ABC's "DWTS" is Up with its Most-Competitive Finish against "The Voice" and A Special Edition of "20/20" Wins at 10pm

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

Featuring DWTS and A Special Edition of 20/20 with a behind-the-scenes look at Dancing, ABC registered as Monday's most-watched television network for the 6th week in a row, eclipsing original programming on NBC (The Voice/Smash) by 6.4 million viewers and Fox (Bones/House) by 8.3 million viewers. Ranking #2 on the night in Adults 18-49, ABC defeated Fox's original drama lineup by 23%.

· The Net's Monday was up for the 2nd week in a row among both viewers (+2%) and young adults (+4%).

Monday's most-watched TV program, ABC's Dancing with the Stars jumped to the top its 2-hour time slot for the 6th week running, besting runner-up NBC's The Voice in head-to-head competition by 7.2 million viewers. In addition, the wide-appealing dance competition ranked #1 in the slot with Adults 25-54, while earning second with young adults (AD18-34/AD18-49) and making ABC the #2 broadcaster in the slot with Teens 12-17.

· For the 2nd week in a row among Adults 18-49, the Dancing scored its most competitive finish with The Voice, shrinking the gap to 19% (down from 22% the prior week).

· Dancing was up week to week in Total Viewers (+4%) and Adults 18-49 (+3%), while spiking 29% in Adults 18-34 to achieve a best-since-premiere number - since 3/19/12.

A Special Edition of 20/20 finished #1 during the 10 o'clock hour in Total Viewers and key Adults (AD18-49/AD25-54), helping ABC to hold the top spot for the 2nd week in a row. In fact, the ABC newsmagazine stood as Monday's 2nd-most-watched TV show overall, attracting a larger audience than NBC's The Voice. In the hour, 20/20 outdelivered NBC's first-run Smash by 4.8 million viewers and by 24% in Adults 25-54.

· In Total Viewers and key Adults (AD18-49/AD25-54), 20/20 qualifies as ABC's top newsmagazine telecast in over 5 months - since 11/14/11.

Quick Take for Monday, April 23, 2012 (Fast Affiliate Live+ Same Day Ratings)

ABC is Up for the 2nd Monday in a Row in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, Ranking as the Night's Most-Watched Net for the 6th Consecutive Week

ABC's "Dancing" Improves Week to Week by 4% in Viewers and by 3% in Adults 18-49, While Spiking 29% in Adults 18-34 to Hit Best-Since-Premiere Performance

"20/20" Takes ABC to the Top Spot at 10pm in Total Viewers and Key Adults for the 2nd Straight Week, Delivering Net's Strongest Newsmag Numbers in Over 5 Months

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

Featuring "DWTS" and "A Special Edition of 20/20" with a behind-the-scenes look at "Dancing," ABC (15.2 million) registered as Monday's most-watched television network for the 6th week in a row, eclipsing original programming on NBC (8.8 million - "The Voice"/"Smash") by 6.4 million viewers and Fox (6.9 million - "Bones"/"House") by 8.3 million viewers. Ranking No. 2 on the night in Adults 18-49, ABC defeated Fox's original drama lineup by 23% (2.7/7 vs. 2.2/6).

· The Net's Monday was up for the 2nd week in a row among both viewers (+2%) and young adults (+4%).

"Dancing with the Stars" (8:00-10:00 p.m.)

Monday's most-watched TV program, ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" jumped to the top of its 2-hour time slot for the 6th week running, besting runner-up NBC's "The Voice" in head-to-head competition by 7.2 million viewers (17.3 million vs. 10.1 million). In addition, the wide-appealing dance competition ranked No. 1 in the slot with Adults 25-54 (4.4/10), while earning second with young adults (AD18-34/AD18-49) and making ABC the No. 2 broadcaster in the slot with Teens 12-17.

· For the 2nd week in a row among Adults 18-49, "Dancing" scored its most competitive finish with "The Voice," shrinking the gap to 19% (down from 22% the prior week).

· "Dancing" was up week to week in Total Viewers (+4% - 17.3 million vs. 16.6 million) and Adults 18-49 (+3% - 3.0/8 vs. 2.9/8), while spiking 29% in Adults 18-34 (1.8/6 vs. 1.4/4) to achieve a best-since-premiere number - since 3/19/12.

"20/20: Dance Floor Confidential: Behind the Scenes of DWTS" (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

"A Special Edition of 20/20" finished No. 1 during the 10 o'clock hour in Total Viewers (10.9 million), Adults 18-49 (2.1/6) and Adults 25-54 (3.1/7), helping ABC to hold the top spot for the 2nd week in a row. In fact, the ABC newsmagazine stood as Monday's 2nd-most-watched TV show overall, attracting a larger audience than NBC's "The Voice." In the hour, "20/20" outdelivered NBC's first-run "Smash" by 4.8 million viewers (10.9 million vs. 6.1 million) and by 24% in Adults 25-54 (3.1/7 vs. 2.5/6).

· In Total Viewers and key Adults (AD18-49/AD25-54), "20/20" qualifies as ABC's top newsmagazine telecast in over 5 months - since 11/14/11.

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 40% 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), 4/23/12.