Primetime Ratings Report For the week of January 2-8, 2006
ABC Wins the First Complete Week of 2006 in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, Marking its Best Week in 3 Years, since its January 2003 Super Bowl Telecast
The Net Claims 8 of the Top 15 Programs of the Week among Adults 18-49
At Mid-Season 2005-06, ABC is the Only Network to Build its Adult 18-49 Audience
ABC�s Coverage of the 2006 BCS College Football Bowl Games
Put The Net into First-Place on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday Nights,
As Each Game is Up from the Comparable Year-Ago Contest by Double-Digits
Wednesday�s 2006 College Football Championship �Rose Bowl: USC vs. Texas�
Qualifies as the Most-Watched College Football Game in at least 15 Years
ABC�s Second Season Premiere of �Dancing With The Stars� Beats NBC�s Thursday Comedy Premiere Line-up by Double-Digits among Total Viewers and Adults 18-49
Building on its First Season Debut, �Dancing With the Stars� Premiere Draws
ABC�s Largest Audience with Regular Programming Thursday from 8-10pm
In Over 5 Years and its Top Adult 18-49 Number since January 2001
ABC News� �Primetime� Draws its Largest Audience since May 2004
and its Strongest Adult 25-54 and Adult 18-49 Ratings since March 2005
The First Installment of �Dancing With the Stars Results� Wins its Friday Time Slot,
Producing ABC�s Largest Non-Sports Audience in the Half-hour in Almost 5 Years
In its Friday Time Period Premiere, �In Justice� Generates ABC�s
Most Viewers in the Hour with Regular Programming in Close to 2 Years
ABC News� �20/20� Earns its Strongest Numbers since May in Viewers and Adults
ABC Leads Saturday Across the Board with the AFC/NFC Wildcard Playoff Game 2
ABC Wins Sunday in Each of the Key Adult Demographics,
Despite Facing CBS� High-Rated NFL Playoff Game During the First Hour of the Night
WEEK No. 16:
ABC won the first complete week of 2006 (w/o 1/2/06) among Total Viewers (19.1 million) and Adults 18-49 (6.6/17). The Network outpaced second-place CBS during the week by 6.0 million viewers and by 65% in Adults 18-49 (CBS = 13.1 million viewers & 4.0/10 in AD18-49). It was ABC�s second consecutive weekly win among Adults 18-49, marking its 7th time this season to hold the No. 1 position. ABC swept the week, also leading across all key adult, men and women demographics as well as among teens and kids.
� ABC produced its largest weekly audience and its top-rated week among Adults 18-49 in nearly 2 years � since the w/o 1/20/03, when it last carried the Super Bowl. Excluding the Super Bowl, ABC delivered its most-watched week since October 1995 and its highest Adult 18-49 number since May 2000 � since the weeks of 10/23/95 and 5/1/00, respectively.
� At the mid-season point of the 2005-06 TV Season (16 complete weeks), ABC is the only network to grow its Adult 18-49 audience from the same point last season (4.0/11 vs. 3.9/11). CBS, NBC, Fox and WB are down, while UPN is flat with its year-ago performance. ABC is also up the most among Total Viewers, gaining 4% year to year (10.9 million vs. 10.5 million).
Rankings: ABC�s aired 8 of the Top 15 TV programs of the week in Adults 18-49: �Rose Bowl� � No. 1, �Desperate Housewives� � No. 2, �AFC/NFC Playoff Game 2 (Patriots-Jaguars)� � No. 4, �Grey�s Anatomy: Straight to the Heart� � No. 5, �Extreme Makeover: Home Edition� � No. 6, �Orange Bowl� No. 8, �Dancing With the Stars� and �Sugar Bowl� tied at No. 13. The Net aired 7 of the Top 10 most-watched shows during the week: �Rose Bowl� � No. 1, �Desperate Housewives� � No. 3, �AFC/NFC Playoff Game 2 (Patriots-Jaguars)� � No. 4, �Orange Bowl� � No. 6, �Extreme Makeover: Home Edition� � No. 7, �Dancing With the Stars� � No. 9 and �Grey�s Anatomy: Straight to the Heart� � No. 10. The �Rose Bowl� stood as the No. 1 TV program of the week in viewers, across the key adult and men demographics and among teens. �Desperate Housewives� ranked as top draw of the week in each of the women demographics and �Extreme Makeover: Home Edition� was the top broadcast of the week in kids.
Monday
ABC stood as the No. 1 network on Monday evening among Total Viewers (17.7 million) and in each of the adult demographics: AD18-34 (5.1/14), AD18-49 (6.0/14) and AD25-54 (7.1/15). The Network outpaced second-place CBS during prime by 5.8 million viewers and by 50% in Adults 18-49 (CBS = 11.9 million & 4.0/9).
� ABC has ranked No. 1 on Monday evening among Adults 18-49 on 9 of the last 10 weeks.
�The Nokia Sugar Bowl: West Virginia vs. Georgia� (8:49 p.m. � 12:46 a.m.)
ABC Sports coverage of �The Nokia Sugar Bowl: Virginia vs. Georgia� drew an average audience of 13.8 million viewers and earned a 4.8 rating, 13 share among Adults 18-49. The West Virginia Mountaineers defeated the Georgia Bulldogs to win the �Sugar Bowl� by a score of 38-35.
� Versus the comparable year-ago bowl game, the 2006 �Sugar Bowl� was up by 1.6 million viewers and by 17% in Adults 18-49 (�2005 Fiesta Bowl: Utah vs. Pittsburgh� � 12.2 million & 4.1/12 on 1/1/05).
Tuesday
ABC won Tuesday night by wide margins, topping its nearest competitors during primetime by 7.0 million viewers (18.2 million vs. 11.2 million � CBS) and by 40% in Adults 18-49 (5.9/15 vs. 4.2/10 - NBC).
�The FedEx Orange Bowl: Penn State vs. Florida State� (8:14 p.m. � 1:03 a.m.)
ABC Sports� coverage of �FedEx Orange Bowl: Penn State vs. Florida State� drew an average audience of 18.7 million viewers and earned a 6.3 rating, 18 share among Adults 18-49. Penn State defeated Florida State in triple overtime by a score of 26-23.
� Versus the comparable year-ago bowl game, the 2006 �Orange Bowl� delivered gains of 4.5 million viewers and 31% in Adults 18-49 (2005 �Sugar Bowl: Auburn vs. Virginia Tech� � 14.2 million & 4.8/12 on 1/3/05).
Wednesday
With coverage of the 2006 National Championship �Rose Bowl,� ABC outdelivered its combined network competition during Wednesday�s primetime by 6.8 million viewers (34.7 million vs. 27.9 million = CBS, NBC, Fox, WB and UPN combined) and by 12% among Adults 18-49 (11.9/30 vs. 10.6/26 = CBS, NBC, Fox, WB and UPN combined).
� ABC generated its largest audience and top Adult 18-49 rating on Wednesday night in close to 7 years � since 3/3/99.
�Rose Bowl Presented by CITI: USC vs. Texas� (8:17 p.m. � 12:28 a.m.)
ABC Sports coverage of the �Rose Bowl Presented by CITI: USC vs. Texas� drew an average audience of 35.6 million viewers and earned a 12.8 rating, 33 share among Adults 18-49. In a game that went down to the final seconds of the contest with Texas defeating USC by a score of 41-38.
� Compared to the year-ago College Football National Championship Game, the 2006 �Rose Bowl� was up by 14.2 million viewers and by 73% in Adults 18-49 (2005 �Orange Bowl: USC vs. Oklahoma� � 21.4 million & 7.4/19 on 1/4/05).
� The 2006 �Rose Bowl� qualifies as the most-watched college football game in at least 15 years � since at least 1991, which is the start of the Nielsen electronic database.
� ABC�s 2006 College Football National Championship Game compares favorably with other high profile sporting events. In fact among viewers and young adults it drew higher numbers than any MLB World Series Game since the 2001 series � since 11/4/01. Excluding Super Bowl telecasts, it also represented the most-watched football game (professional or college) on ABC since at least 1991.
Thursday
Boosted by the exceptionally strong start for the second season of �Dancing With the Stars,� ABC attracted its largest non-sports Thursday audience (14.6 million) and top Adult 18-49 rating (4.1/11) on the night in nearly one year � since 2/3/05.
�Dancing With the Stars� (8:00-10:00 p.m.)
On its second season premiere opposite stiff competition, ABC�s �Dancing With the Stars� shot out of the gate with an average audience of 17.5 million viewers and a 4.8 rating, 12 share in Adults 18-49, earning second-place in its time slot on both counts. In the 2-hour time period, ABC beat NBC�s comedy premiere line-up both Total Viewers and the key Adult 18-49 sales demo (9.2 million & 4.3/11).
� Although it faced much tougher competition than in the summer, �Dancing With the Stars� was up over its series debut by 4.0 million viewers and by 12% in Adults 18-49 (13.5 million & 4.3/12 on 6/1/05).
� �Dancing With the Stars� generated ABC�s largest audience with regular programming in the Thursday 8:00-10:00 p.m. time period in well over 5 years � since 11/16/00. In addition, the last time ABC did a higher Adult 18-49 number in the time period was in January 2001 � since 1/25/01.
� Versus its average this season with series programming, �Dancing with the Stars� improved the time period for ABC by a substantial 11.1 million viewers and by 118% in Adults 18-49 (6.4 million & 2.2/6).
�Primetime� (10:00-11:00 p.m.)
At 10:00 p.m., an installment of �Primetime� investigating the West Virginia coal mine tragedy, produced the newsmagazine�s strongest performance of the season in Total Viewers (8.8 million), Adults 18-49 (2.9/7) and Adults 25-54 (3.6/9). In fact over the past two weeks the ABC News program has delivered its two strongest performances this season on all thee Nielsen measures.
� ABC News� �Primetime� attracted its largest audience since May 2004, while delivering its top Adult 25-54 and Adult 18-49 numbers since March 2005 � since 5/27/04 and 3/17/05, respectively.
Friday
ABC earned a solid second-place on Friday night among Total Viewers (9.7 million) and Adults 18-49 (2.9/8). The Net ranked No. 1 on the night among Adults 18-34 (2.1/7-tie) and Women 18-34 (2.9/9).
� ABC attracted its largest Friday night audience in almost 2 years, while matching its top non-sports Adult 18-49 number since the same date � since 2/6/04.
�Dancing With the Stars Results� (8:00-8:30 p.m.)
The first installment of ABC�s �Dancing With the Stars Results� took first-place in its half-hour among Total Viewers (12.9 million) and Adults 18-49 (3.0/9 � tie). As the results of the first week of the contest were announced, with Kenny Mayne and his partner Andrea Hale becoming the first pair of dancers to leave the competition, the dancing results show also captured the No. 1 position in the time period Adults 18-34 (2.0/7) and across each of the key women demographics: W18-34 (2.7/9), W18-49 (4.3/13) and W25-54 (5.3/14).
� �Dancing With the Stars Results� generated ABC�s biggest non-sports audience in the time period in almost 5 years, along with its strongest non-sports Adult 18-49 number since November 2003 � since 1/26/01 and 11/7/03, respectively.
�Hope & Faith� (8:30-9:00 p.m.)
In its new earlier Friday time period, �Hope & Faith� attracted the series� largest audience (8.3 million) since last February � since 2/11/05. The ABC comedy also equaled its second-highest Adult 18-49 rating (2.5/7) on the night this season.
�In Justice� (9:00-10:00 p.m.)
The time period premiere of ABC�s freshman drama �In Justice� built on its lead-in to finish in a virtual tie for first-place among Adults 18-49 with CBS� �Close to Home� (2.8/8 vs. 2.9/8), while beating the opening hour of NBC�s 2-hour series debut of �The Book of Daniel� (2.6/7). �In Justice� took top honors in its hour, holding the No. 1 position among Women 18-49 (3.8/10) and Women 18-34 (2.8/9). The ABC drama gained viewers (8.9 million to 9.5 million) and young adults (2.7/8 to 3.0/8) from beginning to end.
� In its premiere, �In Justice� garnered ABC�s most viewers (9.2 million) in the hour with regular programming in close to 2 years � since 2/6/04. It also marked ABC�s strongest Adult 18-49 performance, with regular programming in the time period, in over 10 months � since 2/18/05.
�20/20� (10:00-11:00 p.m.)
ABC News� �20/20� took second-place from 10:00-11:00 p.m., beating the second hour of NBC�s �The Book of Daniel� series debut among Total Viewers (9.2 million vs. 8.9 million) and Adults 18-49 (3.0/9 vs. 2.8/8). The ABC newsmagazine ranked No. 1 in the hour among Adults 18-34 (2.3/8-tie) and Women 18-34 (3.3/11).
� �20/20� earned its strongest numbers since May in Total Viewers (9.2 million), Adults 25-54 (3.7/9) and Adults 18-49 (3.0/9-tie) � since 5/13/05.
Saturday
With ABC Sports� broadcast of the NFL Wildcard Game 2 of the AFC/NFC Playoffs, featuring the Jacksonville Jaguars at the New England Patriots, ABC ranked a dominant No. 1 on Saturday night across the board. ABC overshadowed its combined network competition on the evening (CBS, NBC and Fox) by 4.3 million viewers (22.7 million vs. 18.4 million) and by 48% in Adults 18-49 (8.6/25 vs. 5.8/16). It was a relatively one-sided contest with New England beating Jacksonville by a score of 28-3.
Sunday
Despite facing CBS� high-rated NFL Playoff Game (Bengals-Steelers) during the first hour of the night, ABC led Sunday night across each of the key adult demographics: AD18-34 (5.6/15), AD18-49 (6.9/17) and AD25-54 (7.9/17). On the night, ABC defeated second-place CBS by 25% in the key Adult 18-49 sales demographic (6.9/17 vs. 5.5/13). It was the Network�s strongest Sunday in 5 weeks among viewers and young adults � since 12/4/05.
� ABC aired the Top 3 TV programs on Sunday among Adults 18-49, with �Desperate Housewives,� �Grey�s Anatomy: Straight to the Heart� and �Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.�
�America�s Funniest Home Videos� (7:00-8:00 p.m.)
Airing opposite the CBS NFL Playoff game in the time period, a rebroadcast of �America�s Funniest Home Videos� stood as the No. 1 non-sports program in the hour in Total Viewers (10.1 million) and Adults 18-49 (3.3/9).
� �America�s Funniest Home Videos� delivered its largest audience and top Adult 18-49 performance since November � since 11/20/05. In viewers and young adults, �Videos� logged its second-strongest performance this season.
�Extreme Makeover: Home Edition� (8:00-9:00 p.m.)
�Extreme Makeover: Home Edition� moved ABC up into a strong-first place finish from 8:00-9:00 p.m., beating its nearest competitor by 57% in the key Adult 18-49 sales demographic (6.9/16 vs. 4.4/11 - CBS).
� In Total Viewers (17.5 million) and Adults 18-49 (6.9/16), �Home Edition� turned in its strongest performance in 9 weeks � since 11/6/05. It was the series� second-best delivery of the season on both counts.
�Desperate Housewives� (9:00-10:01 p.m.)
On its first original broadcast in 5 weeks, ABC�s �Desperate Housewives� returned as the dominant No. 1 TV program on Sunday night in viewers and young adults. The ABC sophomore drama topped its nearest competition in the time period (CBS) by 8.8 million viewers (23.7 million vs. 14.9 million) and by 155% in Adults 18-49 (10.2/23 vs. 4.0/9).
�Grey�s Anatomy: Straight to the Heart� (10:01-11:00 p.m.)
ABC�s �Grey�s Anatomy� clip-show put up exceptionally strong numbers during the 10 o�clock hour. �Grey�s Anatomy: Straight to the Heart� overshadowed second-place NBC�s original �Crossing Jordan� by 4.3 million viewers (16.3 million vs. 12.0 million) and by 100% in Adults 18-49 (7.2/18 vs. 3.6/9).
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