"Cougar Town" Premiere Posts Improved Lead-in Retention for ABC at 8:30pm

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

With its 8-9pm comedies (Last Man Standing/Cougar Town), The River and Body of Proof, ABC was up over the same Tuesday last year (also an all-original schedule) by 12% in Total Viewers and by 7% in Adults 18-49.

Please note: On Valentine's Day, overall Adult 18-49 TV Usage levels were down a significant -7% from the prior Tuesday.

At 8pm against CBS' top-rated NCIS, ABC's Last Man Standing outdrew Fox's Glee by 13% and NBC's The Biggest Loser by 31% in Total Viewers.

· ABC self-starter Last Man Standing at 8pm continued to finish as Tuesday's most-watched comedy overall, outdrawing Fox's Glee-led New Girl at 9pm by 1.0 million viewers.

Delivering greatly improved lead-in retention in the slot out of Last Man Standing at 8:30pm (82% vs. 69% on average this season), ABC's season premiere of Cougar Town posted impressive year-over-year growth in the half-hour, surging by 20% in Adults 18-49 over original programming on the same night last year.

During the 9 o'clock hour, ABC's The River built on its lead-in among Total Viewers (+4%), while holding nearly all of its Adult 18-49 lead (94%).

On its first original telecast in 4 weeks, ABC's Body of Proof built sharply on its lead-in at 10pm (+24%) to outdraw NBC's Parenthood during the hour by 1.8 million viewers.

· The ABC sophomore drama improved its hour year to year by 1.0 million viewers, topping original drama programming on the same night last year.

Quick Take for Tuesday, February 14, 2012 (Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Ratings)

ABC's Tuesday is Up Year to Year by 12% in Viewers and by 7% in Adults 18-49

Tuesday's Top Comedy, ABC's "Last Man Standing" Outdraws Fox's "New Girl"

Delivering Improved Lead-in Retention at 8:30pm, the Season Opener of ABC's "Cougar Town" Improves its Slot by 20% in Adults 18-49 Year to Year

In the 9pm Hour, ABC's "The River" Grows Over its Lead-in Among Total Viewers

Boosting its Hour by 1.0 Million Viewers from the Year-Ago Night, "Body of Proof" Builds Sharply for ABC at 10pm to Beat NBC's "Parenthood" by 1.8 Million Viewers

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

With its 8:00-9:00 p.m. comedies ("Last Man Standing"/"Cougar Town"), "The River" and "Body of Proof," ABC was up over the same Tuesday last year (also an all-original schedule on 2/15/11) by 12% in Total Viewers (5.8 million vs. 5.2 million) and by 7% in Adults 18-49 (1.6/4 vs. 1.5/4).

Please note: On Valentine's Day, overall Adult 18-49 TV usage levels were down a significant -7% from the prior Tuesday (36.6% vs. 39.4%).

"Last Man Standing" (8:00-8:30 p.m.)

At 8:00 p.m. against CBS' top-rated "NCIS," ABC's "Last Man Standing" (7.6 million) outdrew Fox's "Glee" (6.7 million) by 13% and NBC's "The Biggest Loser" by 31% (5.8 million) in Total Viewers.

· ABC self-starter "Last Man Standing" at 8:00 p.m. continued to finish as Tuesday's most-watched comedy overall, outdrawing Fox's "Glee"-led "New Girl" (6.6 million) at 9:00 p.m. by 1.0 million viewers.

"Cougar Town" (8:30-9:00 p.m.)

Delivering greatly improved lead-in retention in the slot out of "Last Man Standing" at 8:30 p.m. (82% vs. 69% on average this season), ABC's season premiere of "Cougar Town" posted impressive year-over-year growth in the half-hour, surging by 20% in Adults 18-49 over original programming on the same night last year (1.8/5 vs. 1.5/4 = "No Ordinary Family").

· In addition to earning improved lead-in retention at 8:30 p.m. with Adults 18-49 (82%) and Adults 18-34 (92%), "Cougar Town" built on its lead-in by 15% with Women 18-34.

"The River" (9:00-10:00 p.m.)

During the 9 o'clock hour, ABC's "The River" built on its lead-in among Total Viewers (+4% - 5.0 million vs. 4.8 million), while holding nearly its entire Adult 18-49 lead (94% - 1.7/4 vs. 1.8/5).

"Body of Proof" (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

On its first original telecast in 4 weeks, ABC's "Body of Proof" built sharply on its lead-in at 10:00 p.m. (+24%) to outdraw NBC's "Parenthood" during the hour by 1.8 million viewers (6.2 million vs. 4.4 million).

· The ABC sophomore drama improved its hour year to year by 1.0 million viewers, topping original drama programming on the same night last year ("Detroit 1-8-7" = 5.2 million).

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 39% 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), 02/14/12.