WITH LIVE+7 DVR PLAYBACK, "THE BIG BANG THEORY" SURGES PAST "SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL" AS #2 BROADCAST OF THE WEEK - ONLY BEHIND "NCIS"

"The Big Bang Theory," "NCIS," "Elementary," "The Mentalist," "Hawaii Five-0," "Blue Bloods" and "Person of Interest" All Gain More than 3 Million Viewers

"The Big Bang Theory," "NCIS," "Elementary," "2 Broke Girls" and "How I Met Your Mother" Are Among Top Gainers in Adults 18-49

CBS's Thursday Lineup Posts Growth for Second Straight Week

CBS Extends its Viewer Lead, Wins Outright in Adults 25-54 and Narrows the Gap in Adults 18-49

THE BIG BANG THEORY surpassed Sunday Night Football as the #2 broadcast of the week in viewers, trailing only behind NCIS, according to Live plus 7-day DVR playback for the week of Oct. 1 - Oct. 7, 2012.

Seven CBS series had Live plus 7-day lifts of more than three million viewers - more than all the other networks combined. Among adults 18-49, CBS had 10 programs gaining +0.9 rating points or more, more than any other network.

CBS programs adding more than 3 million viewers:

THE BIG BANG THEORY +3.81m 18.99m from 15.18m (+25%)
NCIS +3.69m 22.56m from 18.87m (+20%)
ELEMENTARY +3.55m 14.68m from 11.13m (+32%)
THE MENTALIST +3.42m 12.44m from 9.02m (+38%)
HAWAII FIVE-0 +3.21m 11.16m from 7.95m (+40%)
BLUE BLOODS +3.14m 12.91m from 9.77m (+32%)
PERSON OF INTEREST +3.04m 17.62m from 14.58m (+21%)

CBS programs adding more than +0.9 rating points among adults 18-49:

THE BIG BANG THEORY +1.7 6.6 from 4.9 (+35%)
NCIS +1.2 4.9 from 3.7 (+32%)
ELEMENTARY +1.2 3.7 from 2.5 (+48%)
2 BROKE GIRLS +1.1 4.6 from 3.5 (+31%)
HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER +1.0 4.3 from 3.3 (+30%)
PERSON OF INTEREST +0.9 3.9 from 3.0 (+30%)
NCIS: LOS ANGELES +0.9 4.0 from 3.1 (+29%)
MIKE & MOLLY +0.9 3.8 from 2.9 (+31%)
THE MENTALIST +0.9 2.5 from 1.6 (+56%)
HAWAII FIVE-0 +0.9 2.9 from 2.0 (+45%)

For the second consecutive week, L+7 boosted CBS's Thursday lineup versus the same week last year by +9% in viewers (16.33m from 14.96m) and +13% in adults 18-49 (4.4 from 3.9). THE BIG BANG THEORY posted year-to-year gains of +9% in viewers (18.99m from 17.39m) and +6% in adults 18-49 (6.6 from 6.2). TWO AND A HALF MEN increased the time period by +53% in viewers (14.28m from 9.32m) and +52% in adults 18-49 (4.4 from 2.9). PERSON OF INTEREST was up +17% in viewers (17.62m from 15.08m) and +11% in adults 18-49 (3.9 from 3.5), while ELEMENTARY improved the time period by +3% in adults 18-49 (3.7 from 3.6).

CBS extended its weekly viewer win by +500,000 viewers over its nearest competitor (+3.24m, Live +7; + 2.72m, Live +same day), with an increase in its live plus same day audience to 12.33m from 10.44m, an +18% increase. In adults 18-49, CBS had a lift of +0.6 to 3.0 from 2.4 (+25%) while among adults 25-54, CBS enjoyed a +0.7 lift to 3.9 from 3.2 (+22%). CBS's across-the-board actual lifts were more than any other network.

In adults 25-54, CBS moved from a first-place tie (Live plus same-day) to an outright win Live plus 7-day (3.9 to NBC's 3.7).