ABC Wins Thursday with Season Highs for "Wipeout," "Grey's" and "Private Practice"

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

Returning to its regular Thursday lineup for the first time in 8 weeks (since 11/10/11), ABC turned in a strong first-place finish on Thursday night among Adults 18-49, leading runner-up CBS by 43%. ABC also registered as the most-watched network overall on the evening.

· Compared to the last time regularly scheduled programming aired on the evening in early-November, ABC's numbers jumped by 19% in viewers and by 22% in young adults.

· Hitting a 15-week high in viewers and young adults, the Net tallied best-since-premiere Thursday numbers - since 9/22/11.

From 8-9pm, the season premiere of Winter Wipeout earned second in its slot among Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, while ranking #1 with Adults 18-34, Men 18-34 and Women 18-34. Also from 8-9pm, it was the top-rated broadcast show with Teens 12-17 and Kids 2-11. The ABC unscripted series jumped by nearly 1.0 million viewers and by 20% in Adults 18-49 from its first half-hour to its second half-hour, winning the 9:30pm slot on both counts.

· Scoring a season-high for ABC in the hour among Adults 18-49, Winter Wipeout produced the Net's highest rating in the slot in nearly 1 year, as well as the series' strongest overall performance since last January - since 1/13/11.

· Winter Wipeout was up sharply over its preview special in the hour last month with viewers (+27%) and young adults (+47%).

Hitting season-highs and growing over its year-ago telecast, ABC self starter Grey's Anatomy registered as Thursday's No. 1 TV show in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49. In addition, it was Thursday's #1 drama with young adults for its 9th consecutive first-run airing this season.

· In Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, Grey's Anatomy marked the series' highest numbers in more than 9 months - since 3/31/11. In fact the show was up over its year-ago telecast with Adults 18-49 (+7%), marking its 2nd-strongest number since October of 2010 - since 10/14/10.

Achieving a season-high, ABC's Private Practice ranked #1 against its network rivals in the 10 o'clock hour among Adults 18-49 . In addition, Private Practice stood as the #1 drama in Thursday's 10 o'clock hour for the 9th straight original telecast this season with Adults 18-34 and Women 18-34.

· Up over its most recent original (on 11/17/11) by 8% in Total Viewers and by 8% in Adults 18-49, ABC's Private Practice drew its biggest audience since March and equaled its top young adult number since November of 2010 - since 3/24/11 and 11/18/10, respectively.

· Like its lead-in, Private Practice was up over its performance on the same night last year among Adults 18-49.

Quick Take for Thursday, January 5, 2012 (Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Ratings)

ABC Takes First Place on Thursday, Hitting a 15-Week High on the Night

ABC's "Winter Wipeout" Premieres with Impressive Results, Generating the Network's Highest Young Adult Number in the Time Period in Nearly 1 Year

Thursday's No. 1 TV Show, "Grey's" Returns with its Top Numbers in Over 9 Months

On its First Telecast Since Mid-November, "Private Practice" Draws its Biggest Audience Since March and Equals its Best Adult 18-49 Rating Since November 2010

Thursday Night (8:00-11:00 p.m.)

Returning to its regular Thursday lineup for the first time in 8 weeks (since 11/10/11), ABC turned in a strong first-place finish on Thursday night among Adults 18-49, leading runner-up CBS by 43% (3.3/9 vs. 2.3/6). ABC (9.5 million) also registered as the most-watched network overall on the evening.

· Compared to the last time regularly scheduled programming aired on the evening in early-November, ABC's numbers jumped by 19% in viewers and by 22% in young adults.

· Hitting a 15-week high in viewers and young adults, the Net tallied best-since-premiere Thursday numbers - since 9/22/11.

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

During the 8 o'clock hour, the season premiere of "Winter Wipeout" earned second in its slot among Total Viewers (8.5 million) and Adults 18-49 (2.8/8), while ranking No. 1 with Adults 18-34, Men 18-34 and Women 18-34. Also from 8:00-9:00 p.m., it was the top-rated broadcast show with Teens 12-17 and Kids 2-11. The ABC unscripted series jumped by nearly 1.0 million viewers and by 20% in Adults 18-49 from its first half-hour to its second half-hour, winning the 9:30pm slot on both counts.

· Scoring a season-high for ABC in the hour among Adults 18-49, "Winter Wipeout" produced the Net's highest rating in the slot in nearly 1 year, as well as the series' strongest overall performance since last January - since 1/13/11.

· "Winter Wipeout" was up sharply over its preview special in the hour last month (6.7 million and 1.9/5 on 12/8/11) with viewers (+27%) and young adults (+47%).

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

Hitting season-highs and growing over its year-ago telecast, ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" registered as Thursday's No. 1 TV show in Total Viewers (12.0 million) and Adults 18-49 (4.5/11). In addition, it was Thursday's No. 1 drama with young adults for its 9th consecutive first-run airing this season.

· In Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, "Grey's Anatomy" marked the series' highest numbers in more than 9 months - since 3/31/11. In fact the show was up over its year-ago telecast with Adults 18-49 (+7% - 4.2/11 on 1/6/11), marking its 2nd-strongest number since October of 2010 - since 10/14/10.

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

Achieving a season-high, ABC's "Private Practice" ranked No. 1 against its network rivals in the 10:00 p.m. hour among Adults 18-49 (2.8/7). In addition, it stood as the No. 1 drama in Thursday's 10 o'clock hour for the 9th straight original telecast this season with Adults 18-34 and Women 18-34.

· Up over its most recent original (on 11/17/11) by 8% in Total Viewers (7.8 million vs. 7.2 million) and by 8% in Adults 18-49 (2.8/7 vs. 2.6/7), ABC's "Private Practice" drew its biggest audience since March and equaled its top young adult number since November of 2010 - since 3/24/11 and 11/18/10, respectively.

· Like its lead-in, "Private Practice" was up over its performance on the same night last year among Adults 18-49 (2.7/8 on 1/6/11).

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 2011. 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), 01/05/12.