or


[10/13/08 - 12:25 PM]
Opposite NFL and Mlb Post Season on NBC and Fox, ABC Is the Definitive Choice for Non-Sports Programming on Sunday
ABC spins the numbers for Sunday, October 12.

[via press release from ABC]

Quick Take for Sunday, October 12, 2008 (Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Ratings)

Opposite NFL and MLB Post Season on NBC and Fox, ABC is the Definitive Choice for Non-Sports Programming on Sunday, Beating CBS by Wide Margins

For 3rd Straight Week, "Housewives" is the Night's No. 1 Program in Adults 18-49, as ABC Airs the Top 3 Entertainment Programs in the Key Adults Sales Demo

ABC's "Home Edition" is No. 1 from 8-9pm in Viewers and All Key Women Demos, Hitting a Season High in Men 18-34 Against Sports on Fox and NBC

Up Week to Week Among Young Adults, "Desperate Housewives" Wins Sunday at 9pm for the 3rd Week in a Row in Viewers and Adults 18-49

ABC's "Brothers & Sisters" Defeats its CBS Drama Competition in the 10pm Hour by 11% in Total Viewers and by 38% in Adults 18-49, Dominating the Slot Across the Key Women Demos

Sunday Primetime (7:00-11:00 p.m.)

Competing against NBC's "NFL Sunday Night Football" on the night (Patriots-Chargers) and Fox with another highly-rated NFL primetime overrun into the 7 o'clock hour leading into its coverage MLB's National Championship Series Game 3 (Dodgers-Phillies), ABC took second place in Total Viewers (10.8 million) and tied NBC for No. 2 in Adults 18-49 (3.8/10) [rank subject to adjustment, based on the time-period based Fast Affiliate Ratings]. For the 3rd week in a row, ABC stood as the No. 1 network on Sunday night across all key women demos: W18-34 (4.0/12), W18-49 (5.1/13) and W25-54 (5.7/13). ABC was the clear choice for non-sports programming on Sunday, beating out CBS with its regular Sunday lineup by 9% in Total Viewers (10.8 million vs. 9.9 million) and by 52% in Adults 18-49 (3.8/10 vs. 2.5/6).

� For the 3rd week in a row, ABC's "Desperate Housewives" registered as Sunday Night's No. 1 TV program among Adults 18-49 and the most-watched entertainment show overall. In fact ABC aired the Top 3 entertainment programs on Sunday evening in the key Adult 18-49 sales demographic, with "Desperate Housewives," "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" and "Brothers & Sisters," respectively.

"Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" (8:00-9:00 p.m.)

Building sharply on its lead-in, "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" ranked No. 1 in the 8 o'clock hour with Total Viewers (11.3 million) and across all key women demos: W18-34 (3.6/10), W18-49 (4.7/12) and W25-54 (5.1/13). The unscripted series stood as the top non-sports program in the hour among Adults 18-49 (3.7/9), beating CBS' "Amazing Race" (2.8/7) by 32%.

� Despite airing against sports, including Game 3 of the 2008 National League Baseball Championship Fox and NFL games on both Fox and NBC, "Home Edition" still hit a season high among Men 18-34 (2.2/6).

"Desperate Housewives" (9:00-10:00 p.m.)

ABC's "Desperate Housewives" topped the 9 o'clock hour in Total Viewers (15.3 million) and Adults 18-49 (5.9/14), defeating NBC's "Sunday Night Football" (12.1 million and 4.9/11) and towering over CBS' "Cold Case" (10.9 million and 2.7/6).

� "Desperate Housewives" saw week-to-week increases in Adults 18-49 (5.9/14 vs. 5.8/13) and Adults 18-34 (5.0/13 vs. 4.8/12).

"Brothers & Sisters" (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

ABC's "Brothers & Sisters" outperformed its CBS drama competition ("The Unit") in the 10 o'clock hour by 11% in Total Viewers (10.1 million vs. 9.1 million) and by 38% in Adults 18-49 (3.6/9 vs. 2.6/7). For the 3rd week running, the ABC drama ranked No. 1 in the hour across each of the key women demographics: W18-34 (3.9/11), W18-49 (5.2/13) and W25-54 (5.8/14).

A note about increasing DVR penetration and year-to-year rating comparisons: Year-to-year rating comparisons based on the Live + Same Day data stream are distorted by the level of DVR penetration in the Nielsen sample, which has jumped up to 28% currently, from 20% at the same point in 2007. More viewers are watching shows on their own timetables, which may not be reflected in the overnight next day numbers. The only truly valid year-to-year comparison would be one based on the Live + 7 Day metric, once those stats are released by Nielsen.

Source: Nielsen Media Research (Fast Affiliate, Live + Same Day Ratings), 10/12/08.





  [october 2008]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
   


· AMAZING RACE, THE (CBS)
· BROTHERS & SISTERS (ABC)
· COLD CASE (CBS)
· DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES (ABC)
· EXTREME MAKEOVER: HOME EDITION (HGTV)
· SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL (NBC)
· UNIT, THE (CBS)





most recent ratings | view all posts
[12/15/25 - 09:19 AM]
Driven by Strong November Viewership, ESPN Earns Third Straight Month of Year-Over-Year Audience Growth for Weekday Studio Programming
Highlights include "The Pat McAfee Show" having its most-viewed November of all time across linear and YouTube with 445,000 average viewers per show and "NFL Live" reaching its second most-watched November since 2016 with 445,000 average viewers.

[12/12/25 - 03:04 PM]
ESPN Scored Most-Watched Jimmy V Women's Classic Ever; Men's Classic Most-Watched in Five Years
The former averaged 1.0 million viewers, peaking with 1.3 million.

[12/11/25 - 03:15 PM]
ABC News' "Nightline" Ranks No. 1 in All Key Target Demos
The series also saw gains on the same week last year in Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49.

[12/10/25 - 02:59 PM]
FOX NFL Scores Massive Week 14 Viewership
28 million viewers watched FOX Sports' Week 14 "America's Game of the Week," featuring the Green Bay Packers divisional win over the Chicago Bears.

[12/10/25 - 12:08 PM]
NBCU's November to Remember Showcases the Power of Company's Programming
"All Her Fault" became the most-watched original series launch in Peacock history with 46 million hours.

[12/10/25 - 09:54 AM]
ABC Unwraps Holiday Presentations of Fan Favorite Shows
"Dancing with the Holidays" was the top-performing holiday-themed special across the broadcast networks among Adults 18-49 in two years.

[12/09/25 - 04:11 PM]
"College GameDay" Delivers Second Most-Watched Conference Championship Episode Ever; ABC/ESPN Score Second Most-Watched Conference Championship Week Since 2014
The SEC Championship delivered 16.9 million viewers on Saturday, December 6.

[12/09/25 - 02:03 PM]
18.3 Million Viewers Tuned in for Big Ten Championship Game on FOX
Indiana's win peaked with 19,993,000 viewers from 11:00-11:15 PM ET.

[12/08/25 - 11:30 AM]
College Football on The CW Network Sees Double Digit Year-Over-Year Viewership Gains for 2025 Season
ACC football experienced the largest year-over-year growth, up 26% in total audience compared to 2024.

[12/05/25 - 03:31 PM]
ABC News' "Nightline" Ranks No. 1 in Total Viewers
"Nightline" improved on the previous week in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, hitting nine-week highs in both measures.

[12/05/25 - 02:05 PM]
ESPN Networks Deliver Best College Football Regular Season Since 2011; "College GameDay Built by The Home Depot" Scores Most-Watched Season Ever
ESPN networks aired the most-watched game in 34 of 42 key Saturday windows, including seven of 14 noon windows, 13 of 14 late afternoon windows and all 14 prime windows.

[12/05/25 - 12:35 PM]
2025 CFB Viewership Surges on FOX & FS1
The 2025 regular season wrapped with big numbers for "Big Noon Saturday," "Big Noon Kickoff" and more - including year-over-year gains across the board.

[12/05/25 - 11:00 AM]
CBS Premiere Week Episodes Post Gains and Lead In Live Plus 35-Day Multiplatform Viewership
"Tracker" delivered 17.3 million viewers, up +6% versus its year-ago premiere.

[12/05/25 - 08:45 AM]
ESPN Delivered Most-Watched Women's College Volleyball Season on Record
Said coverage averaged 190,000 viewers, up 36% from the 2024 season.

[12/04/25 - 04:19 PM]
"College GameDay Built By The Home Depot" Delivers Second-Best Regular Season Episode Ever; ESPN Scores Best Rivalry Week Since 2012
The Lone Star Showdown drew over 13 million viewers, peaking with 14.3 million viewers.