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[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]  
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· 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)





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