ABC Finishes as the 2nd-Most-Watched TV Net for the 3rd Week Running, Airing 3 of the Top 10 Shows and the No. 1 Unscripted Series with “Dancing”
For the 3rd Consecutive Week, ABC is Up in the 10pm Hour as a Lead-in to its Affiliates’ Late-Local News and is the Only Net to Post an Adult 25-54 Increase
ABC is Monday’s No. 1 Net in Viewers for the 3rd Consecutive Week This Season
“Dancing” Tops CBS’ “Men”-Fueled Monday Comedy Block by 3.4 Million Viewers
Gaining Year to Year, “Castle” is the Most-Watched TV Show on Monday at 10pm
Hitting a Season High, “DWTS: The Results” is the Most-Watched Show in its Slot
Posting a Season High in Viewers and Rising 11% in Adults 18-49 Week to Week, ABC’s “Body of Proof” Generates Big Year-Over-Year Time-Period Improvement
ABC’s “The Middle” Build its Numbers Year to Year for the 3rd Week Running
“Suburgatory” Retains Nearly All of its Highly-Rated Series Debut Numbers in Viewers and Young Adults, and Shoots Up 17% from its Opener with Teens 12-17
ABC’s “Modern Family” is Wednesday’s No. 1 TV Show for the 3rd Straight Week
ABC’s “Happy Endings” Defeats Fox’s “X-Factor”-Fueled Comedy “Raising Hope”
ABC’s “Revenge” Outdelivers NBC Veteran “L&O: SVU” on Wednesday at 10pm
“Charlie’s Angels” Pulls in More Viewers to Thursday’s 8pm Hour Year to Year
For the 3rd Week in a Row, “Grey’s” is Thursday’s No. 1 Drama in Adults 18-49
“Private Practice” is the No. 1 Drama in its Slot with Adults 18-34 and Key Women
Up Year to Year for its 5th Straight Telecast, ABC’s “Saturday Night Football” Defeats Fox’s MLB Playoffs as the Night’s No. 1 TV Show in Adults 18-49
ABC’s “America’s Funniest Home Videos” Grows Week to Week and Year to Year
Sunday’s No. 1 Entertainment Series, ABC’s “Desperate Housewives” Surges Over Its Lead-in to Beat CBS’ “The Good Wife” for the 3rd Straight Week in Adults 18-49
“Pan Am” is the No. 1 Drama in its Slot with Adults 18-34 for the 3rd Week Running
WEEK No. 3:
For the 3rd straight week this season (w/o 10/3/11), ABC (8.2 million) registered as the 2nd-most-watched TV network to CBS, topping NBC by 12% (7.3 million) and Fox by 15% (7.1 million). The Net also finished No. 2 for the week among Women 18-49 (2.8/7-tie).
For the 3rd week running this season, ABC delivered increasing returns during the 10 o’clock hour year to year. On Monday-Friday from 10:00-11:00 p.m. as a lead-in to affiliates’ late-local news, ABC grew its numbers over the same week last year with Total Viewers (+5% – 7.7 million vs. 7.3 million) and Adults 25-54 (+4% – 2.7/7 vs. 2.6/7), standing as the only net to increase in the key news demo.
Rankings: ABC aired 4 of the week’s Top 20 broadcast programs in Adults 18-49, including the No. 2 scripted series with “Modern Family:” “Modern Family” – No. 3 (No. 2 scripted show, behind only “Two and a Half Men”), “DWTS,” “Suburgatory” and “Grey’s Anatomy” tied at No. 20. The Net claimed 3 of the week’s Top 10 most-watched TV shows overall, placing 2 of the Top 5 and the No. 1 unscripted series with “Dancing:” “DWTS” – No. 4, “DWTS: The Results” – No. 5 and “Modern Family” – No. 10.
Monday
With “Dancing with the Stars” and “Castle,” ABC (14.8 million) registered as Monday’s most-watched TV network overall, topping CBS by 2.3 million viewers (12.5 million – “HIMYM”/”2 Broke Girls”/”Two and a Half Men”/”Mike & Molly”/”Hawaii Five-0”), Fox by 5.5 million viewers (9.3 million – “Terra Nova”/”House” season opener) and NBC by 10.4 million viewers (4.4 million – 2-hour “The Sing Off”/”The Playboy Club”). It was ABC’s 3rd straight week to hold the No. 1 network position on the evening.
“Dancing with the Stars” (8:00-10:01 p.m.)
Building its audience from its first hour to its second hour opposite CBS’ “Two and a Half Men”
-fueled comedy block from 8:00-10:00 p.m., “Dancing with the Stars” (16.6 million) made ABC the biggest draw in its time slot for the 3rd consecutive week, topping CBS by 3.4 million viewers (13.2 million), Fox by 7.3 million viewers (9.3 million) and NBC by 11.7 million viewers (4.9 million). Head to head against its unscripted competition in the 2-hour time slot, ABC’s “Dancing” outdelivered NBC’s “The Sing Off” by 72% with young adults (3.1/7 vs. 1.8/4).
“Castle” (10:01-11:00 p.m.)
For the 3rd week running, ABC’s “Castle” (11.2 million) qualified as the most-watched TV series in Monday’s 10:00 p.m. hour, besting CBS’ “Hawaii Five-0” (11.1 million).
ABC’s “Castle” increased its overall audience by 4% from the same night last year (10.8 million), gaining year to year for its 3rd time in as many telecasts this season.
Tuesday
With a “Dancing” encore special, “DWTS: The Results” and “Body of Proof,” ABC (11.5 million) finished as the 2nd-most-watched net on Tuesday evening to CBS (“NCIS”/”NCIS: LA”/”Unforgettable”). The Net outdrew Fox on the night by 3.5 million viewers (“Glee”/”New Girl”/”Raising Hope” = 8.0 million) and NBC by 6.0 million viewers (2-hour “The Biggest Loser 12″/”Parenthood” = 5.5 million).
ABC grew its overall Tuesday audience week to week (+4% – 11.1 million on 9/27/11) and was also up over the same night last year (+3% – 11.2 million on 10/5/10).
“Dancing W/Stars SP-10/4” (8:00-9:00 p.m.)
In the 8:00 p.m. hour, ABC’s special “DWTS: The Encore Performance” (9.1 million) ranked No. 2 to CBS’ “NCIS” in Total Viewers, outdrawing Fox’s “Glee” by 8% (8.4 million) and the opening hour of NBC’s “The Biggest Loser” by 63% (5.6 million).
“Dancing with the Stars: The Results” (9:00-10:01 p.m.)
Leaping over its lead-in and gaining audience throughout its telecast opposite stiff competition, ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars: The Results” (15.3 million) qualified as the most-watched TV show in the 9 o’clock hour, outrunning CBS (“NCIS: LA” = 14.8 million), Fox (“New Girl”/”Raising Hope” = 7.5 million) and NBC (“The Biggest Loser” = 5.8 million). The broad-appealing ABC unscripted series ranked No. 2 in its time slot with Adults 25-54, Women 18-34 and Women 18-49, while delivering the No. 1 position with Women 25-54. In addition, “Dancing” made ABC the No. 2 broadcaster in the hour with Kids 2-11. The ABC unscripted series once again dominated its NBC unscripted competition in the hour, defeating the second hour of “The Biggest Loser” by 9.5 million viewers (15.3 million vs. 5.8 million) and 32% in Adults 18-49 (2.9/7 vs. 2.2/5). Reality TV star Kristin Cavallari was the third celebrity contestant to be eliminated from the dance competition this season.
Building week to week, “DWTS: The Results” marked its most-watched telecast this season.
“Body of Proof” (10:01-11:00 p.m.)
Drawing its biggest audience this season and surging 11% week to week in Adults 18-49, ABC’s “Body of Proof” (10.0 million and 2.0/5) ranked No. 2 in the 10 o’clock hour, nearly doubling the audience of NBC’s “Parenthood” (5.1 million). In addition, the sophomore ABC drama led its NBC drama competition by 17% with Adults 25-54 (2.8/7 vs. 2.4/6), as it placed as the No. 2 series in the hour for its 3rd consecutive telecast. ABC’s “Body of Proof” was the only network drama to grow in the hour week to week with viewers or young adults.
Continuing to demonstrate much stronger lead-in retention for ABC in the hour year to year, “Body of Proof” boosted its time period over the same night last year (“Detroit 1-8-7” = 7.8 million and 1.7/5) by double-digit percentages in Total Viewers (+28%) and Adults 18-49 (+18%).
Wednesday
Although facing “The X Factor” on the night this year, ABC’s Wednesday results continued to pace well ahead of the year-ago evening (10/6/10) in both Total Viewers (+27% – 9.0 million vs. 7.1 million) and Adults 18-49 (+28% – 3.2/9 vs. 2.5/7), up year to year for the 3rd straight week.
ABC’s 2-hour Wednesday comedy block ranked No. 1 from 8:00-10:00 p.m. among Adults 18-49 (3.6/10-tie). In fact, for the 3rd straight week this season, ABC claimed Wednesday’s No. 1 TV show in Adults 18-49 with “Modern Family.”
“The Middle” (8:00-8:30 p.m.)
At 8:00 p.m., ABC’s “The Middle” grew its numbers week to week and took full control of its comedy competition in the half-hour, defeating NBC’s “Up All Night” by 3.5 million viewers (9.1 million vs. 5.6 million) and by 22% in Adults 18-49 (2.8/9 vs. 2.3/7). In addition, “The Middle” beat out CBS’ “Survivor: South Pacific” in the slot by 17% in Adults 18-34 (2.1/7 vs. 1.8/6).
Despite going up against “The X Factor” in the time period this year, “The Middle” improved over the year-ago night (8.0 million and 2.5/8 on 10/6/10) for the 3rd consecutive telecast among viewers (+1.1 million) and young adults (+12%).
“Suburgatory” (8:30-9:00 p.m.)
Once again building on its lead-in among young adults (+11% – 3.1/9) at 8:30 p.m., ABC’s “Suburgatory” generated impressive retention of its highly-rated week-ago debut telecast in Total Viewers (93%) and Adults 18-49 (94%). In fact, the show shot up 17% from its debut telecast with Teens 12-17 (2.1/7 vs. 1.8/7).
The new ABC comedy paced in a near-tie with “Survivor” in the slot among Adults 18-49 (running within 2-tenths of a rating point) and beat the CBS reality series for the 2nd week in a row with Adults 18-34 (+20% – 2.4/8 vs. 2.0/6).
Like its debut telecast the prior week, “Suburgatory” greatly outperformed the year-ago time period occupant (“Better with You” = 6.9 million and 2.3/7 on 10/6/10) in viewers (+32%) and young adults (+35%).
“Modern Family” (9:00-9:31 p.m.)
Gaining on its lead-in at 9:00 p.m. to dominate its time period with Adults 18-49 over “The X Factor” (+30% – 4.4/11) and CBS’ “Criminal Minds” (+58% – 3.6/9), ABC’s “Modern Family” (5.7/15) stood as the night’s No. 1 TV show in the key young adult sales demo.
Opposite post-season MLB coverage on cable, “Modern Family” retained 100% week-ago Adult 18-49 audience (equaling its 2nd-strongest-ever regular telecast) and built week to week across all key Men (M18-34/M18-49/M25-54).
Up year to year for the 3rd consecutive week, “Modern Family” improved over its year-ago telecast by 16% in viewers (13.2 million vs. 11.4 million) and by 24% with young adults (5.7/15 vs. 4.6/12).
“Happy Endings” (9:31-10:00 p.m.)
In the 9:30 p.m. half-hour, ABC’s sophomore “Happy Endings” beat out Fox’s “X Factor”-fueled sophomore comedy “Raising Hope” by 16% in Total Viewers (6.7 million vs. 5.8 million) and by 27% in Adults 18-49 (2.8/7 vs. 2.2/6). “Happy Endings” ranked No. 1 in its slot with Adults 18-34, Men 18-34 and Women 18-34.
Holding nearly all of its season opening numbers with viewers (92%) and young adults (90%), “Happy Endings” scored the series’ 2nd-strongest results for a regular telecast, behind only the prior week’s premiere. In fact the new comedy built over is week-ago season opener among Men 18-49 (+4%), hitting a series high.
“Revenge” (10:00-11:00 p.m.)
Building on its lead in by 1.0 million viewers (7.7 million vs. 6.7 million) during the 10:00 p.m. hour against veteran dramas on both CBS (“CSI”) and NBC (“L&O: SVU”), ABC’s freshman drama “Revenge” defeated NBC’s veteran drama “L&O: SVU” by 14% in Adults 18-49 (2.4/6 vs. 2.1/6). “Revenge” was the No. 1 show in the hour for its 3rd straight telecast with Adults 18-34 (tie) and Women 18-34 (tie).
“Revenge” continued to generate enormous time-period gains for ABC, leaping over the year-ago night (“The Whole Truth” = 4.4 million vs. 1.3/4) in viewers (+75%) and young adults (+85%).
Thursday
“Charlie’s Angels” (8:00-9:00 p.m.)
Opposite the opening hour of Fox’s “The X Factor” and CBS’ comedies (“The Big Bang Theory”/”How to be a Gentleman”) from 8:00-9:00 p.m., ABC freshman “Charlie’s Angels” outdrew NBC’s established comedies (“Community”/”Parks and Recreation”) for the 3rd week in a row, leading by 2.1 million viewers (5.9 million vs. 3.8 million). The new drama grew its audience from its first half-hour to its second half-hour in viewers (+7% – 5.7 million to 6.1 million) and young adults (+18% – 1.1/3 to 1.3/4).
Despite facing increased competition from “X Factor” this year, “Charlie’s Angels” pulled in 40% more viewers to the hour for ABC over the year-ago night (4.2 million on 10/7/10).
“Grey’s Anatomy” (9:00-10:02 p.m.)
More than doubling its lead-in (+158% – 3.1/8 vs. 1.2/4) against the second hour of “The X Factor,” ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy” stood as Thursday’s No. 1 drama in Adults 18-49 for the 3rd week running this season. Leading its scripted competition in the 9 o’clock hour by strong margins among young adults, “Grey’s” (3.1/8) defeated NBC’s comedies (“The Office”/”Whitney”) by 19% (2.7/7) and CBS’ “Person of Interest” by 19% (2.6/6). In addition, the ABC drama finished No. 1 overall in its time slot with Women 18-34 (4.0/10).
“Private Practice” (10:02-11:00 p.m.)
During the 10 o’clock hour, ABC’s “Private Practice” paced well ahead of its NBC drama competition (“Prime Suspect”) with Total Viewers (+22% – 6.1 million vs. 5.0 million) and Adults 18-49 (+40% – 2.1/5 vs. 1.5/4). In addition, for the 2nd time in as many weeks, “Private Practice” was the No. 1 drama in the hour with Adults 18-34 and among key Women demos (W18-34/W18-49).
Saturday
Airing from 8:07-11:34 p.m., ABC’s “Saturday Night Football” (Ohio State at Nebraska) registered as the night’s No. 1 program among Adults 18-49 (1.8/6), leading Fox’s “MLB ALCS Game 1” by 6% (1.7/6).
Growing over coverage on the year-ago night (Florida St at Miami/USC at Stanford on 10/9/10) by 10% in Total Viewers (5.6 million vs. 5.1 million) and by 6% in Adults 18-49 (1.8/6 vs. 1.7/6), “Saturday Night Football” produced its 5th consecutive telecast of year-to-year gains.
Sunday
“America’s Funniest Home Videos” (7:00-8:00 p.m.)
Building audience for ABC opposite CBS’ big NFL overrun in the 7 o’clock hour, ABC’s “America’s Funniest Home Videos” grew from its week-earlier season premiere with Total Viewers (6.6 million vs. 6.4 million), Women 18-49, Teens 12-17 and Kids 2-11. The ABC video-clip show also increased its overall audience by 5% from the same night last year (6.3 million on 10/10/10).
“Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” (8:00-9:00 p.m.)
Increasing over its lead-in at 8:00 p.m. against an NFL overrun-inflated CBS and NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” (Green Bay-Atlanta), ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” improved its Total Viewer count week to week (7.4 million vs. 7.2 million).
“Desperate Housewives” (9:00-10:01 p.m.)
Despite CBS’ decided lead-in advantage coming into the 9 o’clock hour from the NFL overrun carryover, ABC’s “Desperate Housewives” (2.8/6 vs. 2.0/5) surged 40% over its lead-in to rank No. 2 in its slot to “Sunday Night Football” and dominated CBS’ “The Good Wife” (+33% – 2.1/5 from 9:36-10:36 p.m.) for the 3rd week in a row among Adults 18-49. In addition, the ABC drama qualified as Sunday’s No. 1 entertainment TV program in Adults 18-49 (tie) and the night’s top-rated entertainment broadcast with Women 18-49 for the 3rd week running.
“Pan Am” (10:01-11:00 p.m.)
During the 10 o’clock hour, ABC’s “Pan Am” beat out its CBS drama competition (“The Good Wife”/”CSI: Miami”) in the time-period by 50% among Adults 18-34 (1.5/4 vs. 1.0/3), ranking as the No. 1 drama in the slot for the 3rd consecutive week.
WEEK NO. 3: ADULTS 18-49 TOTAL VIEWERS
No.1 CBS 2.9 No.1 CBS 11,320,000
No.2 FOX 2.6 No.2 ABC 8,200,000
No.3 NBC 2.5 No.3 NBC 7,270,000
No.4 ABC 2.2 No.4 FOX 7,100,000
No.5 CW 0.7 No.5 CW 1,660,000
(Source: ABC – The Nielsen Company, National, Live+ Same Day Program Ratings, week of 10/3/11.)
