ABC's Shaq Vs. Opens Season 2 at Series Highs

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

· Finishing #2 on the night in Adults 18-49, ABC marked its strongest Tuesday in 6 weeks with Total Viewers and Adults 18-49 - since 6/22/10.

· Growing year to year on the night for the 4th week in a row, ABC more than doubled it Tuesday results from the same night last year in Total Viewers (+133%) and Adults 18-49 (+110%). In fact the Net has been up year to year on Tuesday on 9 of 10 weeks this summer.

· ABC's Wipeout stood as the most-watched TV show in 8 o'clock hour and as Tuesday's #2 TV show among Adults 18-49. Wipeout attracted its largest audience in 6 weeks (since 6/22/10), registering the series' 2nd-biggest audience this season.

· At 9pm, against stiff unscripted competition on NBC (America's Got Talent) and Fox (a Hell's Kitchen-led Masterchef), ABC's second-season premiere of Shaq Vs. was up by 1.2 million viewers and by 12% in Adults 18-49 over its year-ago series debut (on 8/18/09), hitting series-highs on both Nielsen measures.

· At 10pm, ABC News' repeat airing of Primetime What Would You Do? was up week to week by 7% in Adults 18-49, generating ABC's 2nd-highest non-sports numbers in the hour this summer in viewers and young adults.

Quick Take for Tuesday, August 3, 2010 (Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Program Ratings)

ABC Marks its Strongest Tuesday Numbers in 6 Weeks, Growing Over the Year-Ago Tuesday for the 9th Time in 10 Weeks in Viewers and Young Adults

Finishing as the Most-Watched TV Show in the 8 O'clock Hour, ABC's "Wipeout" Attracts the Series' 2nd-Largest Audience in Over 2 Years

Jumping by 1.2 Million Viewers and by 12% in Adults 18-49 from its Year-Ago Series Premiere, ABC's "Shaq VS" Opens its Second Season at Series Highs

At 10pm, ABC News' Repeat "Primetime: What Would You Do?" is Up with The Net's 2nd-Highest Non-Sports Performance in the Hour of the Summer

Tuesday Night (8:00-11:00 p.m.) Finishing No. 2 on Tuesday among Adults 18-49, ABC's Tuesday lineup registered the Net's strongest performance on the night in 6 weeks with Total Viewers (6.3 million) and Adults 18-49 (2.1/6) - since 6/22/10.

· Growing year to year on the night for the 4th week in a row, ABC more than doubled its Tuesday results from the same night last year (8/4/10) in Total Viewers (+133% - 6.3 million vs. 2.7 million) and Adults 18-49 (+110% - 2.1/6 vs. 1.0/3). In fact the Net has been up year to year on Tuesday evening on 9 of 10 weeks this summer.

"Wipeout-TUES" (8:00-9:00 p.m.)

ABC's "Wipeout" stood as the most-watched TV show in Tuesday's 8 o'clock hour (8.8 million). The ABC unscripted series also ranked as Tuesday's No. 2 TV show in Adults 18-49 (2.9/9), outperforming NBC's "America's Got Talent" (2.8/8) and finishing just behind Fox's "Hell's Kitchen" (3.2/11).

· Wipeout attracted its largest audience in 6 weeks (since 6/22/10), registering the series' 2nd-biggest audience in more than 2 years - since 7/29/08.

"Shaq VS" (9:00-10:00 p.m.)

In the 9 o'clock hour, against stiff unscripted competition on NBC ("America's Got Talent") and Fox (a "Hell's Kitchen"-driven "Masterchef"), ABC's Season 2 premiere of "Shaq VS" was up by 1.2 million viewers (5.4 million vs. 4.2 million) and by 12% in Adults 18-49 (1.9/6 vs. 1.7/5) over its year-ago series debut (on 8/18/09), hitting series highs on both Nielsen measures.

· "Shaq VS" greatly improved the time period for ABC year to year, growing the hour by 3.3 million viewers and by 138% in Adults 18-49 (2.1 million and 0.8/2 on 8/4/09).

"Primetime: What Would You Do?" (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

In the 10:00 p.m. hour, ABC News' repeat airing of "Primetime What Would You Do?" was up week to week by 6% in Adults 25-54 (1.9/5 vs. 1.8/5) and by 7% in Adults 18-49 (1.6/5 vs. 1.5/4), generating ABC's 2nd-highest non-sports numbers in the hour this summer on both counts.

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), 8/3/10.