For the week of September 19, 2011 (National Live + 7 Day Program Ratings)

ABC's Premiere Week Results Grow from First-Reported Numbers By 1.5 Million Viewers and by 21% Among Adults 18-49

ABC Claims TV's Top 2 Biggest Actual Adult 18-49 Gainers from Live+Same Day To Live+7 Day Ratings with Back-to-Back Episodes of "Modern Family"

Based on Final Ratings, ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" Finishes as TV's No. 1 Drama During Premiere Week 2011, Moving Ahead of CBS' "NCIS" and "Criminal Minds"

ABC's "Revenge" and "Pan Am" Retain Status as the Week's Top 2 New Dramas

2011-12 WEEK No. 1 Live + 7 Day Ratings:

Based on the first round of Live + 7 Day rating for the 2011-12 television season, ABC saw its premiere week primetime averages jump from its originally reported Live + Same Day numbers by 1.5 million viewers (9.9 million to 11.4 million) and by 21% in Adults 18-49 (2.8/9 to 3.4/8). With Household DVR penetration rising sharply year to year (from 38% to 42%), ABC's premiere week increases were bigger this year than last from the initially reported Live + Same Day numbers to the final Live + 7 Day averages. ABC finished as the 2nd-most-watched network during premiere week among in the Live + 7 Day averages.

· Similarly to last season, ABC series were among the most popularly recorded and played back. ABC aired 3 of the Top 4 biggest actual Adult 18-49 gainers during premiere week, including the Top 2 gainers with the premiere episodes of "Modern Family": "Modern Family SP-9/21" surged by 2.4 rating points (from a 6.2 rating to an 8.6 rating), "Modern Family" jumped by 2.3 rating points (6.0 rating to 8.3 rating) and "Grey's Anatomy" picked up an additional 1.7 rating points (4.1 rating to a 5.8 rating). In fact, "Modern Family's" 2.3 rating point build for the week was the highest-ever for any regular TV telecast.

· Based on the Live + 7 Day Ratings, ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" emerged as TV's No. 1 drama during season-premiere week among Adults 18-49 (5.8 rating). Initially in the Live + Same Day statistics, "Grey's" placed as TV's No. 3 drama for the week and moved up to No. 1 based on Nielsen's final rankings, leaping over CBS' "NCIS" (5.5 rating) and "Criminal Minds" (5.2 rating).

· Based on Nielsen's final ratings for the week, ABC's "Revenge" and "Pan Am" solidified their ranks as the season's Top 2 new dramas during premiere week in Adults 18-49. The "Revenge" opener saw its ratings surge from a 3.3 rating to a 4.2 rating (+0.9 rating), while the "Pam Am" premiere soared from a 3.1 rating to a 4.1 rating (+1.0 rating).

· A total of 9 of ABC's series gained 1.5 million viewers or more on average from their initially reported totals via time-shifted viewing, including the week's 2 biggest overall gainers: "Modern Family SP-9/21" (+4.70 million), "Modern Family" (+4.63 million), "Grey's" (+3.54 million), "Body of Proof" (+2.85 million), "Castle" (+2.78 million), "Pan Am" (+2.71 million), "Revenge" (+2.38 million), "Desperate Housewives" (+1.91 million) and "Dancing with the Stars" (+1.57 million).

· Among Adults 18-49, 8 of ABC's series registered substantial ratings increases of 8-tenths of rating point or more: "Modern Family SP-9/21" (+2.4 rating points � top gainer overall), "Modern Family" (+2.3 rating), "Grey's" (+1.7 rating � biggest drama gainer), "Pan Am" (+1.0 rating), "Revenge" (+0.9 rating), "Castle" (+0.9 rating), "Body of Proof" (+0.8 rating) and "Desperate Housewives" (+0.8 rating).

· With an increase in DVR penetration year to year, a number of ABC returning series posted bigger increases than last year during premiere week via time-shifted viewing in Total Viewers and/or Adults 18-49, including "Castle," "Dancing With the Stars: The Results," "DWTS," "Grey's Anatomy," "The Middle" and "Modern Family."

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 (National Live+7 Day Program Ratings), week of 9/19/11.