The alphabet network touts their ratings for last week. ABC is particularly proud of the numbers for Modern Family, The Bachelor, Primetime, 20/20, Castle, No Ordinary Family, V, The Middle, Grey’s Anatomy, Better with You, Wipeout, and Off the Map. Here’s the official press release…

Primetime Ratings Report For the week of January 17, 2011 (Based on National Live + Same Day Program Ratings)

ABC’s “Modern Family” is TV’s No. 1 Regular Scripted Show in Adults 18-49, Despite Going Head to Head Against Wednesday’s “American Idol” Premiere

“The Bachelor” Takes Second in its Slot in Viewers and Adults 18-49, Ranking As Monday’s No. 1 Broadcast Series in Women 18-34 for the 3rd Week in a Row

With “Primetime: What Would You Do?” and “20/20” on Friday Night, ABC Claims the Week’s Top 2 Newsmagazines in Adults 18-49 and Adults 25-54

Up Against CBS’ Original “Hawaii Five-0′ and NBC’s “Harry’s Law” Series Debut, “Castle” Hits its Best Repeat Numbers of the Season in Viewers and Young Adults

Nearly Doubling its Year-Ago Results, ABC Scores its Best Tuesday in 6 Weeks

ABC’s “No Ordinary Family” Builds Week to Week in Viewers and Young Adults

Posting a Season High Among Men 18-34, ABC’s “V” Finishes No. 1 in its Slot

A Special Edition of “20/20” Posts 6-Week Time-Period Highs for ABC on Tuesday

ABC is the Only Major Net to Grow Opposite the Wednesday Premiere of “Idol”

Dominating its Non-“Idol” Competitors Wednesday at 8pm in Viewers And Young Adults, ABC’s “The Middle” Hits a Season High in Men 18-34

Improving its Slot, ABC’s “Better with You” Beats Out its Non-“Idol” Competition

Marking its Best-Ever Numbers Against Fox’s “American Idol,” ABC’s “Modern Family” is Wednesday’s No. 1 Scripted TV Show in Adults 18-49

Exhibiting Strong Retention of its Week-Earlier Debut, ABC’s “Off the Map” Scores Big Year-to-Year Gains for the Network in Wednesday’s 10pm Hour

“Wipeout” Marks ABC’s Top Results in 6 Years Against Night 2 of an “Idol” Premiere

Despite the Move of “Idol” Into the Time Period This Year, “Wipeout” Improves Its Hour for ABC Year to Year by 17% in Viewers and by 44% in Adults 18-49

ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy” Generates its Strongest Repeat Numbers This Season

ABC’s Friday Newsmagazines Grow Week to Week, as “Primetime” Wins its Hour in Adults 25-54 and “20/20” Wins its Hour in Adults 18-49

WEEK No. 18:

During the week of January 17, 2011, ABC’s “Modern Family” finished as the No. 1 regular scripted program in Adults 18-49, despite competing head to head against Fox’s “American Idol” premiere on Wednesday. In fact the Network had a number of standout performance against “Idol.” Opposite Wednesday’s 2-hour “Idol” opener, ABC’s “The Middle” and “Modern Family” each marked their highest-ever numbers against any telecast of the Fox program. Opposite “Idol’s” Thursday premiere from 8:00-9:00 p.m., Winter “Wipeout” produced big year-over-year growth for ABC with the Net’s top results in 6 years against the opening hour of any “American Idol” Night 2 premiere – since “Lost” on 1/19/05. With “Primetime: What Would You Do? and “20/20” on Friday night, ABC claimed TV’s Top 2 newsmagazine telecasts for the week in both Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49.

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 39% currently, from 35% 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

ABC’s lineup of “The Bachelor,” followed by an encore “Castle,” topped NBC’s all-original, mid-season Monday lineup by 15% in Adults 18-49 (2.3/6 vs. 2.0/5). The Net ranked as the No. 1 broadcaster on the night in Women 18-34 (2.9/8) for the 3rd week in a row.

“The Bachelor” (8:00-10:01 p.m.)

Growing its overall audience week to week, ABC’s “The Bachelor” took second in its 2-hour time period with Total Viewers (8.8 million) and Adults 18-49 (2.7/6). “The Bachelor” led its time-slot among its Network rivals and stood Monday’s No. 1 broadcast series with Women 18-34 (3.6/9) for the 3rd straight week.

“Castle” (10:00-11:01 p.m.)

Up against an original episode of CBS’ “Hawaii Five-0” and the series debut of NBC’s “Harry’s Law,” ABC’s “Castle” drew its best repeat numbers of the season in both Total Viewers (5.6 million) and Adults 18-49 (1.4/4).

Tuesday

With its lineup of 2 dramas and a special edition of “20/20,” ABC attracted its second-largest audience and equaled its highest Adult 18-49 number in 6 weeks – since 12/7/10. The Net continued to deliver substantial year-to-year gains on the evening, soaring over the year-ago night (1/19/10) by 3.0 million viewers (5.8 million vs. 2.8 million) and by 89% in Adults 18-49 (1.7/5 vs. 0.9/3).

“No Ordinary Family” (8:00-9:00 p.m.)

At 8:00 p.m., ABC’s “No Ordinary Family” was up by 8% in Total Viewers (5.7 million) and by 20% among Adults 18-49 (1.8/5) week to week. In addition, “No Ordinary Family” registered sizeable year-to-year improvement for ABC in the hour, up by 3.6 million viewers (5.7 million vs. 2.1 million) and by 157% in Adults 18-49 (1.8/5 vs. 0.7/2) from the year-ago night.

“V” (9:00-10:00 p.m.)

Building on its lead-in among Adults 18-49 (+11%), ABC’s “V” posted gains over the previous week among young adults against original competition on CBS (“NCIS: Los Angeles”), NBC (“The Biggest Loser: Couples”) and Fox (“Million Dollar Money Drop”). “V” improved the 9 o’clock hour by impressive margins in Total Viewers (+90% – 5.7 million vs. 3.0 million) and Adults 18-49 (+67% – 2.0/5 vs. 1.2/3) over the same night last year.

· The ABC drama posted a season-high in Men 18-34 (1.5/5) and beat out its broadcast rivals to rank No. 1 (tie) at 9:00 p.m.

“20/20” (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

A special edition of ABC’s “20/20” at 10:00 p.m., featuring Capt. Mark Kelly in his first television interview since the shootings in Tucson, generated the Net’s best time period numbers in 6 weeks in Total Viewers (6.2 million), Adults 18-49 (1.3/4) and Adults 25-54 (1.8/5) – since 12/7/10. The “20/20” special boosted its time slot by wide margins from the year-ago night by 84% in Total Viewers, by 44% in Adults 18-49 and by 50% in Adults 25-54.

Wednesday

Up against the 2-hour season premiere of Fox’s “American Idol,” ABC posted a solid second-place finish on Wednesday night in Adults 18-49 (2.7/7), beating out third-place CBS by 42% (1.9/5) and fourth-place NBC by 59% (1.7/4).

· The Net grew by strong margins over the Wednesday last year, when “Idol” premiered from 8:00-9:30 p.m. (1/13/10), in both Total Viewers (+24% – 7.2 million vs. 5.8 million) and Adults 18-49 (+23% – 2.7/7 vs. 2.2/6). In fact ABC was the only major net up year to year against the Wednesday premiere of “Idol.”

“The Middle” (8:00-8:30 p.m.)

At 8:00 p.m., ABC’s “The Middle” defeated its non-“Idol” competition in viewers and young adults. Among Adults 18-49 (2.6/8), “The Middle” topped NBC’s original “Minute to Win It” by 86% (1.4/4) and CBS’ original “Live to Dance” by 189% (0.9/3).

· Marking the series’ highest-ever numbers against “Idol,” “The Middle” jumped over its year-ago performance opposite the Fox opener by 2.3 million viewers (8.3 million vs. 6.0 million) and by 24% in Adults 18-49 (2.6/8 vs. 2.1/5).

· “The Middle” generated a season-high rating with Men 18-34, equaling its top number in nearly 1 year – since 2/10/10

“Better with You” (8:30-9:00 p.m.)

Like its lead-in, ABC’s “Better With You” bested its non-“Idol” competition at 8:30 p.m. in viewers and young adults, leading the second half-hours of “Minute to Win It” (+17% – 1.8/5) and “Live to Dance” (+110% – 1.0/3) by wide margins in Adults 18-49 (2.6/6).

· The freshman comedy improved its time period for ABC over the year-ago Wednesday against the “Idol” premiere by 7% in Total Viewers (6.4 million vs. 6.0 million).

“Modern Family” (9:00-9:31 p.m.)

Standing as the definitive No. 1 scripted TV program on Wednesday among Adults 18-49, ABC’s “Modern Family” (4.6/12) built on its lead-in against the third half-hour of “Idol” at 9:00 p.m., towering above its closest scripted competition in its time slot by 64% (CBS’ original “Criminal Minds” – 2.8/7). In fact the ABC comedy topped its combined CBS and NBC scripted competition by 18% in the half-hour (4.6/12 vs. 3.9/10).

· In viewers and young adults, the ABC sophomore comedy scored its best-ever results against “American Idol.” The show surged over its performance on the year-ago night of the “Idol” opener by double-digit percentages in both Total Viewers (+40% – 10.9 million vs. 7.8 million) and Adults 18-49 (+39% – 4.6/12 vs. 3.3/8).

· “Modern Family” produced its highest Adult 18-34 number since November and its top Men 18-34 number since October – since 11/17/10 and 10/20/10, respectively.

“Cougar Town” (9:31-10:00 p.m.)

At 9:30 p.m. against the final half-hour of “Idol,” ABC’s “Cougar Town” earned second against its scripted competition in Adults 18-49 (2.4/6), beating NBC’s time-period premiere of “Chase” by 140% (1.0/3). “Cougar Town” registered as the No. 1 scripted program in the hour with Adults 18-34 and Men 18-34.

“Off the Map” (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

Retaining an impressive 91% of its week-ago series debut among Adults 18-49 (2.1/6 vs. 2.3/6) in Wednesday’s 10:00 p.m. hour, ABC’s “Off the Map” ran a close second to NBC’s veteran “Law & Order: SVU” (2.3/7) and beat out CBS’ time-period premiere of “Blue Bloods” by 5% (2.0/6). “Off the Map” ranked No. 1 against its drama competition in the hour with Men 18-49, Men 18-34 and Teens 12-17.

· “Off the Map” delivered strong year-over-year improvement for the Network in the hour, building over the same night last year with original programming (“Ugly Betty” on 1/20/10) by 1.3 million viewers (5.8 million vs. 4.5 million) and by 31% in Adults 18-49 (2.1/6 vs. 1.6/4).

Thursday

“Wipeout” (8:00-9:00 p.m.)

Head to head against the second night of Fox’s “American Idol” premiere from 8:00-9:00 p.m., as well as original comedies on CBS and NBC, ABC’s “Wipeout” pulled in an impressive 8.3 million viewers and a 2.6/7 in Adults 18-49. In the hour the winter edition of the ABC unscripted series beat out NBC’s original comedies, including the well-promoted series debut of “Perfect Couples,” by 3.9 million viewers and by 18% in Adults 18-49 (“Community”/”Perfect Couples” = 4.4 million and 2.2/6).

· In viewers and young adults, “Wipeout” produced ABC’s top results in 6 years against the opening hour of any “American Idol” Night 2 premiere – since “Lost” on 1/19/05.

· Despite facing the move of “Idol” into the time period this year, “Wipeout” drastically improved the hour year to year for ABC in Total Viewers (+17%) and Adults 18-49 (+44%) over original drama programming on the year-ago night (“Deep End” = 7.1 million and 1.8/5 on 1/21/10).

· ABC was the only net to build audience in the hour against “Idol,” as CBS, NBC and CW each lost viewers from 8:00-9:00 p.m. From its first half-hour to its second-half hour, “Wipeout” surged by 9% in viewers (7.9 million to 8.6 million) and by 22% in Adults 18-49 (2.3/6 to 2.8/8). In fact during its second half-hour from 8:30-9:00 p.m., “Wipeout” ranked No. 2 to “Idol” in Adults 18-49, Adults 18-34, key Women (W18-34/W18-49), Teens 12-17 and Kids 2-11.

“Grey’s Anatomy” (9:00-10:01 p.m.)

At 9:00 p.m. coming out of “Wipeout,” ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy” posted its strongest repeat numbers this season in viewers and young adults (4.7 million and 1.6/4), despite facing all-original competition on CBS, NBC, and Fox.

Friday

Gaining 8% week to week, ABC took second place against its network rivals on Friday night in Adults 18-49 (1.4/5), beating CBS and NBC. The Net ranked No. 1 on the evening with Women 18-49 (1.9/6).

“Primetime: What Would You Do?” (9:00-10:03 p.m.)

Surging 55% over its lead-in, ABC’s “Primetime: What Would You Do?” finished a strong second in the 9 o’clock hour among Adults 18-49 (1.7/5). In the key young adult sales demo, ABC’s “Primetime” dominated NBC’s “Dateline” in the hour by 21% (1.4/4). The ABC newsmagazine won its time slot with Adults 25-54 (2.2/6) and key Women demos (W18-49/W25-54).

· Building over the prior week by 13% in Adults 18-49 (1.5/5 on 1/14/11), “Primetime: What Would You Do?” equaled its highest rating since mid-November – since 11/12/10.

“20/20” (10:03-11:00 p.m.)

ABC’s “20/20” ranked No. 1 in the 10 o’clock hour among Adults 18-49 (1.5/5). “20/20” featured John Quinones’ report on the murder mystery of a popular school nurse on Mother’s Day 2009 in New England and John Berman’s report on vervet monkeys that are giving tourists and natives a run for their money in the vacation paradise of St. Kitts in the Caribbean.

· ABC’s “20/20” was up week to week in both Adults 18-49 (+7%) and Adults 25-54 (+5%).

Source: The Nielsen Company (National, Live+ Same Day Program Ratings), week of 1/17/11, unless stated otherwise.