ABC's "AMAs" is Up in Viewers and Key Demos with a 7-year High in Teens

Some early info on ABC's 2011 American Music Awards, ahead of the regular press release:

Opposite fierce competition on the evening, including a high rated down-to-the-wire "Sunday Night Football" contest (NY Giants-Philadelphia Eagles) and an NFL primetime overrun-boosted CBS, the "2011 American Music Awards" made ABC the dominant No. 1 non-sports network from 8:00-11:00 p.m. among Adults 18-49 (4.3/10), towering over CBS by 87% (2.3/5) and Fox by 72% (2.5/6 - 8:00-10:00 p.m. average). In addition, ABC's "AMA" broadcast won its 3-hour time period over "Sunday Night Football" to stand as the No. 1 TV show of the night across all key Women (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54), Teens 12-17 and Kids 2-11.

· The "American Music Awards" was up year to year in Total Viewers (+3% - 12.0 million vs. 11.7 million) and retained 100% of its Adult 18-49 audience (4.3/10). In fact, the "AMAs" grew year to year across virtually all key younger demographics: AD18-34 (+5%), W18-34 (+8%), M18-34 (+4%), W18-49 (+2%), M18-49 (+3%) and Teens 12-17 (+24%). In fact the "American Music Awards" posted its highest Teen 12-17 number in 7 years - since 2004.

· Despite the intense competition during primetime, ABC achieved Sunday night season highs with its coverage of the "2011 AMAs" among Total Viewers and Adults 18-49. In fact the show generated ABC's top Adult 18-49 number in the time period with entertainment programming in 9 months - since the "Academy Awards" on 2/27/11.

· An estimated 32.0 million viewers watched at least some portion of the "2011 American Music Awards" on ABC during its 3-hour broadcast - unduplicated Viewers 2+ watching 6 minutes or more of the broadcast.

Quick Take for Sunday, November 20, 2011 (Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Ratings)

Opposite Fierce Competition from a Big "Sunday Night Football" Contest and an NFL Overrun-Driven CBS, ABC's "American Music Awards" is No. 1 in Key Demos

"AMAs" Score ABC's Top Adult 18-49 Entertainment Rating in the Slot in 9 Months

ABC's "2011 AMAs" is Up Year to Year in Viewers and Across Virtually All Key Younger Demos, While Achieving a 7-Year-High with Teens 12-17

"2011 American Music Awards" (8:00-11:00 p.m.) Opposite fierce competition on the evening, including a high rated and down-to-the-wire "Sunday Night Football" contest (NY Giants-Philadelphia Eagles) and an NFL primetime overrun-boosted CBS, the "2011 American Music Awards" made ABC the dominant No. 1 non-sports network from 8:00-11:00 p.m. among Adults 18-49 (4.3/10), towering over CBS by 87% (2.3/5) and Fox by 72% (2.5/6 - 8:00-10:00 p.m. average). In addition, ABC's "AMA" broadcast won its 3-hour time period over "Sunday Night Football" to stand as the No. 1 TV show of the night across all key Women (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54), Teens 12-17 and Kids 2-11.

· The "American Music Awards" was up year to year in Total Viewers (+3% - 12.0 million vs. 11.7 million) and retained 100% of its Adult 18-49 audience (4.3/10). In fact, the "AMAs" grew year to year across virtually all key younger demographics: AD18-34 (+5%), W18-34 (+8%), M18-34 (+4%), W18-49 (+2%), M18-49 (+3%) and Teens 12-17 (+24%). The "American Music Awards" scored its highest Teen 12-17 number in 7 years - since 2004.

· Despite the intense competition during primetime, ABC achieved Sunday night season highs with its coverage of the "2011 AMAs" among Total Viewers and Adults 18-49. The show generated ABC's top Adult 18-49 number in the time period with entertainment programming in 9 months - since the "Academy Awards" on 2/27/11.

· An estimated 32.0 million viewers watched at least some portion of the "2011 American Music Awards" on ABC during its 3-hour broadcast - unduplicated Viewers 2+ watching 6 minutes or more of the broadcast.

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), 11/20/11.