ABC gives their spin on the ratings for the first full week of 2011.

Primetime Ratings Report For the week of January 3, 2011 (Based on National Live + Same Day Program Ratings)

Building Week to Week, ABC Hits a 6-Week High in Viewers and Young Adults

ABC Delivers 5 of the Top 20 Non-Sports Television Programs for the Week In Adults 18-49, Including the No. 1 Live-Action Comedy and the Top 2 Dramas

“The Bachelor” Opener Finishes as Monday’s No. 1 TV Show in Women 18-34 And, Despite Increased Competition This Year, Outdraws 2 of its Last 3 Debuts

On its Return to First-Run, “Castle” Jumps Over its Last Original by 2.0 Million Viewers and by 26% in Adults 18-49, while Winning its Slot Across Key Women

ABC Sees Big Year-to-Year Growth with its Midseason Tuesday Drama Premieres

Returning to the 8pm Hour, ABC’s “No Ordinary Family” is Up Over its Last Airing In the Slot with Young Adults and Builds Sharply for the Net from the Year-Ago Night

Building on its Lead-in to Rank as the Night’s No. 1 TV Series in Key Men, ABC’s “V” Season Premiere Draws the Series’ Biggest Audience Since March

ABC is No. 1 on Wednesday in Adults 18-49 for the 2nd Straight Week

Pulling Some of its Best-Ever Numbers, ABC’s “The Middle” Dominates its Slot

Hitting a Series-High in Adults 18-49, ABC’s “Better with You” Wins at 8:30pm

Marking the Series’ 3rd-Highest-Ever Number, ABC’s “Modern Family” is Wednesday’s No. 1 TV Show in Adults 18-49 for its 11th Straight Original

ABC’s “Cougar Town” Hits its Best Adult 18-49 Number Since Mid-November

Marking a Season-High on the Night, ABC Wins Thursday Among Adults 18-49

Opening its Winter Season at No. 1 Across Key Demographics, ABC’s “Wipeout” Generates the Series’ Most-Watched Telecast Ever

Drawing its Biggest Audience Since Early November, ABC’s “Grey’s” Stands As the No. 1 Series in its Hour with Adults 18-49 for the 11th Straight Airing

ABC’s “20/20” and “Primetime” Tie as Friday’s No. 1 TV Series in Adults 18-49

ABC’s “Home Edition” Sees its Strongest Performances This Season in Adults 18-49

Sunday’s Most-Watched Regular TV Show, “Housewives” Hits a 3-Month High

WEEK No. 16:

During the week of January 3, 2011, ABC claimed 5 of the Top 20 non-sports TV programs in Adults 18-49, including the No. 1 live-action comedy and the Top 2 dramas: “Modern Family” – No. 2 (No. 1 live-action comedy), “Grey’s Anatomy” – No. 7 (No. 1 drama), “Desperate Housewives” – No. 9 (No. 2 drama), “Wipeout” – No. 11 and “The Bachelor” – No. 19. With “20/20” and “Primetime: What Would You Do? tied at No. 1 on Friday (top shows of the night) and “Primetime: Celebrity Weight Loss – What Really Happens” on Wednesday, ABC aired TV’s Top 3 newsmagazines for the week in Adults 18-49.

· In Total Viewers (7.3 million) and Adults 18-49 (2.3/6), ABC generated its strongest performance in 6 weeks – since w/o 11/22/10.

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 2010. 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

“The Bachelor” (8:00-10:01 p.m.)

ABC’s 15th season opener of “The Bachelor” from 8:00-10:00 p.m. drew an average audience of 9.0 million viewers and a 2.9/7 in Adults 18-49, taking second place to CBS’ original comedy block. “The Bachelor” ranked No. 1 against regular competition in its time period with Adults 18-34 (2.6/7, tied w/CBS comedy block) and won its slot by 23% in Women 18-34 (3.7/10 vs. 3.0/8), qualifying as the No. 1 TV program of the night on the latter measure. The veteran ABC unscripted series built steadily throughout its broadcast in viewers and young adults, surging by 19% in Adults 18-49 from its first half-hour to its final half-hour (2.6/7 to 3.1/8).

· In viewers and young adults, “The Bachelor” generated ABC’s strongest performance in the 2-hour time period in 6 weeks – since 11/22/10.

· Retaining nearly all of its year-ago premiere audience (95%) despite facing stiffer competition, “The Bachelor” marked its 2nd-most-watched debut since September ’07 (4 seasons ago). In addition to topping 2 of its last 3 debuts, “The Bachelor” also drew more viewers than its openers in October 2006, January 2006, March 2005 and September 2004. Please note: “The Bachelor” faced stronger competition this year from originals of CBS’ Monday comedy block, as opposed to repeat comedies on its last two January premieres in 2010 and 2009.

“Castle” (10:01-11:00 p.m.)

Returning to originals for the first time since early December, ABC’s “Castle” took second in the 10 o’clock hour against its CBS and NBC competition in Total Viewers (9.6 million) and Adults 18-49 (2.4/7), while ranking No. 1 in the time slot and beating CBS’ “Hawaii Five-0” across all key Women demos: W18-34 (2.1/6), W18-49 (3.2/9) and W25-54 (4.3/10).

· “Castle” improved significantly over its most recent original telecast, increasing by 2.0 million viewers and by 26% in Adults 18-49 (7.6 million and 1.9/5 on 12/6/10). In addition, “Castle” paced well ahead of its season averages (8.8 million and 2.1/6) in both viewers (+9%) and young adults (+14%).

Tuesday

With the midseason premiere of its Tuesday lineup, ABC posted big year-to-year gains over its original schedule on the same night last year (1/5/10), growing by 2.7 million viewers (6.2 million vs. 3.5 million) and by 31% in Adults 18-49 (1.7/5 vs. 1.3/3).

· With its drama lineup, the Net earned second against its network rivals for the night with Men 18-49 (1.7/5) and ranked No. 1 in Men 25-54 (2.3/6 – tie). Please note that ESPN carried the Sugar Bowl during prime, providing strong demographic competition, and winning the night across all key measures (Viewers/Adults/Men).

“No Ordinary Family” (8:00-9:00 p.m.)

Returning to the 8 o’clock hour for the first time since November (on 11/23/10), and opposite stiff competition from the opening hour of CBS’ high-profile “Live to Dance” debut and NBC’s season opener of “The Biggest Loser: Couples,” ABC’s “No Ordinary Family” was up by 6% among Adults 18-49 over its last airing in the time period. In addition, “No Ordinary Family” registered sizeable year-to-year improvement for ABC in the hour, up by 3.4 million viewers (6.8 million vs. 3.4 million) and by 36% in Adults 18-49 (1.9/5 vs. 1.4/4) from the year-ago night with original comedy premieres.

· The ABC drama finished as the No. 2 broadcast show in the time slot in Men 18-49 (1.7/5 – tie).

“V” (9:00-10:00 p.m.)

On its 2nd season premiere in a new 9 o’clock time period opposite the second hours of the CBS and NBC premieres, ABC’s “V” built substantially on its lead-in to stand as the No. 1 TV series of the night in Men 18-49 (2.3/6) and Men 25-54 (3.0/7). In the hour, “V” beat out Fox’s “Million Dollar Money Drop” by 74% in Total Viewers (6.6 vs. 3.8 million) and by 62% in Adults 18-49 (2.1/5 vs. 1.3/3).

· “V” surged by 20% from where it finished out its freshman season in Tuesday’s 10 o’clock hour, where it aired coming out of “Lost” (6.6 million vs. 5.5 million on 5/18/10), topping its final 7 original broadcasts of last season with the series’ most-watched telecast since March (3/30/10).

· “V” is a highly-recorded show, posting substantial growth as time-shifted viewing is added into the final tallies. On average during its first season run, “V’s” numbers jumped by 1.8 million viewers and by 8-tenths of an Adult 18-49 rating point (+25%) from the initially reported Live + Same Day Numbers to the Live + 7 Day DVR finals.

“Detroit 1-8-7” (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

On its first original airing since early December, ABC’s freshman “Detroit 1-8-7” boosted its time slot for ABC from the year-ago night with original drama programming by 18% in Total Viewers (5.2 million vs. 4.4 million – “The Forgotten”).

Wednesday

With its 2-hour comedy block returning to originals for the first time in a month, ABC finished No. 1 on Wednesday night in Adults 18-49 for the 2nd week in a row (2.7/8-tie).

· From 8:00-10:00 p.m., ABC led its nearest competition by 32% in the key young adult sales demo (3.3/9 vs. 2.5/7 – NBC). All 4 of ABC’s comedies were up over their most recent original airings on 12/8/10.

· ABC was up over the same night last year in both viewers (7.4 million vs. 7.3 million) and young adults (2.7/8 vs. 2.6/7).

“The Middle” (8:00-8:30 p.m.)

Leading off the night with a dominant victory, ABC’s “The Middle” beat out its closest competitors by 1.9 million viewers (9.3 million vs. 7.4 million – CBS’ “Live to Dance” time-period premiere) and by 47% in Adults 18-49 (2.8/9 vs. 1.9/6 – NBC’s “Minute to Win It” time-slot premiere). In fact it was the show’s 3rd week in a row to win its slot in the key young adult sales demo.

· In viewers and young adults, the ABC sophomore comedy generated its strongest results since early November – since 11/3/10. In fact the show generated the series’ 3rd-biggest-ever audience and hit series highs with Adults 25-54 and key Women (W18-49/W25-54)

“Better with You” (8:30-9:00 p.m.)

Showing strong retention of its lead-in at 8:30 p.m. (89%) and matching a series-high, ABC freshman “Better with You” finished No. 1 in its half-hour for the 2nd week in a row in Adults 18-49 (2.5/7). The new comedy also ranked No. 1 in its half-hour with Adults 18-34 (tie), Adults 25-54 and all Key Women demographics (W18-34W18-49/W25-54).

· “Better with You” tied its highest-ever ratings across all key Adult demos (AD18-34/AD18-49/AD25-54).

“Modern Family” (9:00-9:31 p.m.)

Standing as Wednesday’s No. 1 TV show for its 11th straight original airing this season in Adults 18-49, ABC’s “Modern Family” towered over the 9:00 p.m. half-hour, leading its nearest competition by 78% (4.8/13 vs. 2.7/7 – CBS). “Modern Family” also registered as Wednesday’s most-watched TV show overall (11.8 million).

· “Modern Family” equaled its best Adult 18-49 number in 10 weeks (since 10/27/10), tying the series’ 3rd-highest rating ever. In addition, the show equaled its 2nd-highest-ever Adult 25-54 number (5.7/14).

“Cougar Town” (9:31-10:01 p.m.)

At 9:30 p.m., “Cougar Town” ran No. 2 among Men 18-49 and Men 25-54, while finishing No. 1 with Men 18-34 (tie).

· “Cougar Town” marked its highest Adult 18-49 rating (2.8/8) since mid-November – since 11/17/10. In addition, the show scored its best results since October across all key Men (M18-34/M18-49/M25-54) – since 10/20/10.

“Primetime: Celebrity Weight Loss – What Really Happens” (10:01-11:00 p.m.)

ABC’s special “Primetime: Celebrity Weight Loss – What Really Happens” delivered ABC’s strongest numbers in the hour in 6 weeks with Total Viewers (4.4 million), Adults 18-49 (1.6/5-tie) and Adults 25-54 (2.0/5) – since 11/24/10.

Thursday

ABC won Thursday night in Adults 18-49, besting CBS with its all-original lineup by 6% (3.6/10 vs. 3.4/10).

· Hitting a season high on the evening in Adults 18-49, the Net generated its best non-sports Thursday performance since last May – since 5/20/10.

“Wipeout” (8:00-9:00 p.m.)

ABC’s Winter premiere of “Wipeout” opened with a big victory in the 8 o’clock hour among Adults 18-49 (3.8/11), beating CBS’ original comedies (“Big Bang Theory”/”$#! My Dad Says” = 3.7/11) and giving the Net its first No. 1 ranking in the time period this season with regular programming. The ABC unscripted series also ran No. 1 in the hour with Adults 18-34, key Women (W18-34/W18-49), Teens 12-17 and Kids 2-11. In fact it was Thursday’s No. 1 TV show with Kids 2-11, qualifying as broadcast TV’s top-rated regular primetime telecast of the 2010-11 season (any net/any night.

· In viewers (11.7 million) and young adults (3.8/11), “Wipeout” produced ABC’s strongest non-sports performance in the time period in well over 1 year – since 9/24/09. The broad-appealing series generated the Net’s highest non-sports Teen 12-17 (3.5/12) number in the hour in nearly 8 years – since 2/6/03. Furthermore among Kids 2-11 (4.5/15), it posted ABC’s strongest number in the hour in close to 9 years (all programming) – since 2/14/02.

· “Wipeout” opened its Winter season with the series’ most-watched telecast ever, while tallying its 2nd-best-ever number with Adults 18-49. “Wipeout” also achieved new series-highs with Teens 12-17 and Kids 2-11.

“Grey’s Anatomy” (9:00-10:01 p.m.)

Up from its most-recent original airing in early December, ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy” dominated Thursday’s 9 o’clock hour in Adults 18-49, registering as the No. 1 series in the slot for its 11th consecutive telecast this season. “Grey’s” beat out its nearest competition in the time period by 27% (4.2/11 vs. 3.3/9 – CBS’ original “CSI”). Building on last first-run broadcast (on 12/2/10) in Total Viewers (+5%) and Adults 18-49 (+5%), “Grey’s” drew its biggest overall audience since early-November and hit its highest Adult 18-49 number since mid-November – since 11/4/10 and 11/18/10, respectively.

“Private Practice” (10:01-11:00 p.m.)

ABC’s “Private Practice” stood as the No. 1 scripted show in the 10 o’clock hour with Adults 18-34 (2.0/6) and across all key Women demographics: W18-34 (3.1/9), W18-49 (4.2/11) and W25-54 (4.9/12).

Friday

Up against Fox with its coverage of the Cotton Bowl, ABC qualified as Friday’s N. 1 non-sports network among Adults 18-49 (1.6/5), beating CBS (1.5/5) by 7% and NBC (1.3/4) by 23%.

· Despite facing strong demographic competition from the Cotton Bowl, ABC matched its top-rated Friday among young adults this season with regular programming on the evening.

“Supernanny” (8:00-9:00 p.m.)

From 8:00-9:00 p.m., ABC’s “Supernanny” finished a close second against regular network competition among Adults 18-49 (1.3/4) to CBS’ “Medium,” and beat its network rivals with Women 18-34 (1.6/6)

· “Supernanny” attracted its 2nd-biggest audience this season and equaled a season-high in Adults 18-49. The ABC unscripted series set new season-highs with Adults 18-34 and key Women (W18-34/W18-49), marking the series’ strongest Women 18-34 number since April 2009 – since 4/10/09.

“Primetime: What Would You Do?” (9:00-10:00 p.m.)

Jumping 31% from its lead-in, ABC’s “Primetime: What Would You Do?” stood as the No. 1 non-sports program in the 9 o’clock hour among Adults 18-49 (1.7/5), leading CBS’ original “CSI: NY” (1.6/5) by 6% and NBC’s Dateline (1.2/4) by 42%.

· ABC’s “What Would You Do?” tied lead-out 20/20 as the No. 1 non-sports TV program on Friday with young adults.

· Up sharply from its last telecast (on 12/17/10) in Total Viewers (+18%) and Adults 18-49 (+31%), “Primetime: What Would You Do?” posted its strongest results in nearly 2 months – since 11/12/10.

“20/20” (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

At 10:00 p.m., ABC’s “20/20” qualified as the definitive No. 1 regular program in its time period in Adults 18-49 (1.7/5) and Adults 25-54 (2.3/6), beating the second hour of NBC’s 2-hour Dateline (1.4.4 and 1.9/5) by 21% on both Nielsen measures.

· Soaring over its most-recent airing (on 12/17/10) by 2.0 million viewers and by 70% in Adults 18-49, 20/20 marked its best performance since the beginning of December – since 12/3/10.

Sunday

Opposite an NFL-fueled Fox with an enormous Wildcard Playoff Game (Eagles-Packers) overrun that took up the first hour of prime, ABC finished as the No. 1 non-sports-driven network on Sunday among Adults 18-49 (2.7/7), beating CBS by 23% (2.2/6) and NBC (with its highly-promoted 2-hour debut of The Cape) by 50% (1.8/5).

· The Net matched its highest Sunday Adult 18-49 number in the last 3 months with its regular schedule on the night- since 10/3/10.

“America’s Funniest Home Videos” (7:00-8:00 p.m.)

At 7:00 p.m. against Fox’s NFL overrun in the hour, ABC’s “America’s Funniest Home Videos” ranked as the No. 1 regular program with Adults 18-49 (1.9/5), leading CBS’ “60 Minutes” by 27% (1.5/4) and the opening hour of NBC’s “Dateline” by 171% (0.7/2).

· “AFV” rose 12% in Total Viewers and 6% in Adults 18-49 over its same night year-ago telecast.

“Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” (8:00-9:00 p.m.)

From 8-9pm, ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” (2.7/7) beat out CBS’ original “CSI: Miami” (2.5/6) and NBC’s “Dateline” (1.4/4) in Adults 18-49. The ABC unscripted series also earned second place in the hour with Adults 18-34 and key Women (W18-34/W18-49).

· “Home Edition” generated its 2nd-most-watched telecast (9.3 million) of the season and equaled its highest Adult 18-49 number this season.

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

ABC’s “Desperate Housewives” won the 9 o’clock hour (12.8 million) and emerged as Sunday’s most-watched regular TV program. In its time period, “Housewives” topped runner-up CBS’ “Undercover Boss” by 1.1 million viewers (11.7 million), the opening hour of NBC’s “The Cape” by 4.3 million viewers (8.5 million) and Fox’s NFL-driven animated comedies (“Family Guy”/”The Cleveland Show”) by 4.3 million viewers (8.4 million). In fact “Housewives” qualified as Sunday’s most-watched scripted television show for its 12th consecutive first-run airing this season.

· Building its overall audience week to week, “Housewives” attracted its largest audience in 3 months and posted its top young adult number in 2 months – since 10/3/10 and 11/7/10, respectively.

“Brothers & Sisters” (10:01-11:00 p.m.)

ABC’s “Brothers & Sisters” qualified as the No. 1 show in the time period across all key Women (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54).

· “Brothers & Sisters” grew its overall viewer count by 4% week to week (8.2 million vs. 7.9 million).

Source: The Nielsen Company (National, Live+ Same Day Program Ratings), week of 1/3/11, unless stated otherwise.