or


[12/07/09 - 08:54 AM]
Brothers & Sisters Hits a 9-Month-High
ABC spins the numbers for Sunday, December 6.

[via press release from ABC]

Brothers & Sisters Hits a 9-Month-High/Housewives Ties Biggest Audience this Season

Early points for ABC on Sunday Night, ahead of the regular press release...

Opposite NFL driven NBC (Vikings-Cardinals) and Fox (Cowboys-Giants primetime overrun), ABC beat out its non-sports boosted competition on Sunday, topping CBS' Sunday line-up by 7% in Total Viewers (11.0 million vs. 10.3 million) and by 42% in Adults18-49 (3.4/8 vs. 2.4/6). Despite the increased competition, ABC was up week to week by 1 million viewers and by 10% in Adults 18-49 (11.29/09 = 10.0 million and 3.1/8).

TV's #1 non-sports program on Sunday, ABC's Desperate Housewives' numbers surged from the prior week by nearly 2 million viewers (14.7 million vs. 12.8 million) and by 9% in Adults 18-49 (4.8/11 vs. 4.4/10). In fact, Housewives matched its biggest audience this season.

� Housewives registered as the night's most-watched entertainment series for its 10th straight telecast this season, while standing as Sunday's #1 series for 8 straight airings in Adults 18-49.

Hitting season-highs and jumping week to week by 2.2 million viewers (10.9 million vs. 8.7 million) and by 28% in Adults 18-49 (3.7/9 vs. 2.9/8), ABC's Brothers & Sisters achieved its highest numbers in 9 months on both counts � since 3/1/09.

Quick Take for Sunday December 6, 2009 (Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Ratings)

Up Week to Week, ABC Continues to Beat its Non-Sports Sunday Competition

Sunday's No. 1 Non-Sports TV Show, "Housewives" Grows Week to Week In Viewers and Young Adults, Matching its Largest Overall Audience This Season

Hitting Season-Highs, ABC's "Brothers & Sisters" Generates the Series' Biggest Audience and Highest Adult 18-49 Number in 9 Months

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

Opposite NFL driven NBC (Vikings-Cardinals) and Fox (Cowboys-Giants primetime overrun), ABC once again beat out its non-sports boosted competition on Sunday, topping CBS' Sunday lineup by 7% in Total Viewers (11.0 million vs. 10.3 million) and by 42% in Adults18-49 (3.4/8 vs. 2.4/6).

� Despite the increased week-to-week competition, ABC was up over the prior Sunday by 1 million viewers and by 10% in Adults 18-49 (10.0 million and 3.1/8 on 11/29/09).

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

TV's No. 1 non-sports program on Sunday, ABC's "Desperate Housewives'" numbers grew from the prior week by nearly 2.0 million viewers (14.7 million vs. 12.8 million) and by 9% in Adults 18-49 (4.8/11 vs. 4.4/10). In fact, Housewives tied its biggest overall audience this season.

� "Housewives" registered as the night's most-watched entertainment series for its 10th straight telecast this season, while standing as Sunday's No. 1 series for 8 consecutive airings with Adults 18-49.

� "Housewives" is generating an even bigger increase this season than last over its first-reported numbers through DVR playback, picking up an average 1.7 million viewers and an additional 8-tenths of an Adult 18-49 rating point from the initially reported Live + Same Day Numbers to the Live + 7 Day DVR finals.

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

ABC's "Brothers & Sisters" placed a strong second in the 10 o'clock hour to NBC's NFL game, topping its CBS competition ("NCIS: LA" encore) by 3.6 million viewers (10.9 million vs. 7.3 million) and by 131% (3.7/9 vs. 1.6/4).

� Hitting season-highs and jumping week to week by 2.2 million viewers (10.9 million vs. 8.7 million) and by 28% in Adults 18-49 (3.7/9 vs. 2.9/8), ABC's "Brothers & Sisters" achieved the series' strongest numbers in 9 months on both counts � since 3/1/09.

� Like its lead-in, "Brothers & Sisters" is seeing a sizeable uptick this season over its first-reported numbers through DVR playback (also bigger than last season), picking up an average 1.3 million viewers and an additional 5-tenths of an Adult 18-49 rating point from the initially reported Live + Same Day Numbers to the Live + 7 Day DVR finals.

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 33% currently, from 28% 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), 12/6/09. DVR Playback = 9/21-11/15/09.





  [december 2009]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
  


· BROTHERS & SISTERS (ABC)
· DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES (ABC)
· NCIS: LOS ANGELES (CBS)
· SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL (NBC)





most recent ratings | view all posts
[10/03/25 - 02:17 PM]
ESPN's Record-Setting '25 MLB Wild Card Series
Across eight games, the MLB Wild Card Series is averaging 4.4 million viewers, up 65% from last year.

[10/03/25 - 12:07 PM]
"Dancing with the Stars" Continues to Shatter Records - Growing Two Weeks in a Row Since Season Premiere for First Time Since 2005
Plus: "High Potential" hit a season high in Total Viewers (4.24 million), growing by double digits over the show's comparable third episode from last fall.

[10/02/25 - 04:09 PM]
ESPN Delivers the Most-Watched WNBA Semifinals Ever
Game 5 between the Indiana Fever and the Las Vegas Aces averaged 1.8 million viewers, peaking at 2.1 million.

[10/02/25 - 02:51 PM]
ESPN's Record-Setting Day One of MLB Wild Card Series
Coverage of Red Sox versus Yankees averaged 6.5 million viewers, peaking at 9.9 million.

[10/02/25 - 11:00 AM]
"Survivor" and "The Amazing Race" Season Premieres Hit Their Largest 3-Day Streaming Viewerships Ever
The "Survivor" season 49 premiere grew to 6.83 million viewers with three days of multiplatform viewership; while "The Amazing Race" season 38 premiere grew to 4.01 million viewers.

[10/02/25 - 09:38 AM]
"Celebrity Wheel of Fortune" Scores on Friday Nights with Biggest Total Viewer Audience in Nearly Two Years
"Celebrity Wheel of Fortune" stood as the No. 1 program of the night, rising by double digits in Total Viewers over its previous season premiere.

[10/01/25 - 10:27 AM]
"Big Brother" Season Finale Is Most-Watched Episode in Over Three Years
The finale was up +33% from its year ago finale and up +33% from this season's average.

[09/30/25 - 03:44 PM]
ESPN and ABC Win College Football's Week 5; "College GameDay's" Most-Viewed Season Rolls On
ABC is off to its best start ever with 7.1 million average viewers per game, and the network has aired eight of the top 10 most-viewed games this season.

[09/30/25 - 02:08 PM]
Packers-Cowboys OT Thriller Averages 26.9 Million Viewers on NBC & Peacock, As NBC Sports Opens with Best Four-Week Audience Average in 20 Seasons of NBC "SNF"
The audience peaked at 29.9 million viewers in the second quarter (9-9:15 p.m. ET).

[09/30/25 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10 Week of September 22: "Wayward" Lures Viewers at No. 1, "KPop Demon Hunters" Sets Top 10 Record
New on Netflix this week is "House of Guinness," a historical drama series created by Steven Knight, which debuted at No. 3 on the English TV list with 5.2 million views.

[09/30/25 - 10:24 AM]
"High Potential" Season Premiere Vaults to Nearly 16 Million in First Week Across Platforms
This marks ABC's best season premiere for a drama among Total Viewers in five years.

[09/29/25 - 06:06 AM]
ESPN's 2025 MLB Game Viewership Up 21 Percent from Last Year
Coverage delivered 1.8 million viewers on average across 30 games this season.

[09/26/25 - 01:11 PM]
"Dancing with the Stars" Week Two Delivers Over 5 Million Total Viewers Rising Over Season Premiere for First Time in 14 Years
Once again, the show led its time period and stood as the No. 1 show of the night in Total Viewers (5.46 million) and Adults 18-49 (1.02 rating).

[09/25/25 - 02:05 PM]
Viewers Have Watched More Than 8 Billion Minutes of "Big Brother" This Summer - Up +27% from Last Year
Multiplatform average episode viewership grew to 5.1 million, up +23% versus last year in 35-days of viewing, outpacing the competition.

[09/24/25 - 02:47 PM]
"Jimmy Kimmel Live" Returned on Tuesday to 6.26 Million Total Viewers on Broadcast, According to Initial Live+Same Day Measurement
In addition to linear ratings, the monologue has garnered more than 26 million views across YouTube and social platforms.