Primetime Ratings Report For the week of February 6-12, 2006
Against the Start of the Winter Olympics, ABC is up the Most Over the Same
Week Last Year, Among the Non-Olympic Nets, in Viewers and Young Adults
ABC Airs 5 of the Week�s Top 20 TV Shows in Adults 18-49, with 2 of the Top 4
ABC Delivers its Strongest Non-Sports Numbers on Monday Night
Since April 2004 in Total Viewers and Since January 2004 in Adults 18-49
ABC�s �Wife Swap� is No. 1 in its Hour in Adults 18-49 for the 4th Time in 5 Airings, Drawing its Second-Largest Audience and Matching its Top Young Adult Number
Building Audience in Each Half-hour, �The Bachelor: Paris� Hits New Highs, a Best For the Franchise Since November �04 in Viewers and Since May �04 in Adults 18-49
ABC�s �Lost� Dominates its Closest Regular Competition Wednesday at 9pm,
Beats the �Grammy Awards� Across the Key Men Demographics and Qualifies as
The No. 1 Scripted Program on Wednesday Night in Viewers and Adults 18-49
ABC Draws More Viewers than NBC on Thursday for the Seventh Straight Week, While Marking its Best Non-Sports Adult 18-49 Rating on the Evening in 1 Year
ABC�s �Dancing with the Stars� Outdraws CBS� �Survivor� on Thursday
From 8-9pm, Achieving Season Highs in Viewers and Key Adult Demos
A Replay of the Post-�Super Bowl� Episode of �Grey�s Anatomy� Adds 10 Million More Viewers to its Audience, Boosting ABC�s Performance in the Thursday Slot
ABC�s �Dancing with the Stars the Results� is the No. 1 TV Series on Friday Night, Approaching or Hitting Series Highs in Key Demographics, Opposite the Olympics
ABC Takes Ratings Gold as the First Net to Beat the Olympics in Adults 18-49,
While Producing its Strongest Non-Sports Sunday Night Delivery This Season
Beating the Olympics Across the Key Adult Demos, ABC�s �Desperate Housewives� Delivers Increases in Viewers and Young Adults Over the Same Night Last February
Posting its Second-Highest-Ever Numbers, Behind Only the Prior Week�s Post-�Super Bowl� Telecast, �Grey�s Anatomy� Outdraws the Olympics by 4.1 Million Viewers And Marks ABC�s Top Numbers in the Hour with Regular Programming Since 1997
WEEK No. 21:
Although it faced off against the start of the 2006 Winter Olympics during the week, ABC posted sizeable increases over its performance on the same week last year. Versus the year-ago week (w/o 2/7/05), the Network�s primetime delivery grew by 1.8 million viewers (11.9 million vs. 10.1 million) and by 13% in Adults 18-49 (4.4/11 vs. 3.9/10). ABC was up the most among the non-Olympic nets from the same week last year in viewers and young adults. In Adults 18-49, Fox (+2%) and WB (flat) were on par with last year, while CBS (-11%) and UPN (-8%) lost audience. For 6 consecutive weeks, ABC has been either up or even with the comparable year-ago week in both Total Viewers and Adults 18-49.
Rankings: ABC claimed 5 of the week�s Top 20 TV programs in Adults 18-49, including 2 of the Top 4: �Grey�s Anatomy� � No. 3, �Desperate Housewives� � No. 4, �Lost� � No. 7, �Extreme Makeover: Home Edition� � No. 15 and �Dancing with the Stars� � No. 18. The Net aired 6 of the Top 20 most-watched programs during the week: �Grey�s Anatomy� � No. 3, �Desperate Housewives� � No. 4, �Dancing with the Stars� � No. 11, �Lost� � No. 13, �Extreme Makeover: Home Edition� � No. 15 and �Dancing with the Stars the Results� � No. 18. Topping even �American Idol,� �Grey�s Anatomy� stood as the week�s No. 1 TV show in Women 25-54 and ranked No. 2 with Women 18-49 and Women 18-34. ABC News delivered the Top 2 newsmagazines during the week in Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49, with �20/20� and �Primetime.�
Monday
For the third consecutive week, ABC ranked No. 1 Monday night among Adults 18-34 (4.2/11) and Women 18-34 (6.1/15).
� For the fourth week in a row, ABC saw its overall Monday night audience increase (10.1 million vs. 8.8 million on the prior week). The Net�s Adult 18-49 delivery on the night jumped 16% over the previous Monday (4.4/10 vs. 3.8/9).
� ABC attracted its largest non-sports audience (10.1 million) on the night since April 2004 and its strongest non-sports Adult 18-49 rating (4.4/10) since January 2004 � since 4/5/04 and 1/5/04, respectively.
�Wife Swap� (8:00-9:00 p.m.)
For the fourth time in its five post-�MNF� telecasts, ABC�s �Wife Swap� ranked No. 1 in its time period among Adults 18-49 (4.4/11) and Adults 18-34 (3.6/10), its third straight win in both Nielsen measures. �Wife Swap� defeated its closest competition in the hour by 13% in Adults 18-49 (4.4/11 vs. 3.9/10 � CBS� original comedies). The program also led the hour across the women demos and among kids.
� �Wife Swap� drew its second-largest audience (10.8 million) ever in the time period, while matching its best-ever Adult 18-49 delivery in the hour. The program delivered a series high among Kids 2-11 (2.3/7).
�The Bachelor: Paris� (9:00 -11:00 p.m.)
For the third week in a row, ABC�s �The Bachelor: Paris� won its time period and ranked as the No. 1 TV program on evening among its core audience of Women 18-34 (6.7/16). The ABC unscripted program gained audience during each half-hour of its 2-hour telecast, growing by 1.2 million viewers (9.2 million to 10.4 million) and by 26% in Adults 18-49 (3.8/9 to 4.8/12) from beginning to end. In fact, �The Bachelor: Paris� ranked a strong No. 1 during the 10 o�clock hour among Adults 18-34 (5.1/14) and took second place among Adults 18-49, ahead of NBC�s �Medium� (4.7/11 vs. 4.6/11).
� Posting its best-ever viewer and young adult numbers, �The Bachelor: Paris� delivered the largest audience (9.7 million) for �The Bachelor� franchise since November 2004 and its top Adult 18-49 rating (4.3/10) since May 2004 � since 11/24/04 and 5/19/04, respectively.
Tuesday
�According to Jim� (9:00-9:30 p.m.)
A special 9:00 p.m. episode of �According to Jim� posted the comedy�s second-best performance of the season in both Total Viewers (8.4 million) and Adults 18-49 (3.2/8), behind only the Halloween episode over 3 months ago (10/25/06). The ABC sitcom beat its comedy competition in the half-hour, NBC�s �Scrubs,� in both measures (6.2 million & 3.1/7).
Wednesday
�George Lopez�/�Freddie� (8:00-9:00 p.m.)
From 8:00�9:00 p.m., opposite Fox�s �American Idol,� ABC freshman comedy �Freddie� built on its �George Lopez� lead-in by 10% among Adults 18-49 (2.2/5 vs. 2.0/5).
�Lost� (9:00-10:02 p.m.)
Although Fox held an enormous advantage from �Idol� coming into the time period (Fox = 31.4 million & 12.6/30 from 8:30-9:00 p.m.), ABC�s �Lost� surged from its lead-in and gained audience throughout its telecast to dominate its closest regular competition during the 9 o�clock hour, Fox�s �Bones.� ABC�s �Lost� defeated Fox�s �Bones� by 6.8 million viewers (18.7 million vs. 11.9 million) and by 67% in Adults 18-49 (7.7/17 vs. 4.6/10). In addition the ABC sophomore drama ranked No. 1 in the hour, defeating CBS� �Grammy Awards� among Adults 25-54 (9.1/19) and across each of the key men demographics: M18-34 (5.9/16), M18-49 (6.7/17) and M25-54 (8.1/18).
� �Lost� stood as the No. 1 scripted program on Wednesday in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49. The sophomore drama has been the top scripted program on the night in all 13 of its original telecasts this season.
�Invasion� (10:02-11:00 p.m.)
During the final hour of primetime, ABC�s �Invasion� beat its regular time period competition, NBC�s �Law & Order,� among Men 18-34 (2.8/9).
� Opposite the increased competition this week coming from the �Grammy� telecast, �Invasion� retained nearly all of its audience from its most recent original telecast two weeks ago in Total Viewers (9.1 million vs. 9.3 million) and Adults 18-49 (3.6/9 vs. 3.8/10).
Thursday
ABC continued to deliver second place on Thursday evening among Total Viewers, outdrawing NBC by 4.3 million viewers during primetime (14.5 million vs. 10.2 million). The Network also earned second place on the night among Adults 25-54 (5.4/12) and Women 18-49 (5.9/14). It was ABC�s seventh straight week to attract a larger audience than NBC on Thursday.
� ABC turned in its highest-rated non-sports Thursday among Adults 18-49 (4.4/11) in more than 1 year and its top-rated among Adults 18-34 (3.2/9) in nearly 3 years � since 2/3/05 and 2/20/03, respectively.
� Compared to the same night last February Sweep, ABC�s delivery jumped by 6.3 million viewers and by 63% in Adults 18-49 (8.2 million & 2.7/7 on 2/10/05).
�Dancing with the Stars� (8:00-9:30 p.m.)
ABC�s �Dancing with the Stars� again took a strong second place to CBS during its 90-minute time period among Total Viewers (20.0 million) and across each of the adult demographics: AD18-34 (3.9/11), AD18-49 (5.5/14) and AD25-54 (6.9/16). In fact during its first hour, from 8:00-9:00 p.m., �Dancing with the Stars� attracted a larger audience than CBS� �Survivor� (19.2 million vs. 18.8 million). ABC bested NBC�s original comedies in each half-hour in viewers and young adults from 8:00-9:30 p.m. (�Will & Grace�/�Four Kings�/�My Name is Earl�), outdistancing the third-place network by a best-yet 12.0 million viewers and by 53% in Adults 18-49 on average (NBC = 8.0 million viewers and 3.6/9 in AD18-49).
� Although it continued to face off against stiff competition, including CBS� time period veterans, �Survivor� and �C.S.I.,� ABC�s �Dancing with the Stars� achieved season highs among Total Viewers, Adults 18-34, Adults 18-49 and Adults 25-54. In fact, since its third telecast of this cycle, �DWTS� is routinely delivering its largest audiences since its first season finale.
�Grey�s Anatomy � Special Repeat� (9:30-10:31 p.m.)
After delivering record-setting highs with the episode following the Super Bowl four nights earlier, a quick turn-around special replay of �Grey�s Anatomy: It�s the End of the World� added another nearly 10 million viewers to its count. Along with drawing an average audience of 9.9 million viewers, the �Grey�s� repeat posted an impressive 3.6 rating, 9 share among Adults 18-49 opposite original competition that included the back end of CBS� �C.S.I.� and the first half-hours of CBS� �Without a Trace� and NBC�s �ER�
� Compared to ABC�s average in the 1-hour time period this season (7.5 million viewers & 2.4/6 in AD18-49), the �Grey�s Anatomy� encore telecast improved the hour for ABC by 2.4 million viewers and by 50% in Adults 18-49.
�Primetime� (10:31-11:00 p.m.)
ABC News� �Primetime� was up week to week, growing by 4% in Total Viewers (7.0 million vs. 6.7 million) and by 30% in Adults 18-49 (2.6/7 vs. 2.0/5).
Friday
Opposite the Winter Olympics opening ceremony on NBC, ABC earned second place on Friday, pacing well ahead of third-place CBS among Total Viewers (10.3 million vs. 8.8 million) and Adults 18-49 (3.0/8 vs. 2.6/7).
� Although it faced the start of the 2006 Winter Olympics this year, ABC was up from its performance on the same Friday last February Sweep by 2.0 million viewers and by 7% in Adults 18-49 (8.3 million & 2.8/8 on 2/11/05).
�Dancing with the Stars the Results� (8:00-9:01 p.m.)
For the 6th time in its six weeks on the air, ABC�s �Dancing with the Stars the Results� beat out its regular competition in its time period among Total Viewers (14.6 million) and Adults 18-49 (3.8/11). Actor George Hamilton was the latest competitor to be eliminated from the dance contest.
� �Dancing with the Stars the Results� stood as the No. 1 TV series on Friday among viewers and young adults.
� Despite facing Olympic competition, �DWTS the Results� paced within one-tenth of a rating point of its series high in Adults 18-49, set the previous week (3.8/11 vs. 3.9/12). Additionally, the ABC unscripted show marked a series best among Women 18-49 (5.4/15) and Teens 12-17 (1.7/6).
�20/20� (10:00-11:00 p.m.)
Against the Olympics, ABC News� �20/20� posted solid increases from the prior week, growing by 8% in Total Viewers (7.9 million vs. 7.3 million) and by 12% in Adults 18-49 (2.7/7 vs. 2.4/7). It was the newsmagazine�s second consecutive week of gains on both Nielsen measures.
Sunday
ABC won Sunday night among Adults 18-49, beating NBC�s Winter Olympic coverage during primetime in the key Adult 18-49 sales demographic (7.8/18 vs. 7.5/17). In doing so, ABC became the first network to beat the 2006 Winter Olympics and, beyond that, the first network to top a Sunday night of competition (non-closing ceremony) against the Winter Olympics since at least 1988.
� ABC marked its most-watched (18.8 million) non-sports Sunday of the season and matched its top Adult 18-49 (7.8/18) performance � the Net�s second-strongest delivery on the evening this season, behind only the previous week with the �Super Bowl XL.�
� ABC aired the Top 2 TV programs on Sunday among Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, with �Grey�s Anatomy� and �Desperate Housewives,� respectively.
� Despite the Olympic competition this year, ABC was up from the same Sunday last February by 3.1 million viewers and by 22% in Adults 18-49 (15.7 million & 6.4/15 on 2/13/05).
�Extreme Makeover: Home Edition� (7:00-8:00 p.m.)
Opposite the opening hour of NBC�s Olympic coverage, ABC�s special 7:00 p.m. edition of �Extreme Makeover: Home Edition� was the top non-sports program in its hour among Adults 18-49.
� Among Adults 18-49 (3.8/10) and Adults 18-34 (3.1/10), the �Home Edition� special put up ABC�s strongest non-sports number in the hour in 3 months � since 11/6/05.
�Extreme Makeover: Home Edition� (8:00-9:00 p.m.)
ABC�s �Extreme Makeover: Home Edition� placed a competitive second from 8:00-9:00 p.m. among Total Viewers (15.9 million) and Adults 18-49 (6.1/14) to the Olympics, while ranking No. 1 in the hour among Women 18-49 (7.6/16-tie), Women 18-34 (6.7/16) and Kids 2-11 (4.2/12).
�Desperate Housewives� (9:00-10:01 p.m.)
On its first original telecast in 3 weeks, ABC�s �Desperate Housewives� returned a strong No. 1 during Sunday�s 9 o�clock hour, ahead of the Olympics, across the key adult demographics: AD18-34 (8.5/20), AD18-49 (10.0/21) and AD25-54 (11.2/21). In Adults 18-49 (10.0/21 vs. 8.4/17), �Desperate Housewives� outpaced the Olympics in its time period by 19%.
� Despite the increased competition from NBC this year, �Desperate Housewives� was up from its performance on the same night last February by 1.2 million viewers (23.5 million vs. 22.3 million) and by 3% in Adults 18-49 (10.0/21 vs. 9.7/21).
�Grey�s Anatomy� (10:01-11:00 p.m.)
Fresh off its record setting post-�Super Bowl� telecast a week earlier, ABC�s �Grey�s Anatomy� built substantially on its lead-in to deliver a dominant victory during the 10 o�clock hour in viewers and young adults. In its time period, �Grey�s� outdrew NBC�s Olympic coverage by 4.1 million viewers (25.4 million vs. 21.3 million) and beat the combined deliveries of NBC and CBS in the time period by 24% in Adults 18-49 (11.3/25 vs. 9.1/20 � CBS and NBC together).
� �Grey�s Anatomy� produced the series� second-strongest numbers ever, trailing only its post-�Super Bowl� telecast a week earlier. In addition, the hot series generated ABC�s largest audience and top Adult 18-49 rating in the time period with regular programming in more than 8 years � since 11/2/97, with �Oprah Winfrey Presents: Before Women Had Wings� on the �ABC Sunday Night Movie.�
Source: Nielsen Media Research (Live+SD), week of 2/6/06, or as dated.
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