NBC TIES FOR #2 IN 18-49 FOR THE PRIMETIME WEEK OF SEPT. 29-OCT. 5

NBC TIES FOR #2 IN 18-49 FOR THE PRIMETIME WEEK OF SEPT. 29-OCT. 5

THE 'NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL' TELECAST OF THE STEELERS-JAGUARS GAME IS THE #1 PROGRAM OF THE WEEK IN MEN 18-49 AND 25-54 AND #2 IN ADULTS 18-49, PROPELLING NBC TO ITS 10TH CONSECUTIVE SUNDAY VICTORY IN ADULTS 18-49

'HEROES' WINS ITS TOUGH MONDAY HOUR IN ADULTS 18-49, ADULTS 18-34 AND OTHER KEY MEASURES

ON TUESDAY, 'LAW & ORDER: SVU' IS #1 IN ADULTS 18-49 AND TOPS THE ABC-CBS COMPETITION COMBINED IN ADULTS 18-34

WEDNESDAY'S 'KNIGHT RIDER' RANKS #2 IN ADULTS 18-49 AND #1 IN ALL KEY ADULT-MALE DEMOS, GAINING 6 PERCENT IN TOTAL VIEWERS VERSUS ITS WEEK-AGO DEBUT

THROUGH THE FIRST TWO WEEKS OF THE SEASON, NBC IS THE SECOND-YOUNGEST OF THE MAJOR BROADCAST NETWORKS

BURBANK, Calif. � October 7, 2008 � NBC tied for #2 in adults 18-49 for the primetime week of September 29-October 5, with an average 2.8 rating, 8 share in adults 18-49 and 7.8 million viewers overall for the week, according to in-home viewing figures from Nielsen Media Research. NBC also ranked #2 outright for the week in adults and men 18-34 and men 25-54 and was #1 (tied with CBS) in men 18-49.

The "NBC Sunday Night Football" telecast of the Pittsburgh Steelers at the Jacksonville Jaguars was the #1 telecast of the week in the key adult-male demographics of men 18-49 and men 25-54, and ranked #2 among all programs in adults 18-49.

"Heroes" was the #5-ranked program of the week in primetime's key demographic of adults 18-49 (tied). "Heroes" ranked #3 among all primetime programs in adults 18-34.

Primetime averages for the week of September 29-October 5 in adults 18-49 were CBS (3.2/9), NBC and ABC (2.8/8), Fox (2.5/7), Univision (1.5/4), CW (1.1/3) and Telemundo (0.5/1). In overall total viewers the weekly averages were CBS (11.1 million), ABC (9.2 million), NBC (7.8 million), Fox (6.5 million), Univision (3.8 million), CW (2.4 million) and Telemundo (1.1 million).

Through the first two weeks of the 2008-09 season, NBC is now the "second youngest" of the major broadcast networks, with a median age of 45.7. By comparison, CBS's median age is 53.2, ABC's median age is 50.8 and Fox's median age is 42.8.

NBC highlights for the week of September 29-October 5:

* On Monday, "Heroes" won its intensely competitive hour in adults 18-49, while also ranking #1 in adults, men and women 18-34 and in the key adult-male demographics of men 18-49 and men 25-54.

* Also on Monday, sophomore dramas "Chuck" and "Life" returned to solid results, with "Chuck" and "Life" topping the respective rival dramas in their slots - "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" and "Boston Legal" - by identical 35 percent margins in adults 18-49.

* On Tuesday, "Law & Order: SVU" won its time period in all key demographics, including adults 18-49. "SVU" beat the ABC-CBS competition combined among adults 18-49.

* Also on Tuesday, "The Biggest Loser" bucked a tough competitive field, gaining 40 percent in 18-49 rating and 25 percent in total viewers from its first half-hour to its fourth.

* On Wednesday, the season finale of "America's Got Talent" surged 22 percent in 18-49 rating and 23 percent in total viewers versus the prior week to deliver its best numbers since the show's return from its two-week break during the Beijing Summer Games.

* Also on Wednesday, the second episode of "Knight Rider" retained a strong 96 percent of the adult 18-49 rating of its series premiere of one week earlier and grew by 6 percent week-to-week in total viewers. "Knight Rider" ranked #2 in adults 18-49 and won its slot in all key adult-male demographics, topping the season premiere of ABC's "Pushing Daisies," CBS's comedies and Fox's "Bones" in these key male demos.

* This week's "NBC Sunday Night Football" telecast of the Pittsburgh Steelers at the Jacksonville Jaguars propelled NBC to its 10th consecutive Sunday victory in adults 18-49. NBC was also #1 on Sunday night in adults 18-34, adults 25-54 and all key adult-male demographics � men 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54.

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 29-October 5

On Monday, Sept. 29 at 8 p.m. ET, the second-season premiere of "Chuck' (2.7 rating, 7 share in adults 18-49, 6.8 million viewers overall) ranked #1 in the hour among men 18-34. In head-to-head competition, "Chuck" outscored rival drama "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" on Fox by 35 percent in 18-49 rating (2.7/7 vs. 2.0/5) and by 27 percent in total viewers (6.8 million vs. 5.4 million). From its first half-hour to its second, "Chuck" increased by 12 percent in 18-49 rating (to a 2.9 from a 2.6).

Monday from 9-10 p.m. ET, "Heroes" (4.5/11 in 18-49, 9.5 million viewers overall) won the extraordinarily competitive hour in adults 18-49, and also ranked #1 among adults, men and women 18-34 and in the key adult-male demographics of men 18-49 and men 25-54.

Monday at 10 p.m. ET, "Life" returned for its second season with a special Monday episode that averaged a 2.7/7 in adults 18-49 and 6.9 million viewers overall. "Life" increased by 13 percent in 18-49 rating compared to its prior special telecast in this time period, also following an original "Heroes" (a 2.4/6 on December 3, 2007). In total viewers, "Life" was up 7 percent versus the prior Monday telecast (6.9 million vs. 6.5 million). The 2.7 adults 18-49 rating is "Life's" highest score in 18-49 since October 17, 2007, topping all seven other original "Life" telecasts since that date.

From 10-11 p.m., "Life" topped ABC's rival drama in the time period, "Boston Legal," by 35 percent in adults 18-49 (2.7/7 vs. 2.0/5).

On Tuesday, Sept. 30 from 8-10 p.m. ET, "The Biggest Loser 6" (3.0/8 in 18-49, 7.4 million viewers overall) grew dramatically from its first half-hour to its fourth, gaining 40 percent in 18-49 rating (to a 3.5/9 from a 2.5/7). In total viewers, "Loser" added 25 percent, or 1.6 million persons from its first to its fourth half-hour (to 8.2 million from 6.6 million).

Compared with ABC's similarly-themed "Half Their Size: People Magazine Weight Loss Challenge," which aired from 10-11 p.m. ET on Tuesday, "Biggest Loser" outscored "Half Their Size" by 88 percent in 18-49 rating (3.0 vs. 1.6) and by 51 percent, or more than 2.5 million persons in total viewers (7.4 million vs. 4.9 million).

Tuesday from 10-11 p.m. ET, "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" won the hour in all key demographics, including adults 18-49, beating the ABC-CBS competition combined in adults 18-34 (with a 3.1 rating in 18-34 vs. a combined 2.7 for ABC-CBS).

"Law & Order: SVU" (3.8/11 in 18-49, 10.4 million viewers overall) topped rival CBS drama in the slot, "Without a Trace," by 41 percent in adults 18-49 (3.8 vs. 2.7) and by 107 percent in adults 18-34 (3.1 vs. 1.5). "SVU" matched its week-ago season premiere rating in 18-49 and grew by 7 percent in total viewers (10.4 million vs. 9.7 million).

From its first half-hour to its second, "Law & Order: SVU" increased by 8 percent in 18-49 rating (to a 3.9/11 from a 3.6/10) and by 6 percent in total viewers (to 10.7 million from 10.1 million), while the ABC and CBS competition was declining in both categories.

On Wednesday, Oct. 1 from 8-9 p.m. ET, the premiere of "Knight Rider" (2.5/7 in 18-49, 7.3 million viewers overall) ranked #2 in adults 18-49 and #1 in all key adult-male demographics � men 18-34, men 18-49 and men 25-54 � topping the season premiere of ABC's "Pushing Daisies," CBS's comedies and Fox's "Bones" in these male demos.

"Knight Rider" retained a strong 96 percent of the adult 18-49 rating for its series premiere of one week earlier and grew by 6 percent week-to-week in total viewers (7.8 million vs. 7.4 million). From its first half-hour to its second, "Knight Rider" increased 13 percent in 18-49 rating (to a 2.6 from a 2.3).

Wednesday from 9-10 p.m. ET, the season finale of "America's Got Talent" (3.3/8 in 18-49, 12.7 million viewers overall) surged 22 percent in 18-49 rating and 23 percent in total viewers versus the prior week (2.7/7 in 18-49 and 10.3 million viewers overall from 9:15-10 p.m. on September 24). The "Talent" finale improved on NBC's 2007-08 season average for the time period by 32 percent in 18-49 (3.3 vs. 2.5) and by 54 percent in total viewers (12.7 million vs. 8.2 million). These were the highest results for "America's Got Talent" in both adults 18-49 and total viewers since the show's return from its two-week break during the Beijing Summer Games.

"Talent" ranked #2 in the slot in adults 18-49, tied with the second-season premiere of ABC's "Private Practice." In total viewers, "Talent" topped "Practice" by 36 percent, or more than 4.5 million viewers (12.7 million vs. 8.2 million).

Wednesday from 10-11 p.m. ET, "Lipstick Jungle" averaged a 2.0/5 in 18-49 and 5.3 million viewers overall. "Lipstick Jungle" achieved a 153 index in adults 18-49 living in $100K+ homes (with 100 representing an average concentration of those homes in the 18-49 population). This is tied for the highest score achieved by any primetime network series program in this "upscale" measurement through the first 11 nights of the 2008-09 season (tied with the September 28 telecast of "60 Minutes") (Note: National Audience Demographic, or NAD, data for the full seven nights of the week of September 29-October 5 is not currently available.) By comparison in the "Lipstick Jungle" time period, CBS's "CSI: NY," which won the 10 p.m. slot in 18-49 and total viewers, posted an index of 72 this week in adults 18-49/$100K+.

On Thursday, Oct. 2 from 8-9 p.m. ET, "My Name is Earl" (2.7/8 in 18-49, 6.7 million viewers overall) ranked #2 in adults 18-49 and #1 among men 18-34. From half-hour to half-hour, "Earl" increased by 20 percent in 18-49 rating (to a 3.0/8 from a 2.5/7) and by 9 percent in total viewers (to 7.0 million from 6.4 million). "Earl" matched the 2.7 18-49 rating of its premiere telecast in the hour one week earlier, and grew by 5 percent week-to-week in total viewers (to 6.7 million from 6.4 million).

Thursday, NBC aired the Vice-Presidential Debate as sustaining programming, which is not counted in the nightly or weekly averages. From 10:33-11 p.m. ET, NBC News' "Decision '08" analysis of the debate averaged a 3.6/9 in adults 18-49, a 4.1/9 in adults 25-54 and 9.8 million viewers overall.

On Friday, Oct. 3 from 8-9 p.m. ET, "America's Toughest Jobs" averaged a 1.0/3 in 18-49 and 3.4 million viewers overall. At 9 p.m., "Deal or No Deal" (1.5/5 in 18-49, 6.3 million viewers overall) ranked #1 among men 18-49 and men 25-54 and tied for #1 among men 18-34. From its first half-hour to its second, "Deal" increased by 38 percent in 18-49 rating (to a 1.8/5 from a 1.3/4) and by 30 percent or more than 1.6 million persons in total viewers (to 7.2 million from 5.5 million).

At 10 p.m. ET, the regular time period season debut of "Life" (1.7/5 in 18-49, 5.5 million viewers overall) ranked #1 among the broadcast networks in men 18-34 and #2 or tied for #2 in adults 18-34 and men 18-49. "Life" built on its lead-in from the previous hour by 13 percent in 18-49 rating.

On Saturday, Oct. 4 at 8 p.m. ET, an encore telecast of "Knight Rider" averaged a 0.8/3 in 18-49 and 3.4 million viewers overall. "Knight Rider" increased 29 percent in 18-49 rating from its first half-hour to its second (to a 0.9/3 from a 0.7/3). At 9 p.m., a second encore "Knight Rider" (1.2/4 in 18-49, 4.3 million viewers overall) built by 50 percent in 18-49 rating and 25 percent in total viewers on its lead-in from the previous hour. From 10-11 p.m., a rebroadcast of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (1.3/4 in 18-49, 5.3 million viewers overall) won the hour among women 18-49 and 25-54. From its first half-hour to its second, "SVU" grew by 17 percent in 18-49 rating (to a 1.4/5 from a 1.2/4) and by 17 percent in total viewers (to 5.7 million from 4.9 million).

On Sunday, Oct. 5, the "NBC Sunday Night Football" telecast of the Pittsburgh Steelers at the Jacksonville Jaguars averaged a 5.5/14 in adults 18-49, 14.2 million viewers overall and an 8.8/14 household rating/share for its full duration from 8:23-11:29 p.m. ET.

For the night (from 7:30-11 p.m. ET), NBC averaged a 4.7/12 in 18-49 and 12.2 million viewers overall. NBC won the night in adults 18-49, adults 18-34, adults 25-54 and all key adult-male demographics � men 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54.

This marks NBC's 10th consecutive Sunday primetime win in adults 18-49.

Also on Sunday, "Football Night in America 2" from 7:30-7:57 p.m. ET averaged a 2.2/7 in 18-49, 5.7 million viewers overall and a 3.6/6 household rating/share. "Football Night in America 3" from 7:57-8:15 p.m. delivered a 2.8/8 in 18-49, 7.5 million viewers overall and a 4.6/8 in households. From 8:15-8:23 p.m., "NBC Sunday Night Football Pre Kickoff" averaged a 3.3/9 in 18-49, 8.8 million viewers overall and a 5.5/9 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.