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[08/10/09 - 11:05 AM]
ABC Garners Its Strongest Non-Sports Sunday of Summer 2009
ABC spins the numbers for Sunday, August 9.

[via press release from ABC]

Quick Take for Sunday, August 9, 2009 (Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Ratings)

ABC Garners its Strongest Non-Sports Sunday of Summer 2009

"America's Funniest Home Videos" Achieves Summer-High Numbers

On its Return, ABC's "Millionaire" Generates ABC's Biggest Non-Sports Summer Audience in the Time Period in Nearly 2 Years

ABC's Debut of "Shark Tank" Posts Strong Week-to-Week Gains in the Slot And Shows Solid Lead-in Retention of "Millionaire" in Young Adults and Young Women

ABC's "Defying Gravity" Builds on its Week-Earlier Debut with Adults 18-34

Sunday Night (8:00-11:00 p.m.

On a night that included the return of "Millionaire" and the debut of "Shark Tank," opposite competition that included NBC's NFL "Hall of Fame Game" (Buffalo-Tennessee), ABC posted its strongest non-sports Sunday of Summer �09 with Total Viewers (5.0 million) and Adults 18-49 (1.3/4).

� ABC's Sunday night results improved over the same night last year by 1.2 million viewers and by 18% in Adults 18-49 (8/10/08 = 3.8 million and 1.1/3).

"America's Funniest Home Videos" (7:00-8:00 p.m.)

Hitting summer-highs in Viewers (5.8 million) and Adults 18-49 (1.5/5-tie), ABC's repeat "America's Funniest Home Videos" earned second place in the 7:00 p.m. hour among young adults.

"Millionaire" (8:00-9:00 p.m.)

Building on its lead-in by 1.2 million viewers (7.0 million vs. 5.8 million) against stiff competition, including NBC's NFL "Hall of Fame Game" and CBS' time-slot regular "Big Brother 11," ABC's return of "Millionaire" finished as the No. 2 non-sports program in the 8 o'clock hour with Total Viewers. From its first half-hour to its second half-hour, "Millionaire" saw its audience grow in both viewers and young adults.

� On its opening night of its 11-night event, "Millionaire" produced ABC's biggest non-sports summer audience during Sunday's 8:00 p.m. hour in nearly 2 years � since 8/19/07.

"Shark Tank" (9:00-10:00 p.m.)

Despite facing NFL competition, ABC's "Shark Tank" debuted with strong retention of its lead-in during the 9 o'clock hour, retaining 87% in Adult 18-49 lead-in (1.3/4 vs. 1.5/5), 100% in Adults 18-34 (0.9/3) and built on "Millionaire" lead by 10% with Women 18-34 (1.1/3 vs. 1.0/3).

� Week to week, "Shark Tank" boosted the hour for ABC by 14% in Total Viewers (4.2 million vs. 3.7 million) and by 30% in Adults 18-49 (1.3/4 vs. 1.0/3).

"Defying Gravity" (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

On its second week, ABC's "Defying Gravity" held 91% of its week-earlier series premiere Adult 18-49 delivery (1.0/3 vs. 1.1/3). The new ABC show built on its debut by 20% in Adults 18-34 (0.6/2 vs. 0.5/2).

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 32% currently, from 26% 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 (Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Ratings), 8/9/09.





  [august 2009]  
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· AMERICA'S FUNNIEST HOME VIDEOS (ABC)
· BIG BROTHER (CBS)
· DEFYING GRAVITY (ABC)
· SHARK TANK (ABC)
· SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL (NBC)
· WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE (ABC)





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