ABC Wins Monday with Bachelor Pad and Dating in the Dark

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

With the series debut of Bachelor Pad and the season premiere of Dating in the Dark, ABC won Monday night in Adults 18-49, beating CBS by 11%, Fox by 40% and NBC by 50%. In fact it was ABC's 10th straight Monday to deliver the #1 position on the evening in the key young adult sales demo.

· ABC was up over the same Monday last summer (8/10/09) by 14% in Total Viewers and by 50% in Adults 18-49.

The series debut of Bachelor Pad won its 2-hour time period among Adults 18-49, making ABC the #1 network on Monday from 8-10pm on 11 of 11 weeks this summer. The new summer series gained young adult audience from its first hour to its second hour (+10%).

· Bachelor Pad dominated its time period and stood as Monday's #1 TV show among key Women demographics. (W18-34/W18-49).

During the 10 o'clock hour, ABC's season premiere of Dating in the Dark bested its CBS and NBC competition by 20% each in Adults 18-49.

· Dating in the Dark greatly improved the time period for ABC over the same night last year among Total Viewers (+36%) and Adults 18-49 (+80%). The ABC unscripted series was also up from its performance in the 9 o'clock hour on the year-ago night by 6% with young adults.

Quick Take for Monday, August 09, 2010 (Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Ratings)

With "Bachelor Pad" and "Dating in the Dark" Premieres, ABC Ranks No. 1 on Monday in Adults 18-49 for the 10th Consecutive Week

ABC's "Bachelor Pad" Leads from 8-10pm in Adults 18-49 in its Series Debut, Making ABC the No. 1 Net in the Time Period on 11 of 11 Weeks This Summer

"Bachelor Pad" Boosts ABC's Performance in the Time Slot Year to Year by 10% in Total Viewers and 38% in Adults 18-49

Season Premiere of "Dating in the Dark" Tops CBS and NBC by 20% Each, Greatly Improving ABC's Year-Ago Numbers by 36% in Viewers and 80% in Young Adults

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

With the series debut of "Bachelor Pad" and the season premiere of "Dating in the Dark," ABC won Monday night in Adults 18-49 (2.1/6), beating CBS by 11% (1.9/6), Fox by 40% (1.5/5) and NBC by 50% (1.4/4). In fact it was ABC's 10th straight Monday to deliver the No. 1 position on the evening in the key young adult sales demo.

· ABC was up over the same Monday last summer (8/10/09) by 14% in Total Viewers (5.7 million vs. 5.0 million) and by 50% in Adults 18-49 (2.1/6 vs. 1.4/4).

"Bachelor Pad" (8:00-10:00 p.m.)

The series debut of "Bachelor Pad" won its 2-hour time period among Adults 18-49 (2.2/7), making ABC the No. 1 network on Monday from 8:00-10:00 p.m. on 11 of 11 weeks this summer. The new summer series gained young adult audience from its first hour to its second hour (+10% - 2.1/7 to 2.3/6).

· "Bachelor Pad" dominated its time period and stood as Monday's No. 1 TV show among key Women demographics. (W18-34/W18-49).

· "Bachelor Pad" posted increases over the Net's year-ago performance (8/10/10) in the time period of 10% in Total Viewers (6.4 million vs. 5.8 million) and 38% in Adults 18-49 (2.2/7 vs. 1.6/5).

"Dating in the Dark" (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

During the 10 o'clock hour, ABC's second season premiere of "Dating in the Dark" bested its CBS and NBC competition by 20% each in Adults 18-49 (1.8/5 vs. 1.5/4).

· "Dating in the Dark" greatly improved the time period for ABC over the same night last year among Total Viewers (+36% - 4.5 million vs. 3.3 million) and Adults 18-49 (+80% - 1.8/5 vs. 1.0/3). The ABC unscripted series was also up from its performance in the 9 o'clock hour on the year-ago night by 6% with young adults (1.8/5 vs. 1.7/5).

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: Nielsen Media Research (Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Ratings), 8/9/10.