ABC Wins Sunday for 2nd Straight Week in Adults 18-49

Some early points for ABC's Sunday, ahead of the regular press release.

ABC won Sunday for the 2nd week in a row among Adults 18-49, beating CBS by 8%, Fox by 13% and NBC by 24%. It was ABC's 6th straight year to win the opening Sunday of the May Sweep. Growing its overall audience on the night for the 2nd consecutive week, ABC marked its best Sunday numbers in 7 weeks among Total Viewers and Adults 18-49 - since 3/14/10.

ABC's America's Funniest Home Videos finished a strong #2 in the 7 o'clock hour among Adults 18-49, while ranking #1 with Adults 18-34, Women 18-34 and as the top-rated broadcaster with Teens 12-17 and Kids 2-11.

From 8-9pm, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition built its Total Viewer count for its 3rd straight telecast, drawing its largest audience since March and tying its top Adult 18-49 number since February - since 3/14/10 and 2/21/10, respectively.

ABC's Desperate Housewives won the 9 o'clock hour in viewers and young adults, finishing as Sunday's #1 TV show for the 3rd consecutive week in Adults 18-49. In addition, the ABC veteran series marked its 8th consecutive original broadcast as Sunday's #1 scripted TV show in viewers and young adults. Growing its numbers for its 2nd straight telecast, Housewives marked its strongest viewer and young adult results since mid-March (since 3/14/10), matching its best numbers on both counts since January - since 1/31/10 and 1/17/10, respectively.

ABC's Brothers & Sisters took second place in the 10 o'clock hour with Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, while ranking #1 against the final hour of CBS' 2-hour Cold Case season finale and NBC's 2-hour Celebrity Apprentice among Adults 18-34 and across all key Women (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54). Building its numbers for its 2nd straight telecast, Brothers & Sisters marked its top performance for a 1-hour broadcast in 7 weeks with viewers and young adults - since 3/14/10.

Quick Take for Sunday, May 2, 2010 (Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Ratings)

ABC Wins Sunday in Adults 18-49 for the 2nd Week in a Row, Marking Its 6th Consecutive Year to Lead the Opening Sunday of the May Sweep

ABC's "Home Edition" Matches its Top Adult 18-49 Rating Since February

Sunday's No. 1 TV Show in Adults 18-49 for the 3rd Straight Week, ABC's "Housewives" Wins its Hour with its Strongest Results Since January

Up for the 2nd Straight Week, "Brothers & Sisters" Draws its Biggest Audience For a 1-Hour Episode Since March and Top Adult 18-49 Number Since February

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

ABC won Sunday for the 2nd week in a row among Adults 18-49 (2.6/7), beating CBS by 8% (2.4/7), Fox by 13% (2.3/7) and NBC by 24% (2.1/6). It was ABC's 6th straight year to win the opening Sunday of the May Sweep.

· Growing its overall audience (9.0 million) on the night for the 2nd consecutive week, ABC marked its best Sunday numbers in 7 weeks among Total Viewers and Adults 18-49 � since 3/14/10.

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

ABC's "America's Funniest Home Videos" ran a strong No. 2 in the 7 o'clock hour among Adults 18-49 (1.7/6), while ranking No. 1 with Adults 18-34 (tie), Women 18-34 and as the top-rated broadcast with Teens 12-17 and Kids 2-11.

"Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" (8:00-9:00 p.m.)

From 8:00-9:00 p.m., "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" built its Total Viewer count for its 3rd straight telecast, drawing its largest audience (8.6 million) since March and tying its top Adult 18-49 number (2.4/7) since February � since 3/14/10 and 2/21/10, respectively.

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

ABC's "Desperate Housewives" won the 9 o'clock hour in viewers (12.0 million) and young adults (3.7/10), finishing as Sunday's No. 1 TV show for the 3rd consecutive week in Adults 18-49 (tie). In addition, the ABC veteran series marked its 8th consecutive original broadcast as Sunday's No. 1 scripted TV show in viewers and young adults.

· Growing for its 2nd straight telecast with viewers and young adults, "Housewives" matched its best numbers since January � since 1/10/10 and 1/17/10, respectively.

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

ABC's "Brothers & Sisters" took second place in the 10 o'clock hour with Total Viewers (8.6 million) and Adults 18-49 (2.5/7), while ranking No. 1 against the final hours of CBS' 2-hour "Cold Case" season finale and NBC's 2-hour "Celebrity Apprentice" among Adults 18-34 and across all key Women (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54).

· Building its numbers for the 2nd week in a row, "Brothers & Sisters" marked its top performance for a 1-hour broadcast in 7 weeks with Total Viewers and since February in Adults 18-49 � since 3/14/10 and 2/28/10, respectively.

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 36% currently, from 31% at the same point in 2009. 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), 5/2/10.