetime among adults 18-49 (5.1/15 for NBC from 8-11 p.m. vs. a 2.4/7 for Fox from 8-10 p.m.) and virtually doubled its closest broadcast pursuer in total viewers (12.644 million for NBC vs. 6.329 million for CBS from 8-11 p.m.).

On Friday, Sept. 5 from 8-9 p.m. ET, the special "Stand Up to Cancer," which ran on NBC, Mun2, ABC and CBS, ran as sustaining programming and is not included in the nightly or weekly averages. Friday from 9-10 p.m., the "NFL Kickoff Special" averaged a 0.6/2 in 18-49 and 1.9 million viewers overall. From 10-11 p.m., "Dateline NBC" averaged a 0.9/3 in 18-49 and 3.5 million viewers overall.

On Saturday, Sept. 6 from 8-9 p.m. ET, an encore telecast of "Chuck" averaged a 0.7/2 in 18-49 and 2.2 million viewers overall. At 9 p.m., a rebroadcast of "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" delivered a 0.8/3 in 18-49 and 3.7 million viewers overall. At 10 p.m., a second encore "Law & Order; Criminal Intent" (1.2/4 in 18-49, 4.7 million viewers overall) tied for #1 in adults 18-49 and won the hour outright in women 18-49 and 18-34. The 10 p.m., "Criminal Intent" built on its lead-in from the previous hour by 50 percent in 18-49 and by 27 percent, or 1.0 million persons in total viewers.

On Sunday, Sept. 7, the "NBC Sunday Night Football" telecast of the Chicago Bears at the Indianapolis Colts dominated the night, propelling NBC to a convincing Sunday win by all key measures. For its full duration, the Bears-Colts game averaged a 7.4/19 in adults 18-49, 18.4 million viewers overall and an 11.2/18 household rating/share from 8:24-11:17 p.m. ET.

For the night (from 7:30-11 p.m. ET), NBC averaged a 6.3/17 in 18-49 and 15.8 million viewers overall. This marks the highest Sunday primetime average for any network in both 18-49 and total viewers, excluding Olympics, since February 24 (the night of ABC's Academy Awards telecast).

NBC won the night by all key ratings measures. In adults 18-49, NBC's margin of victory over the #2 network was 62 percent (6.3 vs. a 3.9 for Fox from 7-10 p.m.). In total viewers, NBC topped its closest primetime competitor by 77 percent, or more than 6.8 million persons (15.8 million vs. 8.9 million for Fox).

Sunday's Bears-Colts game finished within 3 percent of the exceptional rating achieved by the comparable NBC NFL telecast last season (7.4 vs. a 7.6 for the Giants-Cowboys telecast on Sunday, Sept. 9, 2007). In total viewers, this year's Bears-Colts contest topped last year's strong Giants-Cowboys game by 1 percent (18.4 million vs. 18.2 million).

Also on Sunday, "Football Night in America 2" from 7:30-8 p.m. ET averaged a 2.0/7 in 18-49, 5.3 million viewers overall and a 3.3/6 household rating/share. "Football Night in America 3" from 8-8:15 p.m. delivered a 3.7/11 in 18-49, 10.0 million viewers overall and a 6.2/11 in households. From 8:15-8:24 p.m., "NBC Sunday Night Football Pre Kickoff" averaged a 5.2/15 in 18-49, 13.3 million viewers overall and an 8.1/14 in households. Note: "Football Night in America" from 7-7:30 p.m. ET was sustaining programming and does not figure in the nightly or weekly primetime averages

This marks NBC's sixth consecutive Sunday primetime win in adults 18-49.





  [september 2008]  
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M
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W
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F
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· 90210 (CW)
· AMERICA'S GOT TALENT (NBC)
· AMERICA'S TOUGHEST JOBS (NBC)
· BIG BROTHER (CBS)
· CHUCK (NBC)
· DATELINE NBC (NBC)
· DEAL OR NO DEAL (CNBC)
· FOOTBALL NIGHT IN AMERICA (NBC)
· LAW & ORDER: CRIMINAL INTENT (USA)
· SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL (NBC)





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