NBC PRIMETIME RESULTS FOR THE WEEK OF OCT. 13-19

'THE OFFICE' AND 'SNL WEEKEND UPDATE THURSDAY' WIN THEIR TOUGH THURSDAY SLOTS IN MEN 18-49 AND 18-34, AND RANK AMONG THE WEEK'S TOP 10 PROGRAMS IN ADULTS 18-49

'ER' WINS ITS THURSDAY HOUR IN ADULTS, MEN AND WOMEN 18-49 AND ADULTS, MEN AND WOMEN 18-34, BEATING DRAMA COMPETITION ON ABC AND CBS

'KNIGHT RIDER' WINS ITS WEDNESDAY SLOT IN ADULTS 18-49 AND ADULTS 18-34, AND GROWS 9 PERCENT WEEK-TO-WEEK IN TOTAL VIEWERS

ON TUESDAY, 'LAW & ORDER: SVU' WINS ITS SLOT IN KEY DEMOS, TOPPING RIVAL NETWORK DRAMAS BY WIDE MARGINS

ON MONDAY, 'HEROES' GROWS 8 PERCENT IN 18-49 WEEK-TO-WEEK TO LEAD THE BROADCAST NETWORKS IN ITS TOUGH TIME PERIOD IN KEY DEMOS

'HEROES' TIES FOR #7 FOR THE WEEK IN 18-49

ALSO ON MONDAY, 'MY OWN WORST ENEMY' DEBUTS WITH THE STRONGEST RETENTION FOLLOWING 'HEROES' SINCE THE NIGHT OF THE ORIGINAL 'HEROES' PREMIERE TWO YEARS AGO

ON FRIDAY, 'CRUSOE' LAYS CLAIM TO NBC'S HIGHEST NON-OLYMPIC DEMO RATING IN THE SLOT SINCE MAY AND BIGGEST VIEWERSHIP SINCE FEBRUARY, SURGING 23 PERCENT IN 18-49 AND 53 PERCENT IN TOTAL VIEWERS VERSUS NBC'S SEASON AVERAGE FOR THE SLOT

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

BURBANK, Calif. � October 21, 2008 � Paced by "Heroes," "The Office" and the second "Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday," NBC averaged a 2.7 rating, 7 share in adults 18-49 and 7.2 million viewers overall for the week of October 13-19, according to in-home viewing figures from Nielsen Media Research

"Heroes" and "The Office" tied as the #7-ranked programs of the week in primetime's key demographic of adults 18-49 and "Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday" ranked #9. In adults 18-34, "The Office" ranked #4 (tied) among all programs, "Heroes" was #7 (tied) and "Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday" ranked #9 (tied). "NBC Sunday Night Football" was the #1 program of the week among men 25-54 and the #2 program in men 18-49. (Note: weekly program rankings exclude football post-game and pre-game telecasts).

Primetime averages for the week of October 13-19 in adults 18-49 were CBS (3.2/9), ABC (2.8/8), NBC (2.7/7), Fox (2.5/7), Univision (1.5/4), CW (0.9/2) and Telemundo (0.5/1). In overall total viewers the weekly averages were CBS (11.5 million), ABC (9.2 million), NBC (7.2 million), Fox (6.7 million), Univision (3.9 million), CW (2.1 million) and Telemundo (1.1 million).

Through the first four weeks of the 2008-09 season, NBC is now the "second youngest" of the major broadcast networks, with a median age of 45.6, only 1.1 years "older" than Fox (44.5). By comparison, CBS's median age is 52.9 and ABC's median age is 50.7.

NBC highlights for the week of October 13-19:

* On Monday, "Heroes" grew by 8 percent in 18-49 versus the prior week to lead the broadcast network competition in its tough hour in adults 18-49 (tie), adults, men and women 18-34, men 18-49 and men 25-54. From half-hour to half-hour, "Heroes" increased by 10 percent in 18-49 rating and 9 percent in total viewers, while competing entertainment programming on ABC and CBS declined half-hour to half-hour in both measures.

* Also on Monday, the debut of "My Own Worst Enemy" delivered NBC's best performance in the time period relative to its "Heroes" lead-in since the night of the original series premiere of "Heroes" more than two years ago. "Enemy" jumped by 36 percent in 18-49 and 30 percent in total viewers versus NBC's performance in the slot the prior Monday.

* On Tuesday, "Law & Order: SVU" won its hour in all key demographics, including adults 18-49, topping CBS's second-place "Without a Trace" by 48 percent and ABC's "Eli Stone" by 68 percent in that key demographic. "SVU" beat the ABC-CBS competition combined among adults, men and women 18-34.

* Also on Tuesday, "The Biggest Loser" delivered significant growth over its two-hour telecast, and by its final half-hour from 9:30-10 p.m. topped both ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" and CBS's "The Mentalist" in the key demographic of adults 18-49.

* On Wednesday, "Knight Rider" ranked #1 in its leadoff hour in adults 18-49 and adults 18-34. "Knight Rider" also ranked #1 among men 18-34, opposite Fox's baseball coverage.

* On Thursday, "ER" won its hour in adults, men and women 18-49 and adults, men and women 18-34, topping the second episodes of "Eleventh Hour" on CBS and "Life on Mars" on ABC in those key demographics.

* Also on Thursday, "The Office" and "Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday" won their tough time periods in men 18-49 and men 18-34, topping CBS's "CSI" and ABC's "Grey's Anatomy," among other programs, in those demos.

* Additionally on Thursday, "Kath & Kim" retained 93 percent of its "My Name is Earl" lead-in among adults 18-49. In adults 18-34 and women 18-49, "Kath & Kim" retained 100 percent of its lead-in, and among women 18-34, the new comedy built on that lead-in by 4 percent. "Earl" itself delivered its second-highest 8-8:30 p.m. results of the season in both 18-49 and total viewers.

* On Friday, the two-hour debut of "Crusoe" laid claim to NBC's highest non-Olympic 18-49 rating in the time period since last May and biggest non-Olympic viewership in the slot since last February. "Crusoe" surged 23 percent in 18-49 rating and 53 percent in total viewers versus NBC's season-to-date average for the Friday time period.

* The "NBC Sunday Night Football" telecast of the Seattle Seahawks at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers propelled NBC to a #1 finish among the broadcast networks Sunday night among men 18-49.

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 October 13-19:

On Monday, Oct. 13 at 8 p.m. ET, "Chuck" (2.4 rating, 6 share in adults 18-49, 6.2 million viewers overall) increased week-to-week by 4 percent in 18-49 rating (to a 2.4 from a 2.3) and by 6 percent in total viewers (to 6.2 million from 5.8 million). From its first half-hour to its second, "Chuck" grew by 13 percent in 18-49 rating (to a 2.6/6 from a 2.3/6).

Monday from 9-10 p.m. ET, "Heroes" (4.3/10 in 18-49, 8.8 million viewers overall) increased by 8 percent in 18-49 rating and 7 percent in total viewers versus the prior week. (Note: The "live plus same day" rating for "Heroes" has increased by 20 percent in "live plus seven day" results for the two telecasts this season for which data is available. "Live plus seven" ratings for Monday, Oct. 13 will not be available until the week of November 3.)

"Heroes" led the broadcast networks in its highly competitive time period in adults 18-49 (tie), adults, men and women 18-34, men 18-49 and men 25-54. "Heroes" has finished #1 or tied for #1 in its tough hour in adults 18-49 with three out of four telecasts so far this season.

From its first half-hour to its second, "Heroes" increased by 10 percent in 18-49 rating (to a 4.5/10 from a 4.1/9) and by 9 percent in overall viewership (to 9.1 million from 8.4 million), while competing entertainment programming in the time period on ABC and CBS declined half-hour to half-hour in both adults 18-49 and overall viewers.

At 10 p.m. ET, the series debut of "My Own Worst Enemy" delivered NBC's best performance in this time period relative to the "Heroes" lead-in since the night of the original premiere of "Heroes" more than two years ago (September 25, 2006). "My Own Worst Enemy" (3.0/8 in 18-49, 7.3 million viewers overall) retained 70 percent of the "Heroes" lead-in among adults 18-49, ranking #2 in adults 18-49 and numerous other key demos. "Enemy" outscored ABC's rival drama in the hour, "Boston Legal," in adults, men and women 18-34, adults, men and women 18-49 and adults and men 25-54.

"My Own Worst Enemy" jumped 36 percent in 18-49 rating and 30 percent in total viewers versus NBC's performance in the time period the prior Monday (a 2.2 in 18-49 and 5.6 million viewers overall for "Life" on October 6).

On Tuesday, Oct. 14 from 8-10 p.m. ET, "The Biggest Loser 6" (3.1/8 in 18-49, 7.6 million viewers overall) delivered significant half-hour-to-half-hour growth over its two-hour telecast, increasing by 30 percent in 18-49 rating (to a 3.5 from a 2.7) and 11 percent in total viewers (to 8.1 million from 7.3 million). By its final half-hour, "Biggest Loser" rose to #2 in adults 18-49, topping both ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" and CBS's "The Mentalist" in that key demo from 9:30-10 p.m. ET.

"The Biggest Loser" matched its highest 18-49 rating since September 16 and attracted its highest overall viewership over that same four-week stretch.

Tuesday from 10-11 p.m. ET, "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" won its hour in all key demographics and topped the ABC-CBS drama competition combined among adults, men and women 18-34. In adults 18-49, "SVU" posted a 48 percent margin of victory over CBS's second-place "Without a Trace" (3.7 vs. 2.5) and a 68 percent margin over ABC's "Eli Stone."

From its first half-hour to its second, "SVU" increased by 11 percent in 18-49 rating (to a 3.9/11 from a 3.5/9) and by 10 percent in total viewers (to 10.0 million from 9.0 million), while the ABC and CBS competition declined in both categories.

On Wednesday, Oct. 15 from 8-9 p.m. ET, "Knight Rider" (2.3/7 in 18-49, 7.5 million viewers overall) ranked #1 in adults 18-49 and adults 18-34. "Knight Rider" was also #1 among men 18-34 in the hour, running against coverage of baseball on Fox and first-run comedies on CBS.

From its first half-hour to its second, "Knight Rider" accelerated by 19 percent in 18-49 rating (to a 2.5/7 from a 2.1/6) and by 15 percent, or 1.1 million persons in total viewers (to 8.0 million from 6.9 million). Week-to-week, "Knight Rider" grew 9 percent in total viewers (to 7.5 million from 6.9 million) while matching its 18-49 rating of the prior week.

Wednesday, NBC aired the Presidential Debate as sustaining programming, which is not counted in the nightly or weekly averages. From 10:31-11 p.m. ET, NBC News' "Decision '08" analysis of the debate averaged a 3.1/8 in adults 18-49, a 3.6/8 in adults 25-54 and 9.1 million viewers overall, ranking #1 among the broadcast networks in all three measures.

NBC ranked #1 on Wednesday night in both adults 18-49 and total viewers.

On Thursday, Oct. 16 at 8 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 in adults 18-34 (tied with "Survivor") and men 18-34. "Earl" scored NBC's second-highest 18-49 rating and overall viewership in this time period so far this season

Thursday at 8:30 p.m. ET, "Kath & Kim" (2.5/7 in 18-49, 6.1 million viewers overall) retained 93 percent of its "Earl" lead-in in adults 18-49 and 91 percent in total viewers. In adults 18-34 and women 18-49, "Kath & Kim" retained 100 percent of its lead-in, and among women 18-34, it built on its lead-in by 4 percent

Thursday from 9-9:31 p.m. ET, "The Office" (4.3/11 in 18-49, 8.3 million viewers overall) won its extremely competitive half-hour in men 18-34 and men 18-49, topping CBS's "CSI" and ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" in those demos. "The Office" finished within a tenth of a rating point of its 18-49 rating in this slot on the same night last year, while CBS declined year-to-year by 1.2 rating points and ABC was down 1.1 rating points.

Thursday from 9:31-10:01 p.m. ET, "Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday" (4.2/10 in 18-49, 8.8 million viewers overall) lifted NBC 21 percent in 18-49 rating versus the network's average in this time period last season (4.2 vs. 3.4).

The second of three special Thursday primetime editions of "SNL," the telecast retained 98 percent of its strong "Office" lead-in among adults 18-49 and built on that lead-in by 7 percent in total viewers. "SNL" won its highly competitive time period among men 18-49 and 18-34, topping "CSI" and "Grey's Anatomy" in those demos.

Thursday from 10:01-11 p.m. ET, "ER" (3.6/10 in 18-49, 9.0 million viewers overall) won its time period in adults, men and women 18-49 and adults, men and women 18-34, topping the second episodes of "Eleventh Hour" on CBS and "Life on Mars" on ABC in those key demographics. "ER" was up 20 percent in 18-49 versus its 3.0 average for original episodes last May.

NBC finished within two shares of the Thursday nightlong lead in adults 18-49 and led all broadcast competition among men 18-34.

On Friday, Oct. 17 from 8-10 p.m. ET, the premiere of "Crusoe" laid claim to NBC's highest non-Olympic 18-49 rating in this time period since May 2 and biggest non-Olympic viewership since February 22. "Crusoe" (1.6/5 in 18-49, 7.4 million viewers overall) ranked #1 in its two-hour slot in men 18-49 (tie) and men 25-54 and #2 in adults 25-54 and total viewers. "Crusoe" outperformed NBC's season-to-date average in this Friday time period by 23 percent in 18-49 rating (1.6 vs. 1.3) and by 53 percent in total viewers (7.4 million vs. 4.8 million).

"Crusoe" won its second hour from 9-10 p.m. ET in total viewers, as well as among men 18-49 and men 25-54, having built from its first hour to its second by 13 percent in 18-49 rating (to a 1.7 from a 1.5) and by 13 percent in total viewers (to 7.8 million from 6.9 million).

At 10 p.m., "Life" (1.5/5 in 18-49, 5.9 million viewers overall) increased week-to-week by 7 percent in 18-49 rating (1.5/5 vs. 1.4/4) and by 18 percent in total viewers (5.9 million vs. 5.0 million).

On Saturday, Oct. 18 at 8 p.m. ET, "America's Toughest Jobs" averaged a 0.7/2 in 18-49 and 2.4 million viewers overall. At 9 p.m., an encore telecast of "My Own Worst Enemy" delivered a 0.6/2 in 18-49 and 2.4 million viewers overall. From 10-11 p.m., a rebroadcast of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (1.3/4 in 18-49, 4.7 million viewers overall) ranked #1 among women 18-34. From its first half-hour to its second, "SVU" built by 27 percent in 18-49 rating (to a 1.4/4 from a 1.1/3).

On Sunday, Oct. 19, the "NBC Sunday Night Football" telecast of the Seattle Seahawks at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers averaged a 3.9/9 in adults 18-49, 10.0 million viewers overall and a 6.3/10 household rating/share for its full duration from 8:23-11 p.m. ET. In the final hour of primetime from 10-11 p.m., the Seahawks-Buccaneers telecast ranked #1 in adults 18-49, adults 18-34 and all key adult-male demographics � men 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54.

For the night from 7:30-11 p.m. ET, NBC averaged a 3.4/9 in 18-49 and 8.9 million viewers overall. NBC ranked #1 among the broadcast networks on Sunday night in men 18-49.

Also on Sunday, "Football Night in America 2" from 7:30-7:58 p.m. ET averaged a 1.6/5 in 18-49, 4.2 million viewers overall and a 2.6/5 household rating/share. "Football Night in America 3" from 7:58-8:15 p.m. delivered a 2.4/7 in 18-49, 6.7 million viewers overall and a 4.1/7 in households. From 8:15-8:23 p.m., "NBC Sunday Night Football Pre Kickoff" averaged a 2.7/7 in 18-49, 7.4 million viewers overall and a 4.5/7 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.