Debuts of Scoundrels and Gates Boost their Slots for ABC

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

Building on its lead-in against the conclusion of NBC's highly rated US Open Golf Tournament coverage on Father's Day in viewers and young adults and gaining audience throughout its debut airing in the 9 o'clock hour, the series premiere of Scoundrels made ABC the second-most-watched net overall to a sports-driven NBC.

· Scoundrels improved the hour year to year by double digits for ABC in Total Viewers (+16% - 5.2 million vs. 4.5 million) and in Adults 18-49 (+18% - 1.3/4 vs. 1.1/3), over original programming on the year ago night (ABC Premiere Event - Impact Part 1).

Growing from its lead-in at 10pm by 15% in Adults 18-49, ABC's series debut of The Gates (1.5/5) finished a strong #1 against its network competition in the hour, beating CBS by 50% (1.0/3) and NBC by 67% (0.9/3).

· The Gates boosted the hour for ABC over the year-ago night by 25% in Adults 18-49 (1.5/4 vs. 1.2/4), pulling the Net's top summer rating in the time slot since 2006 - since 9/3/06.

· The Gates stands as TVs top-rated summer scripted series debut in 1 year and ABC's strongest in 5 years - since 6/24/09 and 6/28/05, respectively.

Quick Take for Sunday, June 20, 2010 (Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Ratings)

Growing from its Lead-in and Gaining Audience Throughout its Debut, "Scoundrels" Generates Double-Digit Time Period Gains for ABC in Viewers and Young Adults

Building on its Lead-in to Rank No. 1 in Adults 18-49, ABC's Debut of "The Gates" Posts the Net's Top Summer Number with Regular Programming at 10pm Since �06

"The Gates" Qualifies as TV's Top-Rated Scripted Summer Debut in 1 Year In Adults 18-49 and Marks ABC's Best Summer Scripted Opener in 5 Years

"Scoundrels" (9:00-10:00 p.m.)

Building on its lead-in against the conclusion of NBC's high-rated U.S. Open Golf Tournament coverage on Father's Day in viewers and young adults and gaining audience throughout its debut airing in the 9 o'clock hour, the series opener of "Scoundrels" (5.2 million) made ABC the second-most-watched network overall to a sports-driven NBC.

· "Scoundrels" improved the hour year to year by double-digits for ABC in Total Viewers (+16% - 5.2 million vs. 4.5 million) and in Adults 18-49 (+18% - 1.3/4 vs. 1.1/3), over original programming on the year-ago night ("ABC Premiere Event - Impact Part 1" on 6/21/09).

"The Gates" (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

Growing from its lead-in at 10:00 p.m. by 15% in Adults 18-49, ABC's series debut of "The Gates" (1.5/5) finished a strong No. 1 against its network competition in the hour, beating CBS by 50% (1.0/3) and NBC by 67% (0.9/3).

· "The Gates" boosted the hour for ABC over the year-ago night by 25% in Adults 18-49 (1.5/4 vs. 1.2/4), pulling the Net's top summer rating in the time slot since 2006 - since 9/3/06.

· In Adults 18-49, "The Gates" stands as TVs top-rated summer scripted series debut in 1 year and ABC's highest in 5 years - since 6/24/09 and 6/28/05, 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 37% currently, from 32% 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), 6/20/10.