Primetime Ratings Report
For the week of November 30, 2009
(Based on National Live + Same Day Program Ratings)
ABC Finishes a Strong No. 2 for the Week in Viewers and All Key Women
ABC Claims 3 of the Week's Top 10 TV Shows in Adults 18-49, Including the
No. 1 Scripted Show Overall with the Fall Finale of "Desperate Housewives"
ABC's Monday Replay "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas" Beats NBC's Original "Heroes" in Viewers and Young Adults, While Dominating in Kids 2-11
Monday's Repeat Airing of "Shrek the Halls" Towers Over "Heroes" and
Delivers ABC's 2nd-Highest Kids 2-11 Number in the Slot in Over 9-1/2 Years
Boosting the Hour Year to Year for ABC, Newcomer "Find My Family" Defeats
NBC's Slot-Regular "Trauma" by 30% in Viewers and by 25% in Adults 18-49
Marking the Series' Best-Ever Repeat Numbers, ABC's Replay "Castle"
Towers Over NBC's Original "Leno" in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49
Back-to-Back "Scrubs" Premieres Win Their Tuesday Slots Over Established Competition Among Men 18-34 with Series' Best Number Since January �09
On Wednesday Night, Originals of "The Middle" and "Eastwick" Grow, while
Replays of "Modern Family" and "Cougar Town" Exhibit Strong Repeatability
Freshman "FlashForward" Outdraws NBC's Comedies in its Slot and Boosts
ABC's Delivery in the Hour Week to Week in Viewers and Young Adults
Winning its 2-Hour Thursday Slot in Adults 18-49, ABC's "Private Practice" is
Up Over its Most Recent Telecast, Despite Airing Without a "Grey's" Lead-in
ABC's Coverage of College Football's "Big 12 Championship" Makes the Net a
Dominant No. 1 on Saturday, with its Biggest Audience on the Night in 3 Years
Sunday's No. 1 Non-Sports TV Show, ABC's Fall Finale of "Desperate
Housewives" Generates the Series' Largest Overall Audience in 1 Year
Hitting Season-Highs, ABC's "Brothers & Sisters" Fall Finale Generates
The Series' Biggest Audience and Highest Adult 18-49 Number in 9 Months
WEEK No. 11:
During the week of November 30, 2009, ABC finished a strong No. 2 in Total Viewers (7.9 million) and across all Key Women demos (W18-34 � 2.4/7, W18-49 � 2.8/8 and W25-54 � 3.3/8), while standing as the No. 1 broadcaster with Kids 2-11 (1.2/5).
Rankings: ABC aired 3 of the week's Top 10 TV programs among Adults 18-49, including the No. 1 scripted show with the fall finale of "Desperate Housewives": "Desperate Housewives" � No. 4, "Big 12 Championship" � No. 7 and "Brothers & Sisters" � No. 10. Achieving a season high with its most-watched telecast in 1 year (since 12/7/08), ABC's "Housewives" was also the week's most-watched scripted television show overall.
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.
Monday
"Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas" (8:00-8:30 p.m.)
ABC's rebroadcast of the animated holiday classic "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas" finished a strong No. 2 in its half-hour to Fox's original "House" in viewers and young adults, beating NBC's original "Heroes" by 3.5 million viewers (9.2 million vs. 5.7 million) and by 22% in Adults 18-49 (2.8/7 vs. 2.3/6).
� The Dr. Seuss special towered over its slot with Kids 2-11, beating the combined delivery of CBS, Fox, NBC and CW in the half hour by 51% (5.0/15 vs. 3.3/10), and finished as the No. 2 TV show of the night behind only lead-out "Shrek the Halls."
"Shrek the Halls" (8:30-9:00 p.m.)
ABC's replay airing of "Shrek the Halls" earned a strong second to "House" at 8:30 p.m., widening ABC's lead in the half-hour over NBC's original "Heroes" to 4.0 million viewers (9.1 million vs. 5.1 million) and 26% in Adults 18-49 (2.9/7 vs. 2.3/6).
� The rebroadcast "Shrek" special dominated its time slot with Kids 2-11 (5.9/19), standing as the No. 1 TV program of the night and generating ABC's 2nd-highest rating in the time period in more than 9-1/2 years � since 5/1/00.
"Find My Family" (9:00-10:00 p.m.)
On its regular 1-hour premiere at 9:00 p.m., ABC's new series "Find My Family" beat NBC's time-slot regular "Trauma" by 1.6 million viewers (6.9 million vs. 5.3 million) and by 25% in Adults 18-49 (2.0/5 vs. 1.6/4). The broad appealing ABC freshman show ranked a dominant No. 1 against its broadcast competitors in the hour with Kids 2-11 (2.0/8).
� "Find My Family" improved the hour for ABC over the year-ago evening by 11% in Total Viewers (6.2 million on 12/1/08 with originals of "Samantha Who?")
"Castle" (10:00-11:00 p.m.)
During the 10 o'clock hour, ABC's repeat "Castle" defeated NBC's original "Jay Leno" by 43% in Total Viewers (6.0 million vs. 4.2 million) and by 33% in Adults 18-49 (1.6/4 vs. 1.2/3). Unable to capitalize against rebroadcast programming, "Leno" was down -14% Monday to Monday among Adults 18-49 (1.2/3 vs. 1.4/4), despite facing repeat dramas in the hour on both ABC and CBS.
� In Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, "Castle" turned in the series' best-ever repeat numbers.
Tuesday
"Scrubs" (9:00-9:30 p.m.)
Jumping from its Adult 18-49 lead-in at 9:00 p.m. (+43% - 2.0/5 vs. 1.4/4) against stiff established competition, ABC's season premiere of "Scrubs" finished No. 1 in its half-hour among hard-to-reach Men 18-34, besting second-place NBC's "Biggest Loser" by 11% (2.1/7 vs. 1.9/6). In addition, the ABC comedy earned second place in the half-hour with Men 18-49 (2.0/6-tie).
"Scrubs" (9:30-10:00 p.m.)
Building on its lead-in among Adults 18-34 and key Men (M18-34/M18-49), a second episode of "Scrubs" also won its half-hour among Men 18-34, defeating NBC's "Loser" by an even wider margin of 21% (2.3/7 vs. 1.9/6). In fact ABC's back-to-back episodes of "Scrubs" finished as the Top 2 broadcast TV shows on Tuesday night with Men 18-34.
� At 9:30 p.m. among Men 18-49 (2.3/7) and Men 18-49 (2.1/6), "Scrubs" matched the series' highest-rated telecast since its ABC premiere on January 6, 2009.
Wednesday
"The Middle" (8:30-9:00 p.m.)
Building on its lead-in at 8:30 p.m. (a "Modern Family" repeat) against holiday specials on NBC ("Christmas in Rockefeller Center") and CBS ("Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer") and an original "So You Think You Dance" on Fox, ABC's "The Middle" was up week to week by 5% in Total Viewers (6.2 million vs. 5.9 million) and by 18% in Adults 18-49 (2.0/6 vs. 1.7/6). The ABC freshman comedy drew more overall viewers than Fox's veteran "Dance" (6.19 million vs. 6.15 million) and finished No. 2 in its half-hour with Adults 25-54 (2.5/6-tie) and Men 18-49 (1.7/5).
"Modern Family" (9:00-9:30 p.m.)
Posting its highest-ever repeat numbers, ABC's "Modern Family" retained nearly all of its week-ago delivery with an original episode in Viewers (92% - 6.5 million vs. 7.1 million) and in Adults 18-49 (92% - 2.3/6 vs. 2.5/7). Against original competition, including CBS' "Grammy Nomination Concert" and Fox's "Glee," the repeat ABC freshman comedy held the No. 2 position in the 9:00 p.m. half-hour in key Adult and Men demos: Adults 18-34 (1.9/5-tie), Men 18-34 (1.5/4) and Men 25-54 (2.3/6-tie).
"Cougar Town" (9:30-10:01 p.m.)
Similarly to its lead-in, ABC's repeat "Cougar Town" held almost all of its week-earlier audience for an original telecast in Total Viewers (93% - 5.1 million vs. 5.5 million) and Adults 18-49 (95% - 1.8/5 vs. 1.9/6).
"Eastwick" (10:01-11:00 p.m.)
In the 10 o'clock hour, ABC's "Eastwick" was up week to week by 19% in Total Viewers (4.3 million vs. 3.6 million) and by 18% in Adults 18-49 (1.3/4 vs. 1.1/3). The ABC freshman drama ranked No. 2 against is broadcast competition in the hour with Adults 18-34 (1.1/3-tie) and among key Women: W18-34 (1.6/5), W18-49 (1.7/5) and W25-54 (2.1/5).
� "Eastwick" is seeing bumps from the first-reported numbers through DVR playback, averaging an additional 1.0 million viewers and a 4-tenths of an Adult 18-49 rating point increase from the initially reported Live + Same Day Numbers to the Live + 7 Day DVR finals.
Thursday
ABC finished in a virtual-tie for No. 1 on Thursday among in Adults 18-49 with CBS (2.8/8 vs. 2.9/8) and won the evening across key Women demographics: W18-34 (3.7/11), W18-49 (4.0/11) and W25-54 (4.5/11).
"FlashForward" (8:00-9:00 p.m.)
ABC freshman "FlashForward" outperformed NBC's comedies ("Community"/"Parks and Recreation") in the 8 o'clock hour by 2.0 million viewers (7.1 million vs. 5.1 million). With the new drama, ABC was up in the hour week to week by 9% in Total Viewers and by 5% in Adults 18-49 (6.5 million and 2.0/6 on 11/26/09).
� Season to date, "FlashForward" surges over the first-reported numbers by 1.9 million viewers and by 9-tenths of an Adult 18-49 rating point (+29%) from the Live + Same Day Numbers to the Live + 7 Day DVR finals.
"Private Practice" (9:00-11:00 p.m.)
Growing 10% from its first hour to its second hour, ABC's "Private Practice" won its 2-hour time period among Adults 18-49, beating second-place NBC by 28% (3.2/8 vs. 2.5/7). In the 10 o'clock hour, the ABC drama topped its nearest competition by 32% in the key young adult sales demo (3.3/9 vs. 2.5/7 � CBS). "Private Practice" stood as Thursday's dominant No. 1 TV show among Women 18-49 (4.9/12).
� Despite airing without a "Grey's Anatomy" lead-in this week, "Private Practice" was up from its most recent telecast (11/19/09) in both Total viewers (+3% - 9.2 million vs. 8.9 million) and Adults 18-49 (+3% - 3.2/8 vs. 3.1/9).
� "Private Practice" sees impressive DVR gains from the first-reported numbers, shooting up by 1.8 million viewers and by 1.0 Adult 18-49 rating point (+26%) from the Live + Same Day Numbers to the Live + 7 Day DVR finals.
Friday
"20/20" (10:00-11:00 p.m.)
Jumping from its lead-in among viewers (+1.5 million) and young adults (+33%), ABC's "20/20" ranked No. 1 during Friday's 10 o'clock hour for the 6th week in a row with Adults 18-49 (1.6/5-tie). The program included segments with Elizabeth Vargas reporting from Italy on the verdict of American college student Amanda Knox and Robin Roberts' interview with pop star Chris Brown, where he reacted to Rihanna's month-earlier "20/20" interview and spoke candidly about their relationship. The ABC newsmagazine also won the hour with key Women demographics: W18-49 (2.2/7) and W25-54 (2.7/7).
Saturday
"Dr. Pepper Big 12 Championship: Texas vs. Nebraska" (8:00-11:00 p.m.)
ABC's coverage of the "Big 12 Championship," with Texas' last-second win over Nebraska, made the Network a dominant No. 1 on Saturday evening, more than doubling the delivery of second-place Fox during prime with Total Viewers (+116% - 12.1 million vs. 5.6 million) and Adults 18-49 (+106% - 3.7/11 vs. 1.8/2). With its carriage of the college football contest, ABC produced its biggest Saturday night audience in more than 3 years � since 11/25/06.
� Saturday's dominant No. 1 TV program, the "Big 12 Championship" (8:06-11:44 p.m.) was up sharply from its year-ago telecast (on 12/6/08) by 3.9 million viewers (12.7 million vs. 8.8 million) and by 38% in Adults 18-49 (4.0/12 vs. 2.9/9). In fact, it was the biggest overall audience for the game in the 4 years ABC has been covering it in prime, qualifying as ABC's most-watched college football telecast on the evening since November 2006 (11/25/06).
Sunday
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 line-up by 8% in Total Viewers (11.1 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 over 1 million viewers and by 10% in Adults 18-49 (10.0 million and 3.1/8 on 11/29/09).
"Desperate Housewives" (9:00-10:01 p.m.)
TV's No. 1 non-sports program on Sunday, ABC's "Desperate Housewives'" numbers grew from the prior week by 2.1 million viewers (14.9 million vs. 12.8 million) and by 11% in Adults 18-49 (4.9/11 vs. 4.4/10). In fact, the fall finale of "Housewives" attracted the series' biggest audience this season, registering its most-watched telecast in 1 year � since 12/7/08.
� "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" (10:01-11:00 p.m.)
ABC's fall finale of "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 3.5 million viewers (10.8 million vs. 7.3 million) and by 131% in Adults 18-49 (3.7/9 vs. 1.6/4).
� Hitting season-highs and jumping week to week by 2.1 million viewers (10.8 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.
Source: The Nielsen Company (National Live+Same Day Program Ratings), week of 11/30/09, unless stated otherwise.
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