ABC's "Duets" Tops Fox's "Dance"/"Rookie Blue" Marks Most-Watched Telecast Since Aug '10

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

Please Note: On the Thursday leading into the Memorial Holiday weekend, overall TV usage levels declined week to week by -5% among Adults 18-49.

ABC took second place on Thursday night in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49.

Head to head from 8-10pm, ABC's series debut of Duets outdrew Fox's season premiere of So You Think You Can Dance, leading by 8% in Total Viewers. In addition, the new ABC unscripted show ranked as the #2 series in the 2-hour time period with young adults (AD18-34/AD18-49), while finishing second among the broadcasters with Teens 12-17. The ABC singing competition surged by 13% among young adults from its first hour to its second hour.

· Duets greatly improved its time period for ABC over the year-ago night in Total Viewers (+52%) and Adults 18-49 (+55%), representing the Net's biggest audience in the slot on the first post-season Thursday in 4 years and its top young adult number in 3 years - since 2008 and 2009, respectively.

During the 10 o'clock hour, ABC's Rookie Blue ran as the #2 series in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, while ranking #1 with key Women (W18-49/W25-54).

· Topping its year-ago premiere on 6/23/11 (+3%), Rookie Blue opened its 3rd season with its most-watched telecast since August 2010 - since 8/19/10.

Quick Take for Thursday, May 24, 2012 (Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Ratings)

ABC's Debut of "Duets" Outdraws Fox's Premiere of "So You Think You Can Dance," Improving its Time Slot Year to Year by 5% in Viewers and by 55% in Young Adults

ABC's "Rookie Blue" Opens its 3rd Season with its Top Telecast Since August 2010

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

ABC finished No. 2 on Thursday evening in Total Viewers (6.5 million) and Adults 18-49 (1.6/5-tie).

Please Note: On the Thursday leading into the Memorial Holiday weekend, overall TV usage levels declined week to week by -5% among Adults 18-49 (32.1 vs. 33.8).

"Duets" (8:00-10:00 p.m.)

Head to head from 8:00-10:00 p.m., ABC's series debut of "Duets" outdrew Fox's season premiere of "So You Think You Can Dance," leading by 8% in Total Viewers (6.7 vs. 6.2 million). In addition, the new ABC unscripted show was the No. 2 series in the 2-hour time period with young adults (AD18-34/AD18-49), while finishing second among the broadcasters with Teens 12-17. The ABC singing competition surged by 13% among young adults (1.6/6 to 1.8/5) from its first to its second hour.

· "Duets" greatly improved its time period for ABC over the year-ago night in Total Viewers (+52% - 6.7 million vs. 4.4 million) and Adults 18-49 (+55% - 1.7/5 vs. 1.1/4), representing the Net's biggest audience in the slot on the first post-season Thursday in 4 years and its top young adult number in 3 years - since 2008 and 2009, respectively.

"Rookie Blue" (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

In the 10 o'clock hour, ABC's season premiere of "Rookie Blue" was the No. 2 series in Total Viewers (6.0 million) and Adults 18-49 (1.4/4), while ranking No. 1 with key Women (W18-49/W25-54).

· Topping its year-ago premiere at the end of June (+3% - 5.8 million on 6/23/11), "Rookie Blue" opened its 3rd season with its most-watched telecast since August 2010 - since 8/19/10. In addition, among Adults 18-49, the show topped last season's finale by 17% and outdelivered its last 9 telecasts - best since 7/14/11.

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 44% currently, from 41% 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), 05/17/12.