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[06/16/09 - 11:47 AM]
ABC Wins in Viewers and Adults 18-49, Posting Its Top Summer Week in 5 Years
ABC spins the numbers for the week of June 8-14.

[via press release from ABC]

Primetime Ratings Report For the week of June 8, 2009 (Based on National Live + Same Day Program Ratings)

ABC Wins in Viewers and Adults 18-49, Posting its Top Summer Week in 5 Years

ABC Claims the Week's Top 4 TV Shows in Viewers and Adults 18-49, Placing 6 of the Top 15 Programs in the Key Young Adult Sales Demo

The Games of ABC's 2009 NBA Finals Qualify as the Top 5 TV Telecasts Since the End of the Season in May with Total Viewers and Adults 18-49

Airing Around the NBA Games, ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live Game Night" Specials Grow Year to Year by 7% in Viewers and by 10% in Adults 18-49

"The Bachelorette" is Up for the 2nd Week in a Row, and Head to Head Defeats NBC's Highly-Promoted "I'm a Celebrity�" by Wide Margins

"Here Come the Newlyweds" Hits Season-Highs in Adults 18-34 and Women 18-34

Led by the 2009 NBA Finals, ABC Dominates Tuesday in Adults 18-49, Defeating Second-Place NBC with Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals by 58%

Head to Head from 8-10pm, "Wipeout" Puts Up ABC's Best-Ever Wednesday Numbers Opposite Any 2-Hour Edition of Fox's "So You Think You Can Dance"

"Wipeout" Draws ABC's Biggest Summer Audience to the Time Slot Since 2005

"Wipeout" Grows its Overall Audience Week to Week and Hits Season-Highs with Men 18-49, Men 18-34, Teens and Kids

Towering Over Thursday for the 2nd Week in a Row with the NBA Finals, ABC Tops its Nearest Competitors by 2.9 Million Viewers and by 64% in Adults 18-49

In Viewers and Young Adults, ABC Posts its Best Summer Thursday Since 2005

On Thursday Night, "JKL Game Night" Special Achieves Best-Ever Numbers

Dominating Sunday for the 2nd Week in a Row with Coverage of the 2009 NBA Finals, ABC Beats CBS, NBC and Fox Combined in Adults 18-49

The 5-Game '09 Magic-Lakers NBA Finals Finish Nearly Even with the High-Profile Year-Ago 6-Game Celtics-Lakers Match-up, the 2nd Strongest Results Since 2004

The Finals Grow Year to Year with TV's Youngest Viewers, Resulting in The Youngest Median Age for the NBA Championship Series in 5 Years

WEEK No. 38:

ABC won the week (w/o 6/8/09) in Total Viewers (7.3 million) and Adults 18-49 (2.7/9), dominating in the key young adult sales demo for the 2nd week in a row. The Net also finished No. 1 for the 2nd consecutive week in the other two key Adult demos: AD18-34 (2.6/9) and AD25-54 (2.9/8).

� The only network to grow its numbers over the same week last year, ABC scored its top summer week in 5 years among Total Viewers and Adults 18-49 � since w/o 6/7/04.

Rankings: ABC claimed 6 of the Top 15 TV shows for the week in Adults 18-49, including the Top 4 shows in both viewers and young adults with coverage of the 2009 NBA Finals: "NBA Finals on ABC Game 4" � No. 1, "NBA Finals on ABC Game 3" � No. 2, "NBA Finals on ABC Game 5" � No. 3, "NBA Trophy Presentation" � No. 4, "Wipeout" � No. 8 and "The Bachelorette" � No. 11. In fact with Viewers and Adults 18-49, the five games of the 2009 NBA Championship Series registered as TV's Top 5 telecasts since the end of the TV season in May (5/20/09) and Summer '09 to date. In addition to finishing as a Top 10 show in Adults 18-49, ABC's "Wipeout" also placed as the week's No. 1 non-sports program with Men 18-49.

Monday

Improving upon the previous week in viewers and young adults for the 2nd week in a row, ABC's Monday lineup saw its best summer numbers in Total Viewers (6.4 million) and Adults 18-49 (2.3/7) in nearly 1 year � since 7/7/08. ABC ranked No. 1 on the night among Adults 18-49 (tie) and Adults 18-34 (2.3/7), as well as in each of the key Women demographics (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54).

"The Bachelorette" (8:00-10:02 p.m.)

Building on the prior week's telecast for the 2nd straight week, "The Bachelorette" hit summer highs in both Total Viewers (7.2 million) and Adults 18-49 (2.5/7), winning its time-slot in the key young adult sales demo. "The Bachelorette" outperformed its unscripted competition in the 2-hour time period, NBC's highly promoted "I'm a Celebrity�Get Me Out of Here!," by nearly 2.0 million viewers and by 19% in Adults 18-49 (5.3 million & 2.1/6 in Adults 18-49).

� "The Bachelorette" stood as Monday's No. 1 program among Adults 18-34 (2.5/5), Women 18-34 (3.7/11) and Women 18-49 (3.7/10).

"Here Come the Newlyweds" (10:02-11:00 p.m.)

Posting week-to-week increases for the 2nd week running, ABC's "Here Come the Newlyweds" delivered a season-high performance in Adults 18-34 (1.9/6) and Women 18-34 (2.8/8).

Tuesday

With coverage of the 2009 NBA Finals Game 3 (Magic-Lakers), ABC took first place on Tuesday across all key Adult demos: AD18-34 (4.1/14), AD18-49 (3.8/10) and AD25-54 (3.9/11). Dominating the competition in the key Adult 18-49 sales demo, ABC outran second-place NBC with Game 6 coverage of the 2009 NHL Stanley Cup Finals by 58% (3.8/11 vs. 2.4/7).

� In viewers and young adults, ABC marked its strongest summer Tuesday in almost 1 year � since 6/17/08.

"Jimmy Kimmel Live Game Night" (Various Time Periods)

For the 3rd consecutive telecast, "JKL Game Night" grew its overall audience from the same night a year ago (3.1 million vs. 3.0 million). On average, the "JKL Game Night" specials have increased year to year by 7% in Total Viewers (3.2 million vs. 3.0 million) and 10% in Adults 18-49 (1.1/4 vs. 1.0/3), over the same three airings last year.

"2009 NBA Finals Game 3" (9:02 p.m. � 12:04 a.m. E.T.)

The NBA Finals on ABC Game 3 topped its competitors during primetime to register as Tuesday's definitive No. 1 TV program in Total Viewers (14.2 million) and across each of the key adult demographics: A18-34 (6.2/20), A18-49 (5.9/17) and A25-54 (5.9/16). It was the 3rd telecast in a row for the 2009 NBA Finals to stand as the evening's No. 1 television show in viewers and key adults. The Orlando Magic won Game 3 by a score of 108-104, cutting Los Angeles' lead in the best-of-seven series to 2-1.

� ABC's NBA Finals Game 3 was on par with the third game of the high-profile 2008 Lakers-Celtics Finals (14.5 million & 6.0/18 on 6/10/08), and up by 4.7 million viewers and by 55% in Adults 18-49 over the two-years-ago Game 3 of the 2007 NBA Cavaliers-Spurs Finals (9.5 million and 3.8/12 on 6/12/07). In viewers and young adults, it was the second-biggest Game 3 for the NBA Championship Series in the last 5 years � since Game 3 of the 2004 series on 6/10/04.

� Jumping year to year by 38% in Teens 12-17 (4.0/16 vs. 2.9/11), it was the highest-rated Game 3 since 2004. The NBA game was also Tuesday evening's No. 1 TV show with Teens 12-17.

Wednesday

ABC took second place to Fox on Wednesday night in Total Viewers (7.2 million) and Adults 18-49 (2.4/7), with its strongest summer Wednesday in 2 years on both Nielsen measures � since 6/6/07.

"Wipeout" (8:00-10:01 p.m.)

An extended edition of ABC's "Wipeout" placed a very-competitive second to Fox's 8:00-10:00 p.m. time period regular "So You Think You Can Dance" in Total Viewers (8.5 million) and Adults 18-49 (3.0/9). In fact ABC put up its best-ever viewer and young adult numbers in the slot against any 2-hour Wednesday edition of "So You Think You Can Dance" (the Fox show premiered in Summer '05). For the 3rd straight week, ABC's broad-appealing unscripted series placed No. 1 in its time slot across all key Men demos (M18-34 � 2.5/8, M18-49 � 3.1/10 and M25-54 � 3.4/10) and Teens 12-17 (2.4/10). "Wipeout" was also once again the highest-rated broadcast program in its slot with Kids 2-11 (3.0/11).

� For the 2nd week in a row, "Wipeout" qualified as Wednesday's No. 1 TV show across the key Men demographics.

� "Wipeout" produced ABC's biggest summer numbers in the 2-hour Wednesday time period since July 2005 among Total Viewers, Men 18-34 and Teens 12-17, while posting its highest non-sports Men 18-49 rating since September 2002 � since 7/13/05 and 9/11/02, respectively.

� "Wipeout" grew its overall audience week to week (8.5 million vs. 8.4 million), while hitting season-highs in Men 18-49, Men 18-34, Teens 12-17 and Kids 2-11.

Thursday

Driven by coverage of the 2009 NBA Finals Game 4 (Magic-Lakers), ABC took full control of Thursday night for the 2nd week in a row in Total Viewers (10.4 million) and across all key Adult demos: AD18-34 (4.2/14), AD18-49 (4.1/13) and AD25-54 (4.2/12). Towering over the night, ABC outpaced its closest Thursday competitors in prime by 2.9 million viewers (CBS = 7.5 million) and by 64% in Adults 18-49 (Fox = 2.5/8).

� In viewers and young adults, ABC tallied its top summer Thursday since 2005 � since 9/8/05.

"Jimmy Kimmel Live Game Night" (Various Time Periods)

Posting its best-ever numbers in viewers (3.8 million) and young adults (1.3/4), "Jimmy Kimmel Live Game Night" increased its overall audience from the year-ago evening for the 4th telecast in a row (3.8 million vs. 3.0 million on 6/12/08).

"2009 NBA Finals Game 4" (9:02 p.m. � 12:23 a.m. E.T.)

Game 4 of the NBA Finals on ABC soared to the top on Thursday evening, overshadowing all competitors to register as Thursday's No. 1 TV program with Total Viewers (16.0 million) and across each of the key Adult demos: A18-34 (6.4/22), A18-49 (6.4/20) and A25-54 (6.5/18). It was the 4th straight broadcast for the 2009 NBA Finals to register as the night's No. 1 TV show in viewers and key adults. In a game that went into overtime, the Los Angeles Lakers won Game 4 by a score of 99-91, bringing Los Angeles' lead in the best-of-seven series to 3-1.

� ABC's 2009 NBA Finals Game 4 outperformed the year-ago high-profile 2008 Lakers-Celtics contest by 16% in viewers and by 12% in young adults (13.8 million & 5.7/16 on 6/12/08), representing the biggest Game 4 since 2004.

Sunday

ABC dominated Sunday night for the 2nd week in a row with coverage of the 2009 NBA Finals. ABC outdrew its nearest competition during primetime by 4.6 million viewers (11.3 million vs. 6.7 million - CBS) and by 200% in Adults 18-49 (4.5/14 vs. 1.5/5 � Fox). In Adults 18-49 for the 2nd straight Sunday, ABC beat the combined delivery of CBS, NBC and Fox by 32% on the evening (4.5/14 vs. 3.4/11).

� In Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, ABC marked its best primetime results with any Game 5 of The Finals in 5 years � since 2004.

"Jimmy Kimmel Live Game Night" (Various Time Periods)

On average, ABC's five "Jimmy Kimmel Live Game Night" specials were up over last year's six specials by 7% in Total Viewers (3.2 million vs. 3.0 million) and 10% in Adults 18-49 (1.1/4 vs. 1.0/3). Additionally, "JKL" gained broad exposure in primetime, as the specials increased by 1.5 million viewers and 83% in Adults 18-49 over "Kimmel's" season averages in Late-Night ('08-09 TV Season = 1.7 million & 0.6/3).

"2009 NBA Finals Game 5" (8:02 � 10:44 p.m. E.T.)

ABC's 2009 NBA Finals Game 5 soared above all competitors during primetime to stand as Sunday's definitive No. 1 TV program in Total Viewers (14.2 million) and across each of the key adult demographics: A18-34 (5.6/19), A18-49 (5.7/17) and A25-54 (5.9/16). In fact it was the 5th consecutive telecast for the 2009 NBA Finals to stand as the evening's No. 1 television program in viewers and across key adults. In a game dominated by the Lakers, as they closed out the best-of-seven series 4-1 with a 13-point victory over the Orlando Magic (99-86), the LA Lakers emerged as the 2009 NBA Champions.

� In Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, the five games of the 2009 NBA Championship Series account for each of the Top 5 telecasts since the end of the TV Season in May (5/20/09) and Summer '09. Additionally, the '09 NBA Finals placed as TV's Top 5 highest telecasts since ABC's Oscar broadcast in February among hard-to-reach Men 18-34 � rising above tens of thousands of primetime TV telecasts (33,000+) on broadcast and cable over the 4-month period.

� On average the 5-Game 2009 NBA Finals were nearly even with the high-profile '08 Celtics-Lakers 6-Game averages a year ago, retaining 96% in Total Viewers (14.4 million vs. 15.0 million) and 97% in Adults 18-49 (5.9/18 vs. 6.1/18), coming in as the 2nd-biggest NBA Finals in the past 5 years � since 2004. The '09 NBA Finals were up by 5.1 million viewers and by 59% in Adults 18-49 over the two-years-ago Cleveland-San Antonio '07 NBA Championships (2007 4-game series = 9.3 million and 3.7/12).

� The '09 Finals finished up among TV's youngest viewers over �08, gaining 11% among Teens 12-17 (3.9/16 vs. 3.5/14) and 5% among Kids 2-11 (2.0/9 vs. 1.9/9), the highest numbers for the NBA Championship Series since 2004 on both counts. In fact the '09 Finals generated the youngest median age for the NBA Championships in 5 years and second-youngest-ever on ABC, trending 1.3 years younger than last year's series (40.6 years vs. 41.9 years) � since '04 and ABC began carriage of The Finals in 2003 .

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 31% currently, from 25% at the same point in 2008. 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 (National Live+Same Day Program Ratings), week of 6/8/09, unless stated otherwise.





  [june 2009]  
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· BACHELORETTE, THE (ABC)
· HERE COME THE NEWLYWEDS (ABC)
· I'M A CELEBRITY, GET ME OUT OF HERE! (NBC)
· SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE (FOX)
· WIPEOUT (TBS)





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