ABC's "Private Practice" Opener Leads at 10pm with its Top Number Since December

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

Up against stiff competition from the opening hour of Fox's The X Factor and CBS' The Big Bang Theory into the debut of How to be a Gentleman from 8-9pm, Charlie's Angels continued to post substantial time period improvement for ABC and outdraw established comedies on NBC. In the hour, the new ABC drama topped NBC's comedy block by 2.9 million viewers (Community/Parks and Recreation). Against the strong competition on Fox and CBS, Charlie's Angels saw its numbers build from its first half-hour to its second half-hour among viewers (+7%) and young adults (+23%).

· Opposite heightened competition in the hour year to year, Charlie's Angels boosted its time period for ABC by 3.4 million viewers and by 36% in Adults 18-49 over the year-ago night.

Surging from its lead-in (+133%) against the second hour of The X Factor, ABC's Grey's Anatomy once again finished as Thursday's dominant #1 drama in Adults 18-49. Leading its scripted competition in the 9 o'clock hour by wide margins, Grey's defeated NBC's comedies (The Office/Whitney) by 21% and CBS' Person of Interest by 30%.

Moving to the top of the 10 o'clock hour among Adults 18-49, ABC's 5th season opener of Private Practice beat out CBS' The Mentalist by 12% and NBC's Prime Suspect by 87%. Private Practice also led its drama competition in the hour by sizeable margins with Adults 18-34 and across all key Women demos (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54).

· Topping its season finale in May with viewers (+5%) and young adults (+12%), ABC's Private Practice drew its biggest audience since March and hit its top Adult 18-49 number since early December - since 3/24/11 and 12/2/10, respectively.

DVR Playback Notes:

· Grey's Anatomy stood as TV's 2nd-biggest gainer via time-shifted viewing last season among Adults 18-49 (behind only Modern Family), jumping by 2.9 million viewers and 1.4 rating points among young adults (+34%) from Live + Same Day to the finalized Live + 7 Day numbers.

· One of TV's biggest gainers in the 10 o'clock hour last season, ABC's Private Practice generated impressive playback gains from the first-reported numbers, shooting up by 2.0 million viewers and by 9-tenths of an Adult 18-49 rating point (+33%) from the L+SD to the Live + 7 Day finals.

Quick Take for Thursday, September 29, 2011 (Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Ratings)

Continuing to Generate Substantial Year-Over-Year Improvement for ABC, "Charlie's Angels" Tops NBC's Comedies in the 8pm Hour by 2.9 Million Viewers

"Grey's Anatomy" Stands as Thursday's Dominant No. 1 Drama in Adults 18-49

Beating its CBS and NBC Drama Competition by Strong Margins in the 10pm Hour, ABC's "Private Practice" Opens its 5th Season with a 10-Month High in Adults 18-49

"Charlie's Angels" (8:00-9:00 p.m.)

Up against stiff competition from the opening hour of Fox's "The X Factor" and CBS' "The Big Bang Theory" into the debut of "How to be a Gentleman" from 8:00-9:00 p.m., "Charlie's Angels" continued to post substantial time period improvement for ABC and outdraw established comedies on NBC. In the hour, the new ABC drama (7.2 million) topped NBC's comedy block by 2.9 million viewers ("Community"/"Parks and Recreation" = 4.2 million). Against the strong competition on Fox and CBS, "Charlie's Angels" saw its numbers build from its first half-hour to its second half-hour among viewers (+7% - 6.9 million to 7.4 million) and young adults (+23% - 1.3/4 to 1.6/5).

· Opposite heightened competition in the hour year to year, "Charlie's Angels" boosted its time period for ABC by 3.4 million viewers (7.2 million vs. 3.8 million) and by 36% in Adults 18-49 (1.5/4 vs. 1.1/3) over the year-ago night (9/30/10).

"Grey's Anatomy" (9:00-10:00 p.m.)

Surging from its lead-in (+133%) against the second hour of "The X Factor," ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" once again finished as Thursday's dominant No. 1 drama in Adults 18-49 (3.5/9). Leading its scripted competition in the 9 o'clock hour by wide margins, "Grey's" defeated NBC's comedies by 21% ("The Office"/"Whitney" = 2.9/7) and CBS' "Person of Interest" by 30% (2.7/7).

"Private Practice" (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

Moving to the top of the 10 o'clock hour among Adults 18-49, ABC's 5th season opener of "Private Practice" (2.8/8) beat out CBS' "The Mentalist" by 12% (2.5/7) and NBC's "Prime Suspect" by 87% (1.5/4). "Private Practice" also led its drama competition in the hour by sizeable margins with Adults 18-34 and across all key Women demos (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54).

· Topping its season finale in May with viewers (+5% - 7.9 million vs. 7.5 million) and young adults (+12% - 2.8/8 vs. 2.5/7), ABC's "Private Practice" drew its biggest audience since March and hit its top Adult 18-49 number since early December - since 3/24/11 and 12/2/10, respectively.

DVR Playback Notes:

· "Grey's Anatomy" stood as TV's 2nd-biggest gainer via time-shifted viewing last season among Adults 18-49 (behind only Modern Family), jumping by 2.9 million viewers and 1.4 rating points among young adults (+34%) from Live + Same Day to the finalized Live + 7 Day numbers.

· One of TV's biggest gainers in the 10 o'clock hour last season, ABC's "Private Practice" generated impressive playback gains from the first-reported numbers, shooting up by 2.0 million viewers and by 9-tenths of an Adult 18-49 rating point (+33%) from the L+SD to the Live + 7 Day finals.

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 42% currently, from 38% at the same point in 2010. 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), 9/29/11.