or


[05/21/10 - 08:46 AM]
ABC Dominates Thursday as Grey's Finale Topples Competition
ABC spins the numbers for Thursday, May 20.

[via press release from ABC]

ABC Dominates Thursday as Grey's Finale Topples Competition

Some early info on ABC's Thursday, ahead of the regular press release.

ABC finished a dominant #1 on the final Thursday of the 2010 May Sweep and 2009-10 TV Season among Adults 18-49 (4.1/12), beating CBS 58% (2.6/8), NBC by 71% (2.4/7) and Fox by 71% (2.4/7). In fact it was ABC's 4th consecutive year to win the final Thursday of the TV Season/May Sweep. The Net also took top honors on the evening with Adults 18-34, Adults 25-54 and across all key Women demos

· ABC built its overall audience on the night for the 5th consecutive week, marking its strongest performance on the night with regular programming in more than 7 months in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49 - 10/1/09.

Jumping over its lead-in by 231% at 9pm, ABC's season closer of Grey's Anatomy towered over its 2-hour time period and registered as Thursday's definitive #1 TV show in Adults 18-49. From 9-11pm, Grey's overshadowed season finale programming on the other nets among Adults 18-49 (5.3/15), outdelivering CBS by 66% (3.2/9 - CSI/The Mentalist), NBC by 104% (2.6/7 - The Office/30 Rock/Marriage Ref) and Fox by 165% (2.0/6 - Fringe 9-10pm). The ABC medical drama also won its 2-hour time slot among Total Viewers, outdrawing CBS' drama finales (15.0 million vs. 14.6 million - CSI)

· Building sharply throughout its 6th-season finale (+3.8 million viewers and +38% in AD18-49 from start to finish), Grey's Anatomy turned in the series' most-watched telecast in 7 months and highest-rated among Adults 18-49 in 6 months - since 10/22/09 and 11/12/09, respectively.

· Thursday's #1 show for the 2009-10 TV Season in Adults 18-49 (5.1/13), ABC's Grey's Anatomy qualified as the evening's highest-rated series for its 4th straight season.

· Grey's was once again TV's biggest actual gainer for the season via DVR playback, with originals of the series surging by 2.8 million viewers (13.3 million to 16.1 million) and by 1.4 Adult 18-49 rating points (+29% - 4.9 rating to 6.3 rating) from the next-day (Live + Same Day) to the finalized playback numbers (Live + 7 Day).

Quick Take for Thursday, May 20, 2010 (Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Ratings)

Dominating the Final Thursday of the Season and Sweep in Adults 18-49, ABC Marks its Strongest Thursday with Regular Programming in Well Over 7 Months

Thursday's No. 1 TV Show for the 4th Straight Season in Adults 18-49, "Grey's" Finale Towers Over its Slot, Leading CBS by 66%, NBC by 104% and Fox by 165%

On its Sixth-Season Closer, "Grey's" Generates the Series' Biggest Audience in 7 Months and Highest Adult 18-49 Number in 6 Months

Thursday Night (8:00-11:00 p.m.)

ABC finished a dominant No. 1 on the final Thursday of the 2010 May Sweep and 2009-10 TV Season among Adults 18-49 (4.1/12), beating CBS by 58% (2.6/8), NBC by 71% (2.4/7) and Fox by 71% (2.4/7). In fact it was ABC's 4th consecutive year to win the final Thursday of the TV Season/May Sweep. The Net also took top honors on the evening with Adults 18-34, Adults 25-54 and across all key Women demos (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54).

· ABC built its overall audience on the night for the 5th consecutive week, marking its strongest Thursday with regular programming in more than 7 months among Total Viewers (11.8 million) and Adults 18-49 (4.1/12) - since 10/1/09.

"Grey's Anatomy" (9:00-11:00 p.m.)

Jumping over its lead-in by 231% at 9:00 p.m., ABC's season closer of "Grey's Anatomy" towered over its 2-hour time period and registered as Thursday's definitive No. 1 TV show in Adults 18-49. From 9:00-11:00 p.m., "Grey's" overshadowed season finale programming on the other nets among Adults 18-49 (5.3/15), outdelivering CBS by 66% (3.2/9 - "CSI"/"The Mentalist"), NBC by 104% (2.6/7 - "The Office"/"30 Rock"/"Marriage Ref") and Fox by 165% (2.0/6 - "Fringe" from 9:00-10:00 p.m.). The ABC medical drama also won its 2-hour time slot among Total Viewers, outdrawing CBS' drama finales (15.0 million vs. 14.6 million - "CSI"/"The Mentalist").

· Building sharply throughout its 6th-season finale (+3.8 million viewers and +38% in AD18-49 from start to finish), "Grey's Anatomy" turned in the series' most-watched telecast in 7 months and highest-rated among Adults 18-49 in 6 months - since 10/22/09 and 11/12/09, respectively.

· Thursday's No. 1 show for the 2009-10 TV Season in Adults 18-49 (5.1/13), ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" qualified as the evening's highest-rated series for its 4th straight season.

· "Grey's" was once again TV's biggest actual gainer for the season via DVR playback, with originals of the series surging by 2.8 million viewers (13.3 million to 16.1 million) and by 1.4 Adult 18-49 rating points (+29% - 4.9 rating to 6.3 rating) from the next-day (Live + Same Day) to the finalized playback numbers (Live + 7 Day).

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: The Nielsen Company (Fast Affiliate, Live + Same Day Ratings), 5/20/10.





  [may 2010]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
      


· 30 ROCK (NBC)
· CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION (CBS)
· FRINGE (FOX)
· GREY'S ANATOMY (ABC)
· MARRIAGE REF, THE (NBC)
· MENTALIST, THE (CBS)
· OFFICE, THE (NBC)





most recent ratings | view all posts
[06/25/25 - 07:58 AM]
ABC News Primetime Special "Karen Read: The Verdict - A Special Edition of 20/20" Ranks #1 Across All of Broadcast and Cable in Adults 18-49
Plus: "Karen Read: The Verdict" placed No. 1 based on views among all titles on Hulu on Thursday (6/19), Friday (6/20) and Saturday (6/21).

[06/24/25 - 03:03 PM]
ABC News' "Nightline" Ranks No. 1 in All Key Target Demos 18-49 vs. CBS' "After Midnight" and NBC's "Late Night with Seth Meyers" for 2nd Consecutive Week, and Claims Top Spot in Total Viewers for the 5th Straight Week
On Monday (6/16/25), "Nightline" scored its most-watched telecast (1.112 million) in 5 months.

[06/24/25 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10 Week of June 16: "Tyler Perry's Straw" Leads Top 10 for Third Week, "The Waterfront" Swims to No. 1
Plus: "Ginny & Georgia" Season 3 racked up another 8.1 million views and felt peachy keen at No. 2, while Season 2 landed at No. 8 and Season 1 at No. 10, with an additional 2.7 million views each.

[06/24/25 - 08:42 AM]
Third Most-Watched WNBA Game Ever on ESPN: Indiana Fever vs Las Vegas Aces Averaged 1.7 Million Viewers, Up 52% from Last Year's ESPN Average
Said coverage peaked at 2.2 million viewers.

[06/23/25 - 12:09 PM]
Indiana Pacers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder Game 7 on ABC and ESPN+ Is Most-Watched NBA Finals Game in Six Years
The seven-game series averaged 10,266,000 viewers and delivered the seven most-watched broadcasts on all of television since the first week of May.

[06/18/25 - 09:01 AM]
Murder Mystery May Drives Acorn TV to the Most Successful Month In Its History
Total hours watched surpassed 20 million for the first time in Acorn TV history, with unique engaged subscribers also achieving an all-time high, up double digits from the streamer's average over the past 12 months.

[06/17/25 - 03:03 PM]
ABC News' "Nightline" Ranks No. 1 in Total Viewers, Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49 vs. CBS' "After Midnight" and NBC's "Late Night with Seth Meyers"
On Wednesday, "Nightline" scored its most-watched telecast (1.049 million) in 5 months and strongest delivery in Adults 25-54 (404,000) in 1 year.

[06/17/25 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10 Week of June 9: "Tyler Perry's Straw" Has Biggest Week for a Film in 2025
"Ginny & Georgia's" third season maintained its No. 1 spot on the English TV List with 16.9 million views, as fans saw their favorite characters pushed "to the limit."

[06/17/25 - 07:27 AM]
ESPN Delivered Third Most-Watched WNBA Game Ever on ABC: New York Liberty Vs Indiana Fever Averaged 2.2 Million Viewers, Up 76% from Last Year's ABC Average
Said coverage peaked at 2.8 million viewers.

[06/10/25 - 04:46 PM]
Premiere Episode of NBC's New Unscripted Series "Destination X" Is Now Up to 4.2 Million Viewers Across All Platforms
To date, the series has reached more than 9 million viewers across all platforms.

[06/10/25 - 02:18 PM]
ABC News' "Nightline" Ranks No. 1 in Total Viewers vs. CBS' "After Midnight" and NBC's "Late Night with Seth Meyers" for the 3rd Consecutive Week
On Thursday, "Nightline" scored its strongest telecast in Adults 25-54 (259,000) in nearly 3 months and best Adults 18-49 delivery (202,000) in 5 months.

[06/10/25 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10 Week of June 2: "Straw" Moves Viewers, "Ginny & Georgia" Has Peachy Season 3 Premiere in Top 10
Plus: UK crime thriller "Dept. Q" cracked the code and climbed to No. 2 in its second week (8.9 million views).

[06/10/25 - 11:58 AM]
ESPN Delivers Most-Watched NCAA Division I Women's College World Series on Record
The WCWS Finals, featuring Texas and Texas Tech, averaged 2.2 million viewers across linear as the Longhorns claimed their first national championship in the first three-game series since 2021.

[06/10/25 - 10:54 AM]
TNT Sports' Inaugural Roland-Garros Coverage in U.S. Delivers Record-Breaking Audience & Engagement
Sunday's Men's Singles Final between World #2 Carlos Alcaraz and World #1 Jannik Sinner peaked at 2.6 million viewers at 2:30 p.m. ET and averaged 1.8 million average viewers across TNT and truTV for the entire telecast.

[06/10/25 - 08:56 AM]
ESPN's Most-Watched Season of "Sunday Night Baseball Presented by Capital One" in Eight Years
ESPN's coverage of the Boston Red Sox victory over the New York Yankees on the June 8 edition averaged nearly two million viewers (1,919,000).