NBC RANKS #2 IN 18-49 FOR THE WEEK OF SEPT. 22-28

'SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL,' 'HEROES' AND 'THE OFFICE' DELIVER TOP-10 RESULTS IN 18-49

THE 'NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL' TELECAST OF THE EAGLES-BEARS GAME IS THE #1 PROGRAM OF THE WEEK IN ALL KEY MALE DEMOS, LEADING NBC TO ITS NINTH CONSECUTIVE SUNDAY VICTORY IN ADULTS 18-49

'THE OFFICE' OPENS ITS SEASON UP 17 PERCENT IN 18-49 VERSUS LAST SEASON'S FINALE, SCORING NBC'S HIGHEST 18-49 RATING IN ITS THURSDAY SLOT IN THE PAST YEAR, EXCLUDING SPORTS

THIRD-SEASON DEBUT OF 'HEROES' SCORES NBC'S HIGHEST NON-OLYMPIC 18-49 RATING IN MONDAY TIME PERIOD IN THE PAST YEAR

ON TUESDAY, 'THE BIGGEST LOSER' HANGS TOUGH AGAINST INCREASED COMPETITION, UP 11 PERCENT VS. THE SAME NIGHT LAST YEAR IN TOTAL VIEWERS

WEDNESDAY'S 'KNIGHT RIDER' DEBUT WINS ITS SLOT IN ALL KEY ADULT-MALE DEMOS

NBC RANKS #1 FOR THE WEEK IN ADULTS 18-34 (TIE) AND ALL KEY ADULT-MALE DEMOS

NBC'S MEDIAN AGE GROWS 1.3 YEARS YOUNGER THAN THE SAME WEEK LAST YEAR, MAKING IT THE ONLY MAJOR NETWORK TO GET YOUNGER YEAR-TO-YEAR

BURBANK, Calif. - September 30, 2008 � NBC ranked #2 in adults 18-49 for the first week of the 2008-09 broadcast season, with an average 3.3 rating, 9 share in adults 18-49 and 8.3 million viewers overall for the week of September 22-28, according to in-home viewing figures from Nielsen Media Research.

NBC ranked #1 for the week in adults 18-34 (tied with ABC) and #1 outright in all key adult-male demographics � men 18-34, men 18-49 and men 25-54.

The "NBC Sunday Night Football" telecast of the Philadelphia Eagles at the Chicago Bears was the #1 telecast of the week in all key adult-male demographics � men 18-34, men 18-49 and men 25-54 � and ranked #3 for the week among adults 18-49. Also ranking among the week's top 10 primetime programs in the key demographic of adults 18-49 was "Heroes" (#8) and "The Office" (#9). "The Office" ranked #3 among all primetime programs among adults 18-34, behind only "Grey's Anatomy" and "NBC Sunday Night Football." (Note: weekly program rankings exclude football post-game and pre-game telecasts).

Primetime averages for the week of September 22-28 in adults 18-49 were ABC (3.8/10), NBC (3.3/9), CBS (3.1/8), Fox (3.0/8), Univision (1.5/4), CW (1.3/3) and Telemundo (0.4/1). In overall total viewers the weekly averages were ABC (12.3 million), CBS (11.3 million), NBC (8.3 million), Fox (7.5 million), Univision (3.7 million), CW (2.9 million) and Telemundo (1.0 million).

In the first week of the new season, NBC, which is now the "second-youngest" of the major broadcast networks, was the only major net to grow younger versus the first week of last season. For the week, the median age of NBC's primetime audience was 6.6 years younger than ABC's and 9.6 years younger than CBS's. For the first week of the 2008-09 season, NBC grew 1.3 years younger, with its audience moving to a median age of 43.9 from 45.2 for the first week of last season. By comparison, CBS's median age increased 1.0 year to 53.5 from 52.5, ABC's median age increased by 0.6 of year to 50.5 from 49.9 and Fox's median age increased by 0.9 of a year to 42.7 from 41.8.

NBC highlights for the week of September 22-28:

* On Monday, after a nine-month absence, "Heroes" opened its third season by matching the 18-49 rating of its prior original telecast in December 2007 and scored NBC's highest non-Olympic 18-49 rating in its time period in a year. "Heroes" won its two-hour time period in adults 18-49, adults, men and women 18-34 and all key adult-male demos.

* On Tuesday, the second episode of "The Biggest Loser: Families" finished within 6 percent of the strong 18-49 rating for the previous week's season premiere, despite the arrival in the time period of original competition from ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" and CBS's "NCIS" and "The Mentalist." Despite the tough competition, "Loser" gained 40 percent in 18-49 rating and 27 percent in total viewers from its first half-hour to its fourth.

* On Wednesday, the series premiere of "Knight Rider" won its time period in all key adult-male demographics � men 18-34, men 18-49 and men 25-54.

* Also on Wednesday, the second-season debut of "Lipstick Jungle" achieved a 146 index in adults 18-49 in $100K+ homes (with 100 representing an average concentration of those homes in the 18-49 population), making it the most upscale program in primetime though the first four nights of the new 2008-09 season.

* On Thursday, the fifth season premiere of "The Office" scored NBC's highest 18-49 rating in its hour in a year, excluding sports. "The Office" opened this season with a 17 percent gain in 18-49 rating versus its May 2008 season finale.

* "The Office" was the #2 program on television Thursday night in primetime's key demographic of adults 18-49, trailing only the season premiere of "Grey's Anatomy." "The Office" was #2 in its hour in adults 18-49 and #1 among men 18-49 and men 18-34, topping "Grey's" and the debut of "Survivor: Gabon" in those demos in head-to-head competition.

* On Friday, "America's Toughest Jobs" earned its highest Friday results to date in both 18-49 and total viewers, up 9 percent in 18-49 rating and 20 percent in total viewers versus the prior week.

* This week's "NBC Sunday Night Football" telecast of the Philadelphia Eagles at the Chicago Bears propelled NBC to its ninth consecutive Sunday victory in adults 18-49. NBC was also #1 on Sunday night in adults 18-34, adults 25-54, total viewers and all key adult-male demographics.

* Sunday's Eagles-Bears game was up 11 percent in 18-49 and 15 percent in total viewers versus last year's comparable game.

Ratings reflect "live plus same day" data unless otherwise noted. Season-to-date figures are averages of "live plus seven day" data except for the two most recent weeks, which are "live plus same day."

Additional NBC highlights for the week of September 22-28

On Monday, Sept. 22 from 9-11 p.m. ET, "Heroes" (5.0 rating, 12 share in adults 18-49, 10.1 million viewers overall), returning from a nine-month absence, opened its third season by matching the 18-49 rating of the show's last telecast before the interruption (a 5.0/11 in 18-49 on December 3, 2007). "Heroes" scored NBC's highest non-Olympic 18-49 rating in this time period in a year (since September 24, 2007).

"Heroes" won its highly competitive two-hour time period in adults 18-49, adults, men and women 18-34 and all key adult-male demographics. The "Heroes" premiere built by 92 percent in 18-49 rating and 68 percent or more than 4.0 million persons on its lead-in from the previous hour � a 2.6/7 in 18-49 and 6.0 million viewers overall for the 8-9 p.m. ET special "Heroes: Countdown to the Premiere." The "Heroes: Countdown" special was #1 among the broadcast networks in men 18-34, and topped a first-run episode of Fox's "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" in adults 18-49, total viewers and other key ratings categories.

On Tuesday, Sept. 23, the second episode of "The Biggest Loser 6" finished within 6 percent of the 18-49 rating for the prior week's premiere telecast, despite the arrival in the time period of original competition from ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" and CBS's "NCIS" and "The Mentalist."

Tuesday from 8-10 p.m. ET, "Biggest Loser" (3.0/8 in 18-49, 7.4 million viewers overall) matched its 18-49 rating for the same Tuesday of last year and improved on that year-ago performance by 11 percent in total viewers (7.4 million vs. 6.6 million). From its first half-hour to its fourth, "Loser" gained 40 percent in 18-49 rating (to a 3.5/8 from a 2.5/7) and 27 percent, or 1.7 million persons in total viewers (to 8.1 million from 6.4 million). "Loser" ranked #2 in its two-hour time period in adults and women 18-34.

Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET, the 10th season premiere of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (3.8/10 in 18-49, 9.7 million viewers overall) ranked #2 in adults 18-49 and nearly all key demographics and #1 in men 18-34 versus unusual competition from ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" in the hour. "SVU" topped rival drama "Without a Trace" in the hour by 36 percent in adults 18-49 (3.8 vs. 2.8) and 94 percent in adults 18-34 (3.1 vs. 1.6).

From its first half-hour to its second, "Law & Order: SVU" increased by 14 percent in 18-49 rating (to a 4.0/11 from a 3.5/9) and by 12 percent, or 1.1 million persons in total viewers (to 10.2 million from 9.1 million), while the ABC and CBS competition was declining in both categories.

On Wednesday, Sept. 24 from 8-9 p.m. ET, the premiere of "Knight Rider" (2.5/7 in 18-49, 7.3 million viewers overall) ranked #1 in the time slot in all key adult-male demographics � men 18-34, men 18-49 and men 25-54. "Knight Rider" was up 4 percent in 18-49 rating versus NBC's 2007-08 season average in this time period (2.5 vs. 2.4) and matched the 2.5 18-49 rating achieved by last year's fall premiere of "Deal or No Deal" in this time period (a 2.5 on September 19, 2007). From its first half-hour to its second, "Knight Rider" grew by 8 percent in 18-49 rating (to a 2.6 from a 2.4).

Wednesday from 9:15-10 p.m. ET, an abbreviated edition of "America's Got Talent" (2.7/7 in 18-49, 10.3 million viewers overall) improved by 8 percent in 18-49 rating (2.7 vs. 2.5) and 25 percent in total viewers (10.3 million vs. 8.2 million) versus NBC's 2007-08 season average for the Wednesday 9-10 p.m. time period. For the full half-hour from 9:30-10 p.m. ET, "Talent" ranked #2 in adults 18-49, adults, men and women 25-54 and total viewers. (Note: President Bush's address to the nation on Wednesday September 24 from 9-9:15 p.m. ET was sustaining programming and was not counted in the nightly or weekly averages.)

Wednesday from 10-11 p.m. ET, the second-season debut of "Lipstick Jungle" (2.4/6 in 18-49, 6.3 million viewers overall) grew from its first half-hour to its second by 18 percent in 18-49 rating (to a 2.6/7 from a 2.2/6). In its second half-hour from 10:30-11 p.m., "Lipstick Jungle" ranked #2 in adults 18-49 and #1 in women 18-34. Overall, "Lipstick Jungle" finished within 0.1 of an 18-49 rating point of the 2.5 rating it averaged during its first season.

In its debut, "Lipstick Jungle" achieved a 146 index in adults 18-49 living in $100K+ homes (with 100 representing an average concentration of those homes in the 18-49 population), making it the most "upscale" program on television by that measure through the first four nights of the 2008-09 season (Note: National Audience Demographic, or NAD, data for the full seven nights of the week of September 22-28, 2008 is not currently available.) By comparison, CBS's "CSI: NY," which won the 10 p.m. hour in 18-49 and total viewers, posted an index of 68 index among adults 18-49/$100K+.

On Thursday, Sept. 25 from 8-9 p.m. ET, the fourth-season premiere of "My Name is Earl" (2.7/8 in 18-49, 7.3 million viewers overall) ranked #1 among men 18-34. "Earl" increased from its first half-hour to its second by 16 percent in 18-49 rating (to a 2.9/8 from a 2.5/7) and by 9 percent in total viewers (to 6.7 million from 6.1 million).

Thursday from 9-10:01m. ET, the fifth-season premiere of "The Office" (4.9/12 in 18-49, 9.3 million viewers overall) scored NBC's highest 18-49 rating in this hour in a year, excluding sports (since September 27, 2007). "The Office" finished within 4 percent of its 18-49 rating for last year's season debut (a 5.1/12) which itself tied "The Office" series record. "The Office" opened this season with a 17 percent gain in 18-49 over the 4.2 rating the series achieved with its season finale last May.

"The Office" was the #2 show on television Thursday night in primetime's key demographic of adults 18-49, trailing only the season premiere of ABC's "Grey's Anatomy."

"The Office" ranked #2 in the hour in adults 18-49, behind only "Grey's Anatomy," and #1 among men 18-49 and men 18-34, topping both "Grey's" and the debut of CBS's "Survivor: Gabon" in those demos. "The Office" built on its lead-in from the previous hour by 81 percent in 18-49 rating.

Thursday from 10:01-11 p.m., the 15th season premiere of "ER" (3.3/8 in 18-49, 8.0 million viewers overall) matched the 18-49 rating for the show's season finale last May and tied the top "ER" rating since January 17, despite exceptional competition from the two-hour season premiere of "Grey's Anatomy" in the 10 p.m. hour. Versus its May 2008 sweep average, "ER" was up 10 percent in 18-49 rating (3.3 vs. 3.0). "ER" ranked #2 in all key demographics, including adults 18-49.

On Friday, Sept. 26 from 8-9 p.m. ET, "America's Toughest Jobs" (1.2/4 in 18-49, 3.8 million viewers overall) delivered its best Friday results to date, up 9 percent in 18-49 rating and 20 percent in total viewers versus the prior week.

Friday, NBC aired the Presidential Debate as sustaining programming, which is not counted in the nightly or weekly averages. From 10:39-11 p.m. ET, NBC News' "Decision '08" analysis of the debate averaged a 2.3/6 in 18-49 and 7.1 million viewers overall.

On Saturday, Sept. 27 from 8-10 p.m. ET, an encore telecast of Monday's season premiere of "Heroes" averaged a 0.7/2 in 18-49 and 2.2 million viewers overall. From 10-11 p.m., a rebroadcast of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (1.3/4 in 18-49, 4.8 million viewers overall) increased from its first half-hour to its second by 27 percent in 18-49 rating (to a 1.4/4 from a 1.1/3) and by 22 percent or 1.0 million persons in total viewers (to 5.3 million from 4.3 million).

On Sunday, Sept. 28, the "NBC Sunday Night Football" telecast of the Philadelphia Eagles at the Chicago Bears averaged a 6.9/17 in adults 18-49, 17.3 million viewers overall and a 10.8/17 household rating/share for its full duration from 8:23-11:29 p.m. ET. Sunday's Eagles-Bears game was up 11 percent in 18-49 rating and 15 percent or more than 2.3 million persons in total viewers versus the comparable "Sunday Night Football" game last year (a 6.2/16 in 18-49 and 15.0 million viewers overall for the Philadelphia Eagles versus the New York Giants on September 30, 2007).

For the night (from 7:30-11 p.m. ET), NBC averaged a 5.8/15 in 18-49 and 14.8 million viewers overall, up 9 percent in 18-49 rating and 14 percent or more than 1.8 million persons in total viewers versus the same night last year (a 5.3/14 in 18-49 and 13.0 million viewers overall on September 30, 2007).

NBC won the night in adults 18-49, adults 18-34, adults 25-54, total viewers and all key adult-male demographics. In adults 18-49, NBC beat its closest competitor by 16 percent (5.8 vs. a 5.0 for Fox from 7-10 p.m.). In total viewers on Sunday, NBC topped its nearest rival and by 18 percent, or more than 2.3 million persons (14.8 million from 7:30-11 p.m. for NBC vs. 12.5 million from 7-11 p.m. for ABC).

Also on Sunday, "Football Night in America 2" from 7:30-7:58 p.m. ET averaged a 1.7/5 in 18-49, 4.3 million viewers overall and a 2.9/5 household rating/share. "Football Night in America 3" from 7:58-8:15 p.m. delivered a 3.5/10 in 18-49, 9.0 million viewers overall and a 5.7/10 in households. From 8:15-8:23 p.m., "NBC Sunday Night Football Pre Kickoff" averaged a 4.5/13 in 18-49, 11.9 million viewers overall and a 7.4/12 in households. Note: "Football Night in America" from 7-7:30 p.m. ET was sustaining programming and does not figure in the nightly or weekly primetime averages.

This marks NBC's ninth consecutive Sunday primetime win in adults 18-49.