Primetime Ratings Report
For the week of November 15, 2010
(Based on National Live + Same Day Program Ratings)
ABC Marks its Most-Competitive Finish This Season in Adults 18-49, Nearly Tying For No. 1, While Winning in Women 18-34 for the 9th Week Running This Season
The Network Airs 4 of the Week's Top 10 TV Shows in Adults 18-49, More Than
Any Other Net, and Claims 2 of the Top 5 Most-Watched Programs Overall
ABC Runs a Strong No. 2 for the November Sweep in Viewers and Young Adults,
Ranking a Definitive No. 1 Among Adults 18-49 in the Non-Sports Averages
ABC is Monday's Most-Watched Network for the 9th Consecutive Week
Despite Shortening to 90 Minutes, "DWTS" Draws its Largest Audience in 7 Weeks
Following "DWTS," a Special Encore of ABC's "The Middle" Hits a Series High
"Castle" Jumps 14% Over its Adult 18-49 Lead-in and Tops with Key Women
"No Ordinary Family" Outdraws "The Biggest Loser" for its 8th Straight Telecast
For the 3rd Week in a Row, "DWTS: The Results" is No. 1 in its Slot with
Viewers and Young Adults, Drawing its Biggest Overall Audience in 8 Weeks
"Detroit 1-8-7" Beats NBC's "Parenthood" in Total Viewers and Adults 25-54
ABC's Wednesday Comedy Block Continues to Grow, Up Over the
Year-Ago Night by 1.3 Million Viewers and by 14% in Adults 18-49
ABC's "Better with You" Defeats the Season Opener of Fox's "Human Target"
"Modern Family" is Wednesday's No. 1 TV Show for the 8th Straight Telecast
ABC's "Cougar Town" Beats the Time-Slot Premiere of Fox's "Hell's Kitchen"
The Net Posts its 2nd-Strongest Thursday This Season, its Best Results in 8 Weeks
ABC's Annual Rebroadcast of "Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" is Up Year to Year
Hitting a 5-Week High, "Grey's" is Thursday's No. 1 TV Show in Adults 18-49
ABC Wins Friday Among Adults 18-49, Achieving Season Highs on the Evening
Posting a 10-Month High in Adults 25-54, ABC's "20/20" is Friday's No. 1 TV Show
Building Year to Year Among Younger Viewers, ABC's "AMAs" Surges
Over Last Year in Teens and Kids, Scoring a 6-Year High with Kids 2-11
WEEK No. 9:
During the week of November 15, 2010, ABC delivered a strong second-place finish in Total Viewers (9.3 million) and Adults 18-49 (2.6/8). In fact ABC marked its most-competitive finish this season in Adults 18-49, running on a near-tie for No. 1 with CBS (tied in audience share and pacing within 1-tenth of a rating point - 2.7/8), which once again benefitted from a Sunday NFL late-game primetime overrun. ABC remained the network leader across all key Women demographics (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54), pacing No. 1 with Women 18-34 (2.7/8) for the 9th consecutive week this season.
· 2010 November Sweep (25 of 28 Nights): ABC stands as the No. 2 network in November 2010 among Total Viewers (9.6 million) and Adults 18-49 (2.7/8), pacing within 2-tenths of a rating point of tying CBS (2.9/8) for No. 1 on the latter measure. In fact ABC and CBS are currently tied for the sweep in Adult 18-49 audience share. The Net ranks No. 1 for the sweep across all key Women demographics: W18-34 (2.8/9), W18-49 (3.5/10) and W25-54 (4.3/11-tie). In fact excluding sports, to level the playing field for the boosts that the other nets gain from professional sports coverage (NFL games and overruns/World Series), ABC (2.9/8) ranks a definitive No. 1 for the 2010 November Sweep in Adults 18-49, outdelivering No. 2 CBS by 7% (2.7/8), No. 3 Fox by 32% (2.2/6) and No. 4 NBC by 61% (1.8/5).
Rankings: ABC claimed 4 of the Top 10 TV programs during the week in Adults 18-49, more than any other net, including the No. 1 drama with "Grey's Anatomy" and the No. 1 unscripted series for 9th week running this season with "DWTS": "Modern Family" - No. 4, "Grey's Anatomy" and "American Music Awards" tied at No. 7 and "Dancing with the Stars" - No. 10. The Net aired 2 of the Top 5 most-watched TV shows overall, with "DWTS" and "DWTS: The Results." In fact "DWTS" qualified as TV's No. 1 non-sports program for the 8th time in 9 weeks this season.
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 38% currently, from 34% at the same point in 2009. 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.
Monday
ABC ranked as the No. 1 Net on Monday night in Total Viewers for the 9th consecutive week, outdrawing CBS by 4.6 million viewers (15.3 million vs. 10.7 million).
"Dancing with the Stars" (8:00-9:31 p.m.)
Shifting to 90 minutes from its usual 2-hour telecast, the semifinals of ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" led its time slot in Total Viewers (20.7 million) for the 9th straight week. "DWTS" defeated CBS' 8:00 - 9:30 p.m. original comedy block in Total Viewers (+10.4 million - 20.7 million vs. 10.3 million) and Adults 18-49 (+8% - 4.0/10 vs. 3.6/9). Despite its shorter duration, "DWTS" drew its largest audience in 7 weeks - since 9/27/10.
· "DWTS" stood as Monday's No. 1 show in Total Viewers, Women 18-49 and Women 25-54 for the 9th straight week.
· "DWTS" built over its year-ago telecast for the 9th time in as many weeks in Total Viewers (20.7 million vs. 18.8 million) and Adults 18-49 (4.0/10 vs. 3.9/10).
"The Middle" (9:31-10:01 p.m.)
A special encore telecast of ABC's "The Middle" outperformed first-run competition in the half-hour by wide margins in Total Viewers (9.6 million) and Adults 18-49 (2.2/6), beating Fox's "Lie to Me" (5.9 million and 1.9/5) and NBC's "The Event" (5.6 million and 1.7/4).
· Bringing added exposure to the show coming out of "DWTS," "The Middle" attracted its largest audience ever.
"Castle" (10:01-11:00 p.m.)
In the 10 o'clock hour, ABC's "Castle" built on its lead-in with Total Viewers (+4% - 10.0 million vs. 9.6 million) and Adults 18-49 (+14% - 2.5/7 vs. 2.2/6) to finish as the No. 2 scripted show in the hour on both counts. For the 6th straight week, the ABC drama registered as the No. 1 scripted program in its time slot across all key Women (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54).
· Despite not having a "DWTS" lead-in, "Castle" held 100% of its week-ago Adult 18-49 audience (2.5/7), while growing week to week in key Men demos (M18-49/M25-54).
Tuesday
ABC (10.8 million) qualified as the 2nd-most-watched network overall on Tuesday to CBS, topping Fox by 2.4 million viewers (8.4 million) and NBC by 4.6 million viewers (6.2 million).
"No Ordinary Family" (8:00-9:00 p.m.)
For the 8th straight telecast this season, ABC freshman "No Ordinary Family" attracted a larger overall audience than NBC's veteran "The Biggest Loser" (6.7 million vs. 6.6 million). Opposite stiff competition in Tuesday's 8:00 p.m. hour, including Fox's original "Glee" and CBS' top-rated "NCIS," "No Ordinary Family" gained viewers (6.6 million to 6.7 million) and young adults (1.6/5 to 1.7/5) throughout its broadcast.
"Dancing with the Stars the Results Show" (9:00-10:01 p.m.)
Ranking No. 1 in the 9 o'clock hour for the 3rd straight Tuesday in Total Viewers (17.4 million) and Adults 18-49 (3.4/9), ABC's "Dancing with the Stars: The Results" generated its most-watched telecast since its season opener 8 weeks ago - since 9/21/10. Singer and actress Brandy was the ninth celebrity to be eliminated from the ABC dance competition this season.
· Rising over its year-ago telecast in viewers and young adults (16.0 million and 3.2/9 on 11/17/10), "DWTS: The Results" grew its overall audience year to year for its 9th consecutive airing this season.
"Detroit 1-8-7" (10:01-11:00 p.m.)
Building week to week, ABC's freshman "Detroit 1-8-7" registered as the 2nd-most-watched TV show in the 10 o'clock hour, bettering NBC's sophomore "Parenthood" for the 8th consecutive telecast this season (+3.2 million viewer advantage - 8.0 million vs. 4.8 million). The ABC drama also topped its NBC drama competition with Adults 25-54 (2.4/6 vs. 2.2/6) for the 7th time in 8 telecasts this season, including each of the past 4 matchups.
· "Detroit 1-8-7" continued to draw more viewers to Tuesday's 10 o'clock hour than on the same night last year, and on average has improved the slot for ABC by 5% over the same point last season (9.1 million vs. 8.7 million).
Wednesday
ABC ran a strong second on Wednesday among Adults 18-49 (2.7/8) and won the night with Adults 18-34 (2.2/7 - 3rd week in a row) and Women 18-34 (2.9/9 - 5th week in a row).
· Returning after a pre-emption the prior week for the "CMA Awards," ABC's 8:00-10:00 p.m. comedy block continued to grow year to year, building by 1.3 million viewers (8.9 million vs. 7.6 million) and by 14% in Adults 18-49 (3.2/9 vs. 2.8/8) from the same night a year ago.
"The Middle" (8:00-8:30 p.m.)
ABC's "The Middle" once again ran a competitive second at 8:00 p.m. to CBS' "Survivor: Nicaragua" among viewers and young adults, beating the season premiere of Fox's "Human Target" in the half-hour by 2.9 million viewers (9.3 million vs. 6.4 million) and by 65% in Adults 18-49 (2.8/9 vs. 1.7/5). "The Middle" won its slot with Women 18-34 for its 3rd consecutive telecast, beating out "Survivor" by 18% (2.6/9 vs. 2.2/7). In addition, "The Middle" ranked No. 1 in the half-hour in Adults 18-34 (2.1/7) for its 2nd consecutive telecast.
· The ABC sophomore sitcom rose sharply from its year-ago performance (7.1 million and 2.4/7 on 11/18/09 when it aired at 8:30 p.m.) in both viewers (+2.2 million) and young adults (+17%).
"Better with You" (8:30-9:00 p.m.)
ABC freshman "Better with You" earned second place at 8:30 p.m. to "Survivor," beating the second half of Fox's "Human Target" season opener by 28% in Adults 18-49 (2.3/7 vs. 1.8/5). "Better with You" finished in a near-tie for No. 1 in its time slot with Women 18-34, running within 1-tenth of a rating point of "Survivor."
"Modern Family" (9:00-9:31 p.m.)
Qualifying as Wednesday's No. 1 TV show for its 8th consecutive telecast this season, ABC's "Modern Family" posted a dominant win in the 9:00 p.m. half-hour, beating second-place CBS' "Criminal Minds" by 30% (4.8/13 vs. 3.7/10).
· "Modern Family" bettered its year-ago performance for the 8th straight telecast this season, jumping over the same night last year (9.2 million and 3.7/10 on 11/18/09) by 2.9 million viewers and by 30% in Adults 18-49.
"Cougar Town" (9:31-10:01 p.m.)
ABC's "Cougar Town" took second place in its half-hour among Adults 18-49, beating out Fox's time-period premiere of "Hell's Kitchen" by 7% (3.0/8 vs. 2.8/7). The ABC sophomore comedy finished No. 1 in its slot with Women 18-34 (3.4/10) for its 6th consecutive telecast.
"25 Years of Sexy: People Magazine's Sexiest Men Alive!" (10:01-11:00 p.m.)
Against CBS' "The Defenders" and NBC's "L&O: LA" in the 10 o'clock hour, ABC's special "25 Years of Sexy: People Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive!" ranked No. 1 with Women 18-34 (1.8/6).
· Excluding only "The CMA Awards," the special equaled ABC's highest Women 18-34 rating in the time period in 7 months - since 4/14/10.
Thursday
ABC ran a strong second on Thursday in Total Viewers (9.0 million) and Adults 18-49 (3.1/9), while finishing No. 1 on the night in Adults 18-34 and across all key Women (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54). It was the Net's 9th straight Thursday victory in Women 18-34 and Women 18-49.
· In Total Viewers and Adults 18-49 (tie), ABC hit its top numbers on the night since season-premiere Thursday 8 weeks ago (on 9/23/10).
"Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" (8:00-9:00 p.m.)
ABC's special annual rebroadcast of "Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" produced season highs for the Net in the 8 o'clock hour among viewers (7.5 million) and young adults (2.2/6-tie), drawing its top non-sports in-season results in the hour in 1 year - since 11/19/09.
· "Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" was up year to year by 1.0 million viewers and by 10% in Adults 18-49 (6.5 million and 2.0/6 on 11/26/09).
"Grey's Anatomy" (9:00-10:01 p.m.)
ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" won Thursday's 9 o'clock hour in Adults 18-49 (4.3/11), registering as the No. 1 series in the time period for the 9th consecutive week. In its time period, "Grey's" outperformed second-place NBC's comedies ("The Office"/"Outsourced") by +34% (3.2/8), third-place CBS' "CSI" by +39% (3.1/8) and fourth-place Fox's "Fringe" by +126% (1.9/5). In addition, "Grey's" finished as the Thursday's No. 1 TV show in the key young adult sales demo (tie).
· Growing 8% week to week in Adults 18-49 (4.3/11 vs. 4.0/11), "Grey's Anatomy" equaled its best performance in 5 weeks - since 10/14/10.
"Private Practice" (10:01-11:00 p.m.)
At 10:00 p.m., ABC's "Private Practice" ran neck-and-neck for the lead in Adults 18-49 (2.9/9 vs. 3.0/9) and finished No. 1 in its time-slot in Adults 18-34 (2.5/8) for the 3rd week in a row, beating out CBS' "The Mentalist" by 25% (2.0/6). The ABC drama also won the hour across all key Women demographics (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54).
Friday
Hitting a season high, ABC won Friday night in Adults 18-49 (1.6/5), beating CBS by 7% (1.5/5), NBC by 78% (0.9/3) and Fox by 78% (0.9/3).
· ABC matched its top-rated Friday of the season across all key Adult demos (AD18-34/AD18-49/AD25-54).
"Primetime: What Would You Do?" (9:00-10:00 p.m.)
ABC's "Primetime: What Would You Do?" ranked No. 1 against its network rivals in the 9 o'clock hour in Adults 18-49 (1.6/5), tying CBS' "CSI: NY" and beating NBC's "Dateline" by 33% (1.2/4) and Fox's "The Good Guys" by 129% (0.7/2). For the 4th straight week, the ABC hidden-camera show defeated "CSI: NY" with Adults 18-34, leading the CBS veteran drama by an impressive 40% (1.4/5 vs. 1.0/4).
"20/20" (10:00-11:00 p.m.)
Posting season highs, ABC's "20/20" finished No. 1 in the 10 o'clock hour across the key Adults demographics (AD18-34/AD18-49/AD25-54), beating second-place CBS' "Blue Bloods" by 25% in the key young adult sales demo (2.0/7 vs. 1.6/5). In addition, the ABC newsmagazine stood as Friday's No. 1 TV show in and Adults 25-54 (2.6/8) and Women 18-49 (2.7/9). "20/20" featured Ashleigh Banfield's report on mean girls that turned to murder in Florida and Cynthia McFadden's rare in-depth interview with megastar Cher.
· Turning in its strongest performance this season in viewers and all key adults, ABC's "20/20" marked its highest-rated telecast in more than 10 months with Adults 18-49 and Adults 25-54 - since 1/8/10.
Sunday
"2010 American Music Awards" (8:00-11:00 p.m.)
Up against stronger year-to-year competition on the evening, including one of NBC's biggest-ever "Sunday Night Football" contests (NY Giants-Philadelphia Eagles) and an NFL prime overrun-boosted CBS, the "2010 American Music Awards" made ABC the dominant No. 1 non-sports network from 8:00-11:00 p.m. among Adults 18-49 (4.3/10), beating CBS in the 3-hour time period by 43% (3.0/7). "AMAs" won its 3-hour time period over football in other key demographics, including Women 18-34 (5.0/13), Women 18-49 (5.6/14), Women 25-54 (6.1/14) and Teens 12-17 (3.7/11).
· Growing year to year among younger viewers, the "American Music Awards" surged over last year's telecast by +12% in Teens 12-17 (3.7/11 vs. 3.3/12) and by +19% in Kids 2-11 (2.5/10 vs. 2.1/9). In fact the "American Music Awards" marked its highest number in 6 years with Kids 2-11 - best since 2004.
· Despite the intense competition on the evening, ABC achieved Sunday season highs with its broadcast of the "2010 AMAs" among Total Viewers (10.8 million) and Adults 18-49 (3.7/9).
Source: The Nielsen Company (National, Live+ Same Day Program Ratings), week of 11/15/10, unless stated otherwise.
|