DWTS Results' Best Premiere since Fall '08/ABC's V Returns at #1

Some early points on ABC's Tuesday, ahead of the regular press release.

Tuesday Night (8-11pm)

With its Tuesday line-up of DWTS the Results, Lost and V, ABC place a solid #2 on the night to Fox with a 2-hour Idol in Total Viewers (10.5 million) and Adults 18-49 (3.3/9), topping NBC's original schedule by 3.5 million viewers and by 22%, respectively (2-hour Biggest Loser/Parenthood = 7.0 million and 2.7/7) The Net's numbers shot up over the same Tuesday last year by 2.5 million viewers and by 57% in Adults 18-49 (8.0 million and 2.1/6 on 3/31/09). In Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, ABC posted its strongest Tuesday night numbers in 2 months - since 2/2/10.

DWTS the Results (8-9pm)

Finishing a solid #2 to Fox's opening hour of a 2-hour American Idol from 8-9pm, ABC's season premiere of DWTS the Results beat out the opening hour of NBC' time-slot regular Biggest Loser by 7.4 million viewers (14.1 million vs. 6.7 million) and by 16% in Adults 18-49 (2.9/9 vs. 2.5/7). In fact DWTS the Results registered as the 2nd most-watched TV show on Tuesday, behind only Fox's 2-hour American Idol. Actress Shannen Doherty was the first celebrity to leave the competition in its 10th season. Moving from its former 9pm slot into the 8pm this season, the ABC dancing results show produced the Net's largest audience in the hour in nearly 5 months - since 11/3/09. Despite moving to its earlier time period, it was DWTS the Results strongest premiere since Fall 2008 (3 seasons ago) in viewers and young adults - since 9/30/08.

Lost (9-10pm)

Opposite stiff original competition at 9pm on Fox (second hour of a 2-hour American Idol) and NBC (second hour of a 2-hour Biggest Loser), ABC's Lost built on its lead-in by 38% in Adults 18-49. Dominating its non-Idol competition in the 9 o'clock hour among Adults 18-49, Lost (4.0/10) outperformed NBC's Biggest Loser by its largest-margin-yet of 29% (3.1/8) and NCIS: LA encore by 100% (2.0/5). Lost finished as Tuesday's #1 scripted TV show for the 9th straight week in Adults 18-49, Adults 18-34 and among key Men (M18-34/M18-49). Growing its overall audience for the 2nd straight week, Lost turned in its most-watched telecast in 7 weeks - since 2/9/10. In fact it was the ABC drama's biggest audience this season against American Idol.

V (10-11pm)

On its first original telecast since November, V returned to ABC's schedule in winning fashion, ranking #1 in the 10 o'clock hour among Adults 18-49 and defeating NBC's freshman Parenthood by 16% (2.9/8 vs. 2.5/7). In fact V was the #1 show in its time period across all key Adult demos (AD18-34/AD18-49/AD25-54). Please note that similar to its Lost lead-in, V exhibits substantial increases over its first-reported numbers through DVR playback, picking up an average 2.0 million viewers (+18%) and an additional 9-tenths of an Adult 18-49 rating point (+24%) from the initially reported Live + Same Day Numbers to the Live + 7 Day DVR finals. V marked ABC's strongest Adult 18-49 performance in the time period with a regularly scheduled program (excluding extended editions of Lost) in well over 1 year - since 1/13/09.