Primetime Ratings Report For the week of September 19, 2011 (Based on National Live + Same Day Program Ratings)

ABC Grows Year to Year During Premiere Week Among Viewers, Marking its Most-Watched Non-"Oscar" Week in Nearly 11 Months

ABC Ranks No. 1 in the 10pm Hour for Premiere Week in Adults 18-49 And is the Only Net to Grow Year Over Year with Viewers and Key Adults

ABC's "Revenge" Stands as the Season's No. 1 New Drama in Adults 18-49

ABC Tops Season-Opening Monday for the 4th Time in 5 Years in Total Viewers

Despite Going Up Against CBS' "Two and a Half Men"-Fueled Comedy Block, the 13th Season Opener of "Dancing" Makes ABC the Most-Watched Net in its Slot

With its Best-Ever Opener, ABC's "Castle" is the Most-Watched TV Show in its Slot

Showing Strong Lead-in Retention, ABC's "Body of Proof" Premiere Tops Its Season Finale Among Young Adults with its Best Numbers Since Mid-April

ABC Marks its Best Season-Opening Wednesday Since 2007 in Adults 18-49

Posting Series Highs Against the Series Debut of "The X Factor," ABC's "The Middle" Generates its 2nd Straight Year of Premiere-to-Premiere Gains

Wednesday's Top 2 TV Shows, Back-to Back Episodes of ABC's "Modern Family" Open at New Highs, Posting the Net's Top Rating in the Hour Since Fall 2006

"Revenge" Stands as ABC's Top Drama Debut in 4 Years on Wednesday at 10pm

Scoring Big Year-Over-Year Gains for ABC in Thursday's 8 O'clock Hour, "Charlie's Angels" Opens as ABC's Top Scripted Telecast in the Slot Since Fall '09

Thursday's Dominant No. 1 Drama in Adults 18-49, "Grey's Anatomy" Premiere Is Up by 14% Over its Season Finale with the Series' Best Number Since March

ABC's "Saturday Night Football" is the Night's No. 1 Show for the 3rd Week Running

ABC's "Home Edition" Opener Marks the Series' Best Results Since February

Up Over its May Sweep Average, ABC's "Desperate Housewives" Beats CBS' Premiere of "The Good Wife" in Sunday's 9pm Hour by 45% in Adults 18-49

Becoming the First Show to Build on "Housewives" Since May 2006, "Pan Am" Opens as ABC's Most-Watched Hour-Long Series Telecast in the Slot in 3 Years

WEEK No. 1:

ABC finished No. 2 during the opening week of the 2011-12 TV Season (w/o 9/19/11) among Total Viewers (9.9 million) and Adults 18-34 (2.2/7-tie), while ranking No. 1 with Women 18-49 (3.5/9-tie).

· ABC grew its overall audience year to year during premiere week (+3% - 9.9 million vs. 9.6 million), while retaining 100% of its Adult 18-49 audience. The Net was also up over premiere week last year in Adults 25-54, key Men (M18-49/M25-54) and Teens 12-17.

· ABC ranked No. 1 in the 10 o'clock hour during premiere week among Adults 18-49 (2.8/7-tie). Posting double-digit percentage year-to-year gains in Total Viewers (+18% - 9.3 million vs. 7.9 million), Adults 18-49 (+22% - 2.8/7 vs. 2.3/7) and Adults 25-54 (+21% - 3.5/8 vs. 2.9/8), ABC was the only net to build over premiere week last year on Monday-Friday from 10:00-11:00 p.m. CBS and NBC were both down across all three Nielsen measures.

· ABC marked its most-watched non-"Oscar" week in nearly 11 months - since w/o 11/8/10. Excluding the weeks of the "Oscars" and "NBA Finals," ABC equaled its top-rated week with Adults 18-49 since May 2010 - since w/o 5/17/10.

Rankings: ABC claimed 4 of the Top 20 TV shows during premiere week in Adults 18-49: "Modern Family SP-9/21" - No. 4, "Modern Family" - No. 5, "Grey's Anatomy" - No. 17 and "Dancing with the Stars" - No. 20. ABC delivered the season's Top 2 new dramas in the key young adult sales demo, with "Revenge" and "Pan Am," respectively. In addition, the Net aired 4 of the week's Top 10 most-watched shows overall, including TV's No. 1 unscripted series with "Dancing with the Stars."

Monday

Despite going up against CBS with the high-profile return of "Two and a Half Men" on Monday, ABC (17.2 million) finished as the most-watched TV network on the opening night of the 2011-12 season with the openers of "Dancing" and "Castle," outdrawing CBS by 1.2 million viewers ("HIMYM"/"Two and a Half Men"/"2 Broke Girls"/"Hawaii Five-0" = 16.0 million), Fox by 11.2 million viewers (2-hour season finale of "Hell's Kitchen" = 6.0 million) and NBC by 12.0 million viewers (2-hour premiere of "The Sing Off"/series debut of "The Playboy Club" = 5.2 million). Among Adults 18-49, ABC (3.8/9) outdelivered Fox by 46% (2.6/6) and NBC by 111% (1.8/5).

· It was ABC's 4th time in the last 5 years to open as the most-watched network on the first Monday of the season.

"Dancing with the Stars" (8:00-10:01 p.m.)

Building its audience from its first hour to its second hour (19.0 million to 19.1 million) opposite CBS' "Two and a Half Men"-fueled comedy block from 8:00-10:00 p.m., the 13th season opener of "Dancing with the Stars" made ABC the most-watched net in its time slot, topping CBS by 1.1 million viewers (19.0 million vs. 17.9 million).

· Head to head during its 2-hour time period, ABC's "DWTS" (19.0 million and 4.0/10) beat out its unscripted competition by huge margins, topping Fox's "Hell's Kitchen" finale by 13.0 million viewers and by 54% in Adults 18-49 (6.0 million and 2.6/6) and NBC's "The Sing Off" season premiere by 13.8 million viewers and by 111% in Adults 18-49 (5.3 million and 1.9/5).

"Castle" (10:01-11:00 p.m.)

Surging year to year and starting out its 4th season as the most-watched TV show in the 10 o'clock hour, ABC's opener of "Castle" (13.3 million) topped CBS' opener of "Hawaii Five-0" by 9% (12.2 million) and more than doubled NBC's series debut of "The Playboy Club" (+166% - 5.0 million). The ABC drama also doubled "The Playboy Club" with Adults 18-49 (+100% - 3.2/8 vs. 1.6/4). In addition, ABC's "Castle" stood as the No. 1 series in the hour with Adults 18-34 and across all key Women (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54).

· Marking its best-ever season premiere, ABC's "Castle" jumped over its year-ago season opener (10.7 million and 2.7/7 on 9/20/10) in Total Viewers (+24%) and Adults 18-49 (+19%). In fact, the ABC drama attracted its 2nd-biggest audience ever.

Tuesday

With a "Dancing" special and the season premieres of "DWTS: The Results" and "Body of Proof," ABC (11.8 million) qualified as the 2nd-most-watched TV network on season-premiere Tuesday to CBS ("NCIS"/"NCIS: LA"/"Unforgettable"). ABC outdrew premiere programming on Fox by 2.9 million viewers ("Glee"/"New Girl"/"Raising Hope" = 8.9 million), while doubling NBC's audience on the night (+100% ahead of the 2-hour season premiere of "The Biggest Loser" and "Parenthood" = 5.9 million).

"DWTS: Meet the Cast" (8:00-9:00 p.m.)

From 8:00-9:00 p.m., ABC's "DWTS: Meet the Cast" (11.0 million) ran No. 2 to CBS' top-rated "NCIS" premiere in Total Viewers, topping Fox's season opener of "Glee" by 1.8 million viewers (9.2 million) and the opening hour of NBC's "The Biggest Loser 12" premiere by 4.9 million viewers (6.1 million).

"Dancing with the Stars: The Results" (9:00-10:01 p.m.)

Building sharply on its lead-in and gaining audience throughout its telecast against stiff competition, the season opener of ABC's "Dancing with the Stars: The Results" (14.8 million) finished as the 2nd-most-watched program in the 9 o'clock hour, topping Fox ("New Girl"/"Raising Hope" = 8.5 million) and NBC ("The Biggest Loser" = 6.2 million). The ABC dancing results show also delivered the No. 2 position in the time period with Women 18-49 (tie) and ranked No. 1 with Women 25-54. ABC's "DWTS: The Results" outdelivered its unscripted competition in the hour by strong margins, leading the second hour of NBC's "The Biggest Loser" premiere by 8.6 million viewers (14.8 million vs. 6.2 million) and by 21% in Adults 18-49 (2.9/7 vs. 2.4/6). NBA champion Metta World Peace (aka Ron Artest) was the first celebrity dancer to be eliminated from the competition this season.

"Body of Proof" (10:01-11:00 p.m.)

Showing solid lead-in retention, ABC's season premiere of "Body of Proof" earned second place in the 10 o'clock hour, topping NBC's "Parenthood" by 4.1 million viewers (9.4 million vs. 5.3 million) and by 5% in Adults 18-49 (2.2/6 vs. 2.1/6). The sophomore ABC drama also ranked No. 2 in the hour with Adults 25-54.

· Rising over its freshman season finale with Adults 18-49 (+5%) and Adults 18-34 (+8%), "Body of Proof" equaled its strongest performance since mid-April on both young adult measures - since 4/19/11 and 4/12/11, respectively.

Wednesday

In an early season upset, ABC ranked No. 1 in Adults 18-49 from 8:00-10:00 p.m. against the hugely-promoted debut of "The X Factor," beating Fox's 2-hour Wednesday prime by 5% in Adults 18-49 (4.6/13 vs. 4.4/12).

· ABC's numbers jumped over the year-ago season-premiere Wednesday in viewers (+46% - 11.5 million vs. 7.9 million) and young adults (+50% - 4.2/11 vs. 2.8/8). In fact with young adults, it was ABC's top-rated season-premiere Wednesday since 2007.

"The Middle" (8:00-9:00 p.m.)

Opposite the opening hour of "The X Factor" from 8:00-9:00 p.m., ABC's third-season 1-hour premiere of "The Middle" achieved a series high in Adults 18-49 (3.1/9). The ABC comedy also marked series bests with Adults 18-34, Adults 25-54, all key Men and Women and Teens 12-17. Building over its year-ago premiere by double-digit percentages in viewers (+10% - 9.7 million vs. 8.8 million) and young adults (+15% - 3.1/9 vs. 2.7/9), "The Middle" bettered the prior year's season opener for the 2nd year in a row.

· Despite facing stiff competition in the hour from "The X Factor" and CBS' "Survivor," "The Middle" generated ABC's best Adult 18-49 number with regular scripted programming in the 1-hour time period since October 2007 - since 10/24/07.

"Modern Family" (9:00-10:01 p.m.)

Soaring to the top of the 9:00 p.m. hour to dominate the second hour of Fox's "The X Factor" with Total Viewers (+12% - 14.5 million vs. 12.9 million) and Adults 18-49 (+32% - 6.1/15 vs. 4.6/12), back-to-back episodes ABC's Emmy-Award winning "Modern Family" opened up the show's third season at series highs and registered as Wednesday's Top 2 TV shows: "Modern Family" (14.5 million and 6.0/16) and "Modern Family SP-9/21" (14.5 million and 6.2/15).

· Similarly to "The Middle," "Modern Family" grew over the previous year's premiere for the 2nd straight year. The ABC comedy surpassed its prior series highs (13.2 million and 5.1/14) by 10% in Total Viewers and by 22% in Adults 18-49.

· "Modern Family" produced ABC's best Adult 18-49 number in the 1-hour time period since November 2006 - since 11/8/06 with the Fall finale of "Lost."

· In Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, "Modern Family" qualified as ABC's top comedy telecast in nearly 8 years - since 11/4/03.

"Revenge" (10:01-11:00 p.m.)

Opposite the season premieres of veteran dramas on both CBS ("CSI") and NBC ("Law & Order: SVU") in the 10 o'clock hour, ABC's series debut of "Revenge" opened at No. 1 among Adults 18-49 (3.3/9). The new ABC drama also led its time period with Adults 18-34 and across all key Women demos (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54).

· "Revenge" stands as the season's No. 1 new drama series in Adults 18-49, topping CBS' Tuesday debut of "Unforgettable" by 14% (2.9/8) and NBC's Monday debut of "Playboy Club" by 106% (1.6/4).

Topping ABC's last 6 drama debuts in the time period, "Revenge" stood as the Net's highest-rated series premiere in Wednesday's 10 o'clock hour in 4 years among Adults 18-49 - since 9/26/07. "Revenge" greatly improved the time period year to year for ABC, more than doubling the year-ago debut of "The Whole Truth" in the hour by 104% in Total Viewers (10.0 million vs. 4.9 million) and by 120% in Adults 18-49 (3.3/9 vs. 1.5/4).

Thursday

Up against stiff competition on the opening Thursday of the season, ABC marked its strongest performance on the night with regular programming in nearly 9 months among Total Viewers (9.8 million) and Adults 18-49 (3.4/9) - since 1/6/11.

"Charlie's Angels" (8:00-9:00 p.m.)

Opposite much greater competition in the 8 o'clock hour year to year, with the entry of Fox's "The X Factor" into the slot and back-to-back telecasts of CBS' "The Big Bang Theory," the series debut of "Charlie's Angels" scored big gains for ABC over the year-ago season-premiere Thursday with viewers (+69% - 8.8 million vs. 5.2 million) and young adults (+31% - 2.1/6 vs. 1.6/5). Despite the competition, "Charlie's Angels" gained young adult audience from its first half-hour to its second half hour (2.1/6 vs. 2.2/6).

· From 8:00-9:00 p.m., the new ABC drama more than doubled the overall audience of NBC's established comedies ("Community"/"Parks and Recreation" = 4.0 million and 1.9/6), while pulling in 11% more Adults 18-49.

· In Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, "Charlie's Angels" qualified as ABC's highest-rated scripted series telecast in the hour since Fall 2009 - since "FlashForward" on 10/29/09 and 11/19/09, respectively.

"Grey's Anatomy" (9:00-11:00 p.m.)

Building sharply on its lead-in (+95%) against the second hour of "The X Factor," the 8th season premiere of ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" (9:00-11:00 p.m.) finished as Thursday's dominant No. 1 drama in Adults 18-49 (4.1/10), topping CBS' series debut of "Person of Interest" (9:00-10:00 p.m. = 3.1/8) by 32%, CBS' season premiere of "The Mentalist" (10:00-11:00 p.m. = 2.8/7) by 46% and NBC's series debut of "Prime Suspect" (10:00-11:00 p.m. = 1.8/5) by 128%. Building audience from its first hour to its second hour, the ABC drama ran a strong No. 1 during the 10 o'clock hour, leading its nearest competition (CBS' "The Mentalist") by wide margins with Adults 18-49 (+50% - 4.2/11 vs. 2.8/7) and Adults 25-54 (+23% - 4.8/12 vs. 3.9/9).

· "Grey's Anatomy" surged by 14% among Adults 18-49 over where it finished out last season in its May finale (3.6/9 on 5/19/11), hitting the series' best number since March - since 3/31/11.

· "Grey's" produced ABC's highest Adult 18-49 number with scripted programming in the 2-hour time period in 1 year - since 9/23/10.

DVR Playback Note: "Grey's Anatomy" stood as TV's 2nd-biggest gainer via time-shifted viewing last season among Adults 18-49 (behind only "Modern Family"), jumping by 2.9 million viewers and 1.4 rating points among young adults (+34%) from Live + Same Day to the finalized Live + 7 Day numbers.

Friday

"Modern Family" (8:00-9:00 p.m.)

From 8:00-9:00 p.m., back-to-back repeat episodes of ABC's "Modern Family" topped NBC's encore comedies in the hour ("Up All Night"/"Whitney") by 26% in Total Viewers (3.9 million vs. 3.1 million) and by 22% in Adults 18-49 (1.1/4 vs. 0.9/3).

"Revenge" (9:00-10:00 p.m.)

ABC's replay of the "Revenge" premiere led Fox's season premiere of "Fringe" in the 9 o'clock hour by 20% in Total Viewers (4.2 million vs. 3.5 million).

Saturday

With coverage of "Saturday Night Football" (LSU at West Virginia), ABC easily won Saturday, outpacing runner-up CBS by 109% in Adults 18-49 (2.3/8 vs. 1.1/3) and by 46% in Total Viewers (6.7 million vs. 4.6 million).

· Airing from 8:07 p.m.-12:00 a.m., ABC's "Saturday Night Football" stood as the definitive No. 1 TV show on Saturday among Total Viewers (6.5 million) and Adults 18-49 (2.3/7) for the 3rd week running.

· Surging over the year-ago game by 16% in Total Viewers and by 15% in Adults 18-49 (Oregon St at Boise St on 9/25/10= 5.6 million and 2.0/7), ABC's "Saturday Night Football" was up year to year for the 3rd straight week.

Sunday

In the 8 o'clock hour, the 9th season premiere of ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," featuring First Lady Michelle Obama, was up over its prior season finale in May in both Total Viewers (+2% - 8.8 million vs. 8.6 million) and Adults 18-49 (+5% - 2.3/6 vs. 2.2/6) to draw the series' best numbers since February - since 2/20/11.

"Desperate Housewives" (9:00-10:01 p.m.)

Opposite heavy NFL-fueled competition during the 9:00 p.m. hour on Sunday from NBC ("Sunday Night Football") and Fox (NFL overrun-boosted comedy premieres - "Family Guy"/"American Dad"), ABC's 8th season premiere of "Desperate Housewives" towered over CBS' season premiere of "The Good Wife" by 45% in Adults 18-49 (3.2/7 vs. 2.2/5). In addition, the ABC drama qualified as Sunday's No. 1 entertainment program with Women 18-49.

· Pacing ahead of where it finished out last season, ABC's "Desperate Housewives" topped its 2011 May Sweep average in Adults 18-49 (+7% - 3.2/7 vs. 3.0/7).

DVR Playback Note: Sunday's biggest gainer during the 2010-11 TV season via time-shifting, "Desperate Housewives" increased by 2.0 million viewers and by an additional 9-tenths of an Adult 18-49 rating point (+26%) from the first reported L+SD numbers to finalized L+7 Day numbers.

"Pan Am" (10:01-11:00 p.m.)

Building on its "Housewives" lead-in by 1.2 million viewers and nearly all (97%) of its Adult 18-49 audience opposite NBC's "Sunday Night Football" in the 10 o'clock hour, ABC's series debut of "Pan Am" took flight as Sunday's most-watched scripted TV show. Impressively, "Pan Am" became the first program to build on "Desperate Housewives" in overall viewers since "Grey's Anatomy" in May 2006 (on 5/14/06). The No. 1 non-sports program during the 10:00 p.m. hour, the new ABC drama beat out the premiere of CBS' time-period veteran "CSI: Miami" by 12% in Total Viewers (11.1 million vs. 9.9 million) and by 35% in Adults 18-49 (3.1/8 vs. 2.3/5).

· Improving the hour year to year in viewers (+17%) and young adults (+7%) over the year-ago opener of "Brother & Sisters" (9.5 million and 2.9/8), "Pan Am" posted ABC's best season-opening numbers in the time period since 2008 - since 9/28/08. In fact, "Pan Am" produced ABC's biggest audience in the slot with an hour-long telecast since the same date 3 years ago - since 9/28/08.

Source: The Nielsen Company, National, Live+ Same Day Program Ratings, week of 9/19/11.