'KATH & KIM' AND 'SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE' HELP BOOST NBC TO ITS BEST NON-SPORTS THURSDAY SINCE MARCH

'KATH & KIM' BUILDS ON ITS 'EARL' LEAD-IN BY 19 PERCENT IN 18-49 AND 39 PERCENT IN 18-34, WINS ITS TOUGH SLOT IN ADULTS AND MEN 18-34

FIRST OF THREE PRIMETIME 'SNL' THURSDAY SPECIALS REGISTERS THE BIGGEST OVERALL VIEWERSHIP FOR ANY 'SNL' TELECAST SINCE JANUARY 2001, SURGING 47 PERCENT VS. NBC'S 18-49 AVERAGE IN THE SLOT LAST SEASON

'ER' WINS ITS HOUR IN ADULTS 18-49, TOPPING SERIES PREMIERES ON ABC AND CBS

BURBANK, Calif. � October 10, 2008 � NBC's Thursday stalwarts, "My Name is Earl," "The Office" and "ER" joined forces with the new comedy "Kath & Kim" and the first of three Thursday "Saturday Night Live" election specials to propel the network to its highest Thursday rating in 18-49 since last March, excluding sports, according to "fast affiliate-based" "live plus same day" viewing figures from Nielsen Media Research.

NBC finished within one rating point of the nightly lead in adults 18-49 and won this highly competitive Thursday in adults and men 18-34, pending updates.

"Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday" began its three-week Thursday run with a 47 percent gain over NBC's time-period averages last season in adults 18-49.

"It's already been a historic season for 'Saturday Night Live,' with its earliest premiere ever and its biggest audiences in 14 years," commented Ben Silverman, co-chairman of NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios. "And we're thrilled that primetime viewers are now discovering what late-night audiences have known for a long time now -- nobody does political satire like 'Saturday Night Live'."

At 8 p.m. ET last night, "My Name is Earl" (2.7 rating 8 share in 18-49, 7.1 million viewers overall) scored NBC's highest 18-49 rating and overall viewership in this time period so far this season. "Earl" was up 8 percent in 18-49 and 13 percent in total viewers versus its average in this half-hour with 60-minute telecasts this season. Pending updates, "Earl" ranked #2 in the time slot in adults 18-49 and #1 in adults 18-34 (tied) and men 18-34.

At 8:30 p.m. ET, the series premiere of "Kath & Kim" (3.2/9 in adults 18-49, 7.5 million viewers overall) built on its "Earl" lead-in by 19 percent in 18-49 rating and by 5 percent in total viewers. In adults 18-34, "Kath & Kim" built on its lead-in by 39 percent (3.2 vs. 2.3). "Kath & Kim" won its tough time period in adults and men 18-34, topping CBS's "Survivor," ABC's "Ugly Betty" and CW's "Smallville" in those demos, and ranked #2 in adults 18-49, behind only "Survivor."

At 9 p.m. ET, "The Office" (4.6/11 in 18-49, 9.0 million viewers overall) won its extremely competitive half-hour in adults and men 18-34, topping the season premiere of CBS's "CSI," ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" and Fox's baseball telecast in those demos. "The Office" retained 96 percent of its strong season-premiere rating in this half-hour two weeks ago (4.6 vs. 4.8), despite facing strong additional competition last night from the season premiere of "CSI."

At 9:31 p.m. ET, "Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday" (5.0/12 in 18-49, 10.6 million viewers overall) surged 47 percent in 18-49 rating and 40 percent in total viewers versus NBC's averages in this time period last season (3.4 in 18-49 and 7.6 million viewers). With 10.6 million total viewers, this "SNL" special topped every regular "SNL" telecast since January 20, 2001 in overall viewership.

The first of three special Thursday primetime editions of "SNL," last night's telecast, which featured guest appearances by Bill Murray (as town hall debate questioner "William Murray") and Chris Parnell (as moderator Tom Brokaw), built on its strong "Office" lead-in by 9 percent in 18-49 and 18 percent in total viewers. "SNL" won its highly competitive time period among men 18-34.

At 10:01 p.m. ET, "ER" (3.9/10 in 18-49, 9.3 million viewers overall) won its time period in adults 18-49, topping the series premieres of "Eleventh Hour" on CBS and "Life on Mars" on ABC. "ER" sewed up its highest 18-49 rating since November 15, 2007 and its largest overall audience since January 3, 2008

"ER" was up 11 percent in 18-49 rating versus the same night last year, when it did not face series premiere competition.

Preliminary 18-49 averages for Thursday night are: CBS, 4.9/13; ABC, 4.0/10; NBC, 3.9/10; Fox, 2.1/5; CW, 1.5/4. In overall total viewers, October 9 preliminary results are: CBS, 16.0 million; ABC, 11.5 million; NBC, 8.8 million; Fox, 6.5 million; CW, 3.6 million

Note that all national ratings are "live plus same day" unless otherwise indicated.