ABC Dominates Wednesday with a Growing CMA Awards

Some early info on ABC's Wednesday night CMA Awards broadcast, ahead of the regular press release:

With its broadcast of "The 45th Annual CMA Awards," ABC dominated Wednesday night, beating out its nearest competition on the evening by 5.6 million viewers (16.3 million vs. 10.7 million - CBS) and by 30% in Adults 18-49 (4.8/12 vs. 3.7/10 - Fox's 2-hour "The X Factor"). ABC ranked # 1 in all 6 half-hours of the night in both Total Viewers and Adults 18-49. In fact it was a clean sweep on the evening, as the Net ran # 1 on Wednesday across all key Adult, Men and Women demographics (18-34/18-49/25-54), as well standing as the top-rated broadcaster with Teens 12-17.

· ABC posted its top-rated Wednesday in 2 years among Adults 18-49 - since 11/11/09.

· ABC scored its best Adult 18-49 number on any night this season, while delivering the 2nd-highest non-sports driven performance for any network on any evening this season, behind only CBS' "Two and a Half Men"-fueled delivery on season-premiere Monday - more than 7 weeks ago, on 9/19/11.

· Despite facing heightened competition this year from Fox's 2-hour "The X Factor," the "CMA Awards" was up year to year in Adults 18-49 (+2%). In addition, ABC's annual country music awards show built year to year across number of other key younger demos: Adults 18-34 (+8%), Women 18-34 (+6%), Men 18-34 (+11%) and Teens (+19%). In fact, the "CMA Awards" equaled its 2nd-best Adult 18-34 number in 7 years and its highest Men 18-34 number 7 years - since 2004.

· ABC's 2011 telecast of the "CMA Awards" eclipsed CBS' 2011 telecast of the "ACM Awards" in April by 3.3 million viewers and by 45% in Adults 18-49.

· An estimated 35.0 million viewers watched at least some portion of "The 45th Annual CMA Awards" on ABC during its 3-hour broadcast - unduplicated Viewers 2+ watching 6 minutes or more of the telecast.

Quick Take for Wednesday, November 9, 2011 (Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Ratings)

With "The 45th Annual CMA Awards," ABC Dominates Wednesday Evening, Beating its Closest Competitors by 5.6 Million Viewers and by 30% in Adults 18-49

ABC Marks its Top-Rated Wednesday in 2 Years, its Best Performance Any Night This Season and the 2nd-Biggest Non-Sports Number for Any Net on Any Night of Fall �11

Up Year to Year with Young Adults, Key Men, Key Women and Teens, ABC's "CMA Awards" Equals its 2nd-Best Adult 18-34 and Highest Men 18-34 Numbers in 7 Years

ABC's 2011 "CMA Awards" Towers Over CBS' 2011 "ACM Awards" Broadcast

"The 45th Annual CMA Awards" (8:00-11:00 p.m.)

With its broadcast of "The 45th Annual CMA Awards," ABC dominated Wednesday night, beating out its nearest competition on the evening by 5.6 million viewers (16.3 million vs. 10.7 million - CBS) and by 30% in Adults 18-49 (4.8/12 vs. 3.7/10 - Fox's 2-hour "The X Factor"). ABC ranked No. 1 in all 6 half-hours of the night in both Total Viewers and Adults 18-49. In fact it was a clean sweep on the evening, as the Net ran No. 1 on Wednesday across all key Adult, Men and Women demographics (18-34/18-49/25-54), as well standing as the top-rated broadcaster with Teens 12-17.

· ABC posted its top-rated Wednesday in 2 years among Adults 18-49 - since 11/11/09.

· ABC scored its best Adult 18-49 number on any night this season, while delivering the 2nd-highest non-sports driven performance for any network on any evening this season, behind only CBS' "Two and a Half Men"-fueled delivery on premiere Monday - over 7 weeks ago, on 9/19/11.

· During the show's final hour, ABC produced the biggest non-sports numbers for any network in the 10 o'clock hour on any night this season with Viewers and key Adults (AD18-49/AD25-54).

· Despite facing heightened competition this year from Fox's 2-hour "The X Factor," the "CMA Awards" was up year to year in Adults 18-49 (+2% - 4.8/12 vs. 4.7/13). In addition, ABC's annual country music awards show built year to year across a number of other key younger demos: Adults 18-34 (+8%), Women 18-34 (+6%), Men 18-34 (+11%) and Teens (+19%). In fact, the "CMA Awards" equaled its 2nd-best Adult 18-34 number in 7 years and its highest Men 18-34 number 7 years - since 2004.

· ABC's 2011 telecast of the "CMA Awards" eclipsed CBS' 2011 telecast of the "ACM Awards" in April by 3.3 million viewers and by 45% in Adults 18-49 (CBS' "ACM Awards" on 4/3/11 = 13.0 million viewers and 3.3/9 in AD18-49).

· An estimated 35.0 million viewers watched at least some portion of "The 45th Annual CMA Awards" on ABC during its 3-hour broadcast - unduplicated Viewers 2+ watching 6 minutes or more of the telecast.

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 43% 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), 11/09/11.