Primetime Ratings Report
For the week of March 28, 2011
(Based on National Live + Same Day Program Ratings)
Gaining for the 3rd Straight Week in Viewers and Young Adults,
ABC Generates its Strongest Non-"Oscar" Week in Nearly 5 Months
ABC Claims 7 of the Top 20 TV Shows for the Week in Adults 18-49, Placing
3 of the Top 6 and Airing the No. 1 Scripted Series for the 2nd Week Running
ABC Wins Monday for the 3rd Week in a Row in Viewers and Young Adults,
Producing the Biggest Overall Audience on the Night for Any Net in 1 Year
"DWTS" Builds on its Week-Ago Premiere in Viewers, Key Men, Women and Kids
ABC's "Castle" is No. 1 in its Slot for its 3rd Straight First-Run Telecast, Hitting
Season-Highs for the 2nd Straight Week with its Best Results in 1 Year
ABC Scores a Big Tuesday Upset, Winning the Night Over CBS and Posting its
2nd-Highest Results on the Evening This Season in Viewers and Young Adults
Tuesday's No. 1 Show, "DWTS Results Show" Marks its Most-Watched-Ever Opener
ABC's "Body of Proof" Debuts a Dominant No. 1 on Tuesday at 10pm, Delivering
The Net's Biggest Audience in the Slot with a Regular Hour-Long Show in 6 Years
ABC's Replay "Modern Family" Tops CBS' Original "Criminal Minds" in Men 18-34
"Off the Map" Improves the Hour Year to Year for the 11th Time in 12 Telecasts
Posting Best-Since-Premiere Results, ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" Musical Episode
Dominates its Slot and Stands as Thursday's No. 1 Scripted TV Show in Adults 18-49
ABC's "Private Practice" Achieves a 12-Week High in Adults 18-49 and Adults 18-34
"Shark Tank" Builds on its Week-Earlier Friday Premiere in Viewers and Adults 18-49
ABC's "20/20" Produces its 2nd-Strongest Friday Results Since Mid-February
ABC's "America's Funniest Home Videos" Finishes No. 1 in its Slot in Adults 18-49
Continuing to Surge from its Lead-in and Improving its Hour Year to Year,
ABC's "Secret Millionaire" Dominates NBC's "Next Great Restaurant"
On its First Original Telecast in 1 Month, ABC's "Desperate Housewives" Returns
As the No. 1 Regular Program in its Time Period in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49
WEEK No. 28:
During the week of March 28, 2011, ABC (9.4 million) finished as the 2nd-most-watched network to CBS, outdrawing Fox by 1.1 million viewers (8.3 million) and NBC by 4.0 million viewers (5.4 million). The Net ranked No. 1 for the week in Women 18-49 (3.3/9).
Rankings: ABC aired 7 of the Top 20 TV shows among Adults 18-49, placing 3 in the Top 6 and claiming the No. 1 scripted series for the 2nd straight week: "Dancing with the Stars" - No. 4, "Grey's Anatomy" - No. 5 (No. 1 scripted), "DWTS Results" - No. 6, "Castle" - No. 14, "Body of Proof" - No. 15, "Desperate Housewives" - No. 18 and "DWTS: The Story So Far" - No. 20. The Net delivered 4 of the Top 10 most-watched television programs overall, including 2 of the Top 4, and No. 2 "DWTS," which outdrew Fox's "American Idol - Thursday" for the 2nd week running: "DWTS" - No. 2, "DWTS Results" - No. 4, "Body of Proof" - No. 9 and "Grey's Anatomy" - No. 10. In addition to being the week's No. 1 scripted series in Adults 18-49, ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" was also the highest-rated scripted series with Adults 18-34, Adults 25-54 and across all key Women (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54). ABC's "20/20" was the week's No. 1 newsmagazine in Adults 18-49 (tie).
· Growing its numbers for the 3rd week in a row, ABC surged week to week by 1.5 million viewers (9.4 million vs. 7.9 million) and by 19% in Adults 18-49 (2.5/7 vs. 2.1/6). In fact excluding the week of the "Academy Awards," ABC marked its strongest results since November in viewers and young adults - since w/o 11/8/10 and 11/15/10, respectively.
· The Net increased its overall audience year to year by 9% (w/o 3/29/10 = 8.6 million).
Monday
Winning the night for the 3rd week in a row, ABC scored another dominant Monday victory, actually beating the other major networks combined (CBS, NBC, and Fox) in Total Viewers (19.2 million vs. 16.2 million), while matching the combined performance in Adults 18-49 (4.6/12). The Network won all 6 half-hours of the night in both viewers and young adults.
· Hitting a season-high on the night for the 2nd straight week, ABC generated the most-watched Monday for any network in 1 year - since 3/29/10.
"Dancing with the Stars" (8:00-10:01 p.m.)
Towering over each of its half-hours and ranking as Monday's definitive No. 1 TV show for the 2nd week in a row, ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" overshadowed its nearest competition in its time period (CBS) by 16.3 million viewers (22.8 million vs. 6.5 million) and by 148% in Adults 18-49 (5.2/14 vs. 2.1/5). In fact it was ABC's 6th straight week to lead the time period in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, and its 9th straight week in Adults 18-34. "DWTS'" audience jumped from its first hour to its second hour, gaining 2.8 million viewers (21.4 million to 24.2 million) and 17% in Adults 18-49 (4.8/14 to 5.6/14).
· "DWTS" saw its overall audience increase over its week-ago season premiere (22.8 million vs. 22.7 million), while retaining an impressive 98% of its premiere number in Adults 18-49 (5.2/14 vs. 5.3/15). Additionally, the broad-appealing ABC unscripted series was up over its high-rated season opener with Men 18-49 (+2%), Women 25-54 (+2%) and Kids 2-11 (+8%).
"Castle" (10:01-11:00 p.m.)
Monday's No. 2 TV show to "DWTS," ABC's "Castle" turned in a strong first-place finish in the 10 o'clock hour in Total Viewers (12.6 million) and Adults 18-49 (3.2/8). It was the ABC drama's 3rd straight first-run telecast to win its time period on both Nielsen measures. ABC's "Castle" once again posted its biggest-ever winning advantage over an original episode of NBC's "Harry's Law" (8.5 million and 1.6/4) in the hour (+4.1 million viewers and +100% in Adults 18-49).
· Achieving season-highs in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49 for the 2nd week running, ABC's "Castle" marked its largest audience since April 2010 and strongest young adult performance since March 2010 - since and 4/12/10 and 3/29/10, respectively. In viewers and young adults, it was "Castle's" 3rd consecutive original telecast to grow over the previous episode.
Tuesday
With a "Dancing" recap show, followed by the Season 12 premiere of "DWTS Results Show" leading into the series debut of "Body of Proof," ABC took first place on Tuesday evening, upsetting second-place CBS' all-original lineup by 5% in Total Viewers (15.4 million vs. 14.7 million) and by 10% in Adults 18-49 (3.4/9 vs. 3.1/8). In fact, "DWTS Results Show" stood as Tuesday's No. 1 TV show, and "Body of Proof" opened with a dominant victory in the 10 o'clock hour.
· In Total Viewers & Adults 18-49, ABC marked its 2nd-strongest Tuesday performance this season.
· The Net grew its numbers from the same night last year with an all-original schedule ("DWTS Results Show"/"Lost"/"V") by 4.9 million viewers and by 3% in Adults 18-49 (10.5 million and 3.3/9 on 3/30/10).
"Dancing with the Stars: The Story So Far" (8:00-9:00 p.m.)
From 8:00-9:00 p.m., ABC's special "Dancing" recap show ("Dancing with the Stars: The Story So Far") ran a strong No. 2 to CBS' top-rated "NCIS," beating an original of NBC's time-period regular "The Biggest Loser: Couples" by solid margins in viewers (+5.9 million - 12.9 million vs. 7.0 million) and young adults (+12% - 2.8/8 vs. 2.5/7). The recap show ranked a dominant No. 1 in the time period with Women 18-34, leading the first-run "NCIS" by an impressive 35% (3.1/9 vs. 2.3/7).
· "DWTS: The Story So Far" produced the Network's top numbers in the time period in nearly 5 months with viewers and young adults - since 11/2/10.
"DWTS Results Show" (9:00-10:01 p.m.)
Soaring to the top of the 9 o'clock hour to rank as Tuesday's No. 1 TV show, the Season 12 premiere of ABC's "DWTS Results Show" outpaced its nearest competitor (CBS' "NCIS: Los Angeles") by 4.0 million viewers (19.3 million vs. 15.3 million) and by 23% in Adults 18-49 (4.3/11 vs. 3.5/9). Radio host Mike Catherwood was the first celebrity voted off the show this season.
· "DWTS Results Show" rose sharply over its premiere on the same night last year, surging by 35% in Total Viewers and 43% in Adults 18-49 (14.3 million and 3.0/9 on 3/30/10). In fact it registered as the most-watched-ever season opener for "DWTS Results Show." Season 12 and Season 11 now stand as the franchise's Top 2 most-watched premieres for "DWTS Results Show," respectively.
· In Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, ABC posted its highest numbers in the time period since mid-November - since 11/23/10, with the Season 11 finale of "DWTS."
"Body of Proof" (10:01-11:00 p.m.)
In the 10 o'clock hour against established first-run dramas on CBS ("The Good Wife") and NBC ("Parenthood"), ABC's series debut of "Body of Proof" opened a definitive No. 1 in its time period. Taking full control of the hour, "Body of Proof" beat out second-place CBS' "The Good Wife" by 36% in Total Viewers (13.9 million vs. 10.2 million) and by a massive 63% in Adults 18-49 (3.1/8 vs. 1.9/5).
· Generating enormous time-period improvement, "Body of Proof" delivered ABC's best results in the slot with a regular hour-long program in 6 years among Total Viewers, and in nearly 4-1/2 years among Adults 18-49 (tie) - since 3/1/05 and 10/17/06, respectively. Versus ABC's averages with regular programming in the hour this season (6.4 million and 1.4/4), "Body of Proof" improved the time slot by 117% in Total Viewers and by 121% in Adults 18-49.
· ABC's "Body of Proof" qualified as TV's 2nd-most-watched series debut of the 2010-11 season, behind only the September premiere of CBS' high-profile reboot of "Hawaii Five-0." In addition, it was ABC's most-watched midseason drama debut in 6 years and its top-rated among Adults 18-49 in more than 3 years - since 3/27/05 and 1/31/08, respectively.
Wednesday
"The Middle"/"The Middle" (8:00-9:00 p.m.)
From 8:00-9:00 p.m., against the first hour of Fox's "American Idol" and CBS' "Survivor: Redemption Island," ABC's back-to-back repeats of "The Middle" defeated NBC's original "Minute To Win It" by 14% in Total Viewers (4.8 million vs. 4.2 million) and by 25% in Adults 18-49 (1.5/4 vs. 1.2/3).
· ABC's back-to-back "The Middle" replays built over their most-recent airing in the hour two weeks ago in viewers (+4%) and young adults (+25%) (4.6 million and 1.2/4 on 3/16/11).
"Modern Family" (9:00-9:31 p.m.)
At 9:00 p.m. opposite the third half-hour of "Idol" and CBS' original "Criminal Minds," ABC's repeat "Modern Family" dominated its repeat competition, topping NBC's "Law & Order: SVU" by substantial margins in Total Viewers (+67% - 5.5 million vs. 3.3 million) and Adults 18-49 (+133% - 2.1/5 vs. 0.9/2). In addition the rebroadcast ABC comedy tied CBS' original drama in its time period with Adults 18-34 (2.0/6), while beating "Criminal Minds" with Men 18-34 (1.6/5 vs. 1.5/5).
"Off the Map" (10:00-11:00 p.m.)
From 10:00-11:00 p.m. against original drama competition on CBS ("Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior") and NBC ("Law & Order: SVU"), ABC's "Off the Map" once again drew a larger overall audience to the hour year to year for ABC, growing the time period by 5% (4.2 million vs. 4.0 million) over the year-ago night with original drama programming ("Ugly Betty"). It was the 11th time in 12 telecasts this season that "Off the Map" to generated year-over-year time-period improvement.
Thursday
ABC earned second place to an "Idol"-driven Fox on Thursday among Adults 18-49, beating CBS' all-original schedule by 10% (3.2/9 vs. 2.9/8).
· In viewers (9.0 million) and young adults (3.2/9), ABC scored its best Thursday results since mid-January - since 1/13/11.
· The Network's numbers rose over the year-ago night, also an evening of original programming ("FlashForward," "Grey's" and "Private Practice" on 4/1/10 = 7.6 million and 2.5/8), by double-digit percentages in both Total Viewers (+18%) and Adults 18-49 (+28%).
"Wipeout" (8:00-9:00 p.m.)
From 8:00-9:00 p.m. against "American Idol" and original comedies on CBS ("The Big Bang Theory"/"Rules of Engagement"), ABC's Spring "Wipeout" outdelivered NBC's comedies ("Community"/"Perfect Couples") by wide margins in viewers (+205% - 6.4 million vs. 2.1 million) and young adults (+90% - 1.9/6 vs. 1.0/3). In addition, the wide-appealing unscripted series registered as the No. 2 broadcast program of the night with Kids 2-11 (2.0/7), behind only "Idol."
· Despite facing the move of "Idol" into the time period this year, the ABC unscripted series continued to produce double-digit year-to-year percentage growth in the hour with Total Viewers (+26%) and Adults 18-49 (+28%), over original programming on the year-ago evening ("FlashForward" = 5.0 million and 1.5/5).
"Grey's Anatomy" (9:00-10:02 p.m.)
Standing as Thursday's No. 1 scripted TV show for the 2nd straight week, a musical episode of ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" won Thursday's 9 o'clock hour in Total Viewers (13.1 million) and Adults 18-49 (4.9/13), beating Fox's "Idol"-fueled debut of "Mobbed" by 29% (3.8/10) and CBS' original "C.S.I." by 69% (2.9/9) in the key young adult sales demo. In fact Grey's qualified as the No. 1 scripted series in the slot with Adults 18-49 for its 18th straight original broadcast this season.
· Building its numbers for the 2nd week running and hitting best-since-season-premiere results, "Grey's" jumped over the prior week by 2.8 million viewers and by 32% in Adults 18-49. The ABC medical drama achieved a 6-month high in viewers and young adults, marking its strongest performance since its season premiere in September - since 9/23/10.
· "Grey's" was up sharply over its year-ago original telecast (9.9 million and 3.5/11 on 4/1/10), gaining 32% in Total Viewers and 40% in Adults 18-49
"Private Practice" (10:02-11:00 p.m.)
ABC's "Private Practice" finished in a near-tie for No. 1 in the hour among Adults 18-49, pacing within 1-tenth of a rating point and tied in audience share with "The Mentalist" (2.7/7 vs. 2.8/7). ABC's "Private Practice" won the hour among Adults 18-34, beating "The Mentalist" by 18% (2.0/6 vs. 1.7/5). In addition for its 17th consecutive first run telecast, the ABC drama registered as the No. 1 scripted TV show in the 10 o'clock hour with key Women (W18-34/W18-49).
· Among Adults 18-34 and Adults 18-49, "Private Practice" posted a 12-week high - since 1/6/11.
Friday
ABC finished in a virtual tie for No. 1 among its broadcast rivals with CBS on Friday in Adults 18-49 (1.4/5 vs. 1.5/5), pacing within 1-tenth of a rating point and tied in audience share.
· ABC turned in a 7-week high on Friday in both Total Viewers (5.4 million) and Adults 18-49 (1.4/5) - since 2/11/11.
"Shark Tank" (8:00-9:00 p.m.)
At 8:00 p.m., ABC's "Shark Tank" grew over its week-ago premiere in both Total Viewers (+4% - 4.9 million vs. 4.7 million) and Adults 18-49 (+8% - 1.3/5 vs. 1.2/4). Running No. 1 among the major nets in the hour with Adults 18-49 (tie), ABC's "Shark Tank" beat out CBS' series debut of "Chaos" by 9% (1.1/4). Building audience throughout its broadcast, the ABC unscripted series gained viewers (+4% - 4.8 million to 5.0 million) and young adults (+16% - 1.2/4 to 1.4/5) from its first half-hour to its second half-hour.
· "Shark Tank" drew ABC's largest audience in the time period in over 3 months - since 12/31/10.
"20/20" (9:00-11:00 p.m.)
From 9:00-11:00 p.m., a 2-hour edition of ABC's "20/20" earned second place in its time period among the major nets in Adults 18-49 (1.5/5) and Adults 25-54 (2.0/6), moving up into the No. 1 position overall in the 10 o'clock hour among Adults 18-49 (1.8/5). Head to head, ABC's 2-hour "20/20" defeated NBC's 2-hour "Dateline" by double-digit percentages in Adults 18-49 (+15% - 1.5/5 vs. 1.3/4) and Adults 25-54 (+11% - 2.0/6 vs. 1.8/5). "20/20" featured Chris Cuomo's exclusive report looking at how someone beat and left a young woman for dead, managing to sneak out of a hotel with numerous security cameras.
· Building for the 2nd straight week, "20/20" generated its 2nd-strongest performance on the night since mid-February in Viewers (5.7 million), Adults 18-49 (1.5/5) & Adults 25-54 (2.0/6) - since 2/11/11.
· "20/20" was up from its delivery on the same night last year by 14% in Total Viewers and by 23% in Adults 18-49 (4.9 million & 1.3/4 on 4/2/10).
Sunday
Up against CBS' "Academy of Country Music Awards" on the night, ABC took second place in Total Viewers (8.5 million) and Adults 18-49 (2.3/6).
· In viewers and young adults, ABC turned in its strongest Sunday in 1 month - since 3/6/11.
"America's Funniest Home Videos" (7:00-8:00 p.m.)
During the 7 o'clock hour, ABC's "America's Funniest Home Videos" ranked No. 1 in Adults 18-49 (1.6/5), Men 18-49 and Women 18-49. The broad-appealing also show made ABC the top-rated broadcaster in the hour with Kids 2-11.
"Secret Millionaire" (8:00-9:00 p.m.)
Building sharply on its lead-in at 8:00 p.m. in viewers (+3.0 million) and young adults (+69%) and gaining audience from start to finish against the opening hour of CBS' "ACM Awards," ABC's "Secret Millionaire" defeated its regular competition in the hour by wide margins. Once again, ABC's freshman "Secret Millionaire" soared over its freshman unscripted time-period competition, outdelivering NBC's "America's Next Great Restaurant" by 5.8 million viewers (9.8 million vs. 4.0 million) and by 80% in Adults 18-49 (2.7/7 vs. 1.5/4).
· Generating sizeable year-over-year growth for ABC in the hour for its 5th time in 5 telecasts, "Secret Millionaire" boosted the time period by 2.9 million viewers and by 35% in Adults 18-49 over the year-ago night with original programming (4/4/10 = 6.9 million and 2.0/6).
· "Secret Millionaire" was up week to week with Men 18-49, Teens 12-17 and Kids 2-11.
"Desperate Housewives" (9:00-10:01 p.m.)
On its first original telecast in 4 weeks, ABC's "Desperate Housewives" returned as the No. 1 regular show in the 9 o'clock hour with Total Viewers (9.1 million) and Adults 18-49 (2.9/7).
"Body of Proof" (10:01-11:00 p.m.)
During the 10 o'clock hour on the heels of its big Tuesday debut, a special airing of ABC's "Body of Proof" gained substantial additional sampling on Sunday night. Retaining nearly all of its lead-in from "Desperate Housewives" (93% - 8.5 million vs. 9.1 million), "Body of Proof" attracted ABC's biggest non-"Oscar" audience in the hour in nearly 4 months - since 12/12/10.
Source: The Nielsen Company (National, Live+ Same Day Program Ratings), week of 3/28/11, unless stated otherwise.
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