ABC's Scores among Younger Viewers with its Holiday Specials on Thursday

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

From 8-9pm, ABC's holiday special Winter Wipeout: Deck the Balls beat out NBC's original comedies (Community/Parks and Recreation) by 3.0 million viewers and by 19% in Adults 18-49. The special ranked #1 in the hour with Kids 2-11, finishing as the highest-rated broadcast show of the evening. In fact it was the top-rated Wipeout telecast on any night with Kids 2-11 since June - since 6/23/11.

· Opposite stiff original competition in the hour from CBS' original comedies (The Big Bang Theory/Rules of Engagement) and Fox's The X Factor Results Show, Wipeout surged by double digits from its first half hour to its second half hour with viewers (+13%) and young adults (+31%).

· The Winter Wipeout special tallied ABC's 2nd-highest Adult 18-34 number in the time period this season and hit a season high with Teens 12-17.

During the 9 o'clock hour, ABC's special America's Funniest Home Videos Christmas Spectacular outdrew NBC's original comedies (The Office/Whitney) by 1.5 million viewers.

· America's Funniest Home Videos marked season highs with Adults 18-49, Adults 18-34, Teens 12-17 and Kids 2-11. In fact, the series hit its best Adult 18-34 number in 11 months and its top Teen 12-17 number in close to 3 years - since 1/2/11 and 1/25/09, respectively.

From 10-11pm, ABC's special The Great Big American Auction drew 17% more viewers than NBC's original Grimm.

Quick Take for Thursday, December 8, 2011 (Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Ratings)

ABC's Special "Winter Wipeout" Beats NBC's Original Comedies, Posting the Net's 2nd-Best Adult 18-34 Number in the Hour This Season and a Season High in Teens

ABC's "America's Funniest Home Videos" Holiday Special Achieves Season Highs In Young Adults and Viewers 2-17, Hitting a Nearly 3-Year High with Teens 12-17

ABC's "The Great Big American Auction" Outdraws NBC's Original "Grimm" at 10pm

"Winter Wipeout SP" (8:00-9:00 p.m.)

From 8:00-9:00 p.m., ABC's holiday special "Winter Wipeout: Deck the Balls" beat out NBC's original comedies ("Community"/"Parks and Recreation") by 3.0 million viewers (6.6 million vs. 3.6 million) and by 19% in Adults 18-49 (1.9/5 vs. 1.6/5). The special ranked No. 1 in the hour with Kids 2-11, finishing as the highest-rated broadcast show of the evening. In fact, it was the top-rated "Wipeout" telecast on any night with Kids 2-11 since June - since 6/23/11.

· Opposite stiff original competition in the hour from CBS' comedies ("The Big Bang Theory"/"Rules of Engagement") and Fox's "The X Factor Results Show," "Wipeout" surged by double digits from its first half-hour to its second half-hour with viewers (+13%) and young adults (+31%).

· The "Winter Wipeout" special tallied ABC's 2nd-highest Adult 18-34 number in the time period this season and hit a season high with Teens 12-17.

"America's Funniest Videos Christmas Spectacular" (9:00-10:00 p.m.)

During the 9 o'clock hour, ABC's special "America's Funniest Home Videos Christmas Spectacular" outdrew NBC's original comedies ("The Office"/"Whitney) by 1.5 million viewers (6.5 million vs. 5.0 million). In addition, the ABC video-clip show ranked No. 2 against its broadcast competitors with Teens 12-17, and No. 1 with Kids 2-11.

· "America's Funniest Home Videos" marked season highs with Adults 18-49, Adults 18-34, Teens 12-17 and Kids 2-11. In fact, the series equaled its best Adult 18-34 number in 11 months and its top Teen 12-17 number in close to 3 years - since 1/2/11 and 1/25/09, respectively.

"The Great Big American Auction" (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

From 10:00-11:00 p.m., ABC's special "The Great Big American Auction" attracted 17% more viewers than NBC's original "Grimm" (4.8 million vs. 4.1 million).

· Despite airing during the final hour of the evening, the ABC special gained viewers (+4%) and young adults (+7%) from its first half-hour to its second half-hour.

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), 12/08/11.