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LPWire: ABC Sees its Strongest Demographic Performance since Oscar Week

ABC Sees its Strongest Demographic Performance since Oscar Week

One of the Top-Rated Programs of the Week in each of the Key Men Demos, ABC’s “Monday Night Football” Continues to Show Gains over Last Season

“8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter” Wins its Time Slot And Improves the Half-hour for ABC in Viewers and Young Adults

“NYPD Blue” Opens its Season as the No. 1 Young Adult Drama on Tuesday, Winning its Time Period and Giving ABC its Best Demos in Nearly 1 Year

In Two of the Most Anticipated Match-ups of the Season, “My Wife and Kids” Overshadows Fox’s “Bernie Mac” Across the board And “MDs” Trumps CBS’ “Presidio Med” in the Young Adult Demographics

In its Time Period, “Wife and Kids” Draws ABC’s Largest Audience In 1-1/2 Years, Best Adult 18-49 Rating in Nearly 2 Years and Highest Adult 18-34 Rating in 3-1/2 Years with Series Programming

Opposite Enormous Competition from 8-9 p.m. on Thursday, “Monk” Debuts with ABC’s Largest Audience in the Hour Since April And Improves the Time Period over the Same Night Last Year

Broadcast Premiere of “The Green Mile” Makes ABC No. 1 on Saturday And Ranks as the Highest-Rated Movie on Television During the Week

Boosted by Strong Season Openers from “Alias” and “The Practice,” ABC Claims the Top 2 Programs on Sunday among Young Adults, With Each Program Beating the Competing NBC Drama in its Time Period

WEEK No. 1:

ABC was up from its solid delivery on the previous week, which included high-rated series debuts of “8 Simple Rules,” “Life with Bonnie” and “Push, Nevada.” In Adults 18-34 (3.2/10), Adults 18-49 (3.8/10) and Adults 25-54 (4.3/10), ABC hit its highest ratings since the week of the 2002 Oscar telecast (3/24/02). Excluding Oscar week, ABC tallied its highest marks on all three Nielsen measures in 8 months - since the week of 1/28/02.

Against premiere competition on all nets during the week, “Monday Night Football” ranked as the No. 1 program of the week in Men 25-54 and as the second-highest-rated program of the week in Men 18-34 and Men 18-49, behind only NBC’s season premiere of “Friends.”

ABC claimed the No. 1 movie on television during the week in viewers and young adults with the broadcast premiere of “The Green Mile,” despite the fact that it aired on Saturday night, which has some of the lowest viewing levels during the week. A total of 8 movies aired on the broadcast networks during the week.

Monday

NFL Monday Night Football: St. Louis at Tampa Bay (9:07 p.m.-12:12 a.m.)

ABC’s “Monday Night Football” drew 19.1 million viewers and delivered an 8.2 rating, 20 share in Adults 18-49. ABC led Monday’s primetime (8:00-11:00 p.m.) by 16% in Adults 18-34 (5.8/16 vs. 5.0/13 - CBS).

  • Game 3 of “Monday Night Football” posted double-digit gains over the third game of last season. Compared to game 3 of 2001 (10/1/01), this year’s game 3 was up by 3 million viewers (19.1 million vs. 16.1 million) and by 22% among Adults 18-49 (8.2/22 vs. 6.7/18).
  • MNF is showing solid gains over last season. Compared to the average for the Network’s first three games in 2001, the average of ABC’s first three games of the 2002 season is up 6% in Total Viewers (18.7 million vs. 17.6 million), 9% among Adults 18-49 (8.1/23 vs. 7.4/20) and 23% among Adults 18-34 (8.0/25 vs. 6.5/20).

Tuesday

With each of the networks rolling out new programming on the night, ABC earned solid demographic numbers on the first official Tuesday of the 2002-03 TV Season. ABC captured second place in the key Adult 18-49 category (4.4/12) and won the night in Men 18-49 (4.2/12) and Men 25-54 (4.9/12).

  • ABC posted its highest Tuesday night ratings in 8 months among Men 18-49 (4.2/12) and Adults 25-54 (5.2/12) - since 1/15/02.

“8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter” (8:00-8:30 p.m.)

“8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter” won its time period, beating second-place Fox’s “That 70’s Show” by 9% in Adults 18-49 (5.0/15 vs. 4.6/13). “8 Simple Rules” defeated NBC’s series debut of “In-Laws” by 52% in the key demo (3.3/10).

  • Compared to the 8:00-8:30 p.m. time period performance of the “Dharma & Greg” season premiere last year (9/25/01), “8 Simple Rules” improved the time period for ABC by 16% in Total Viewers (12.8 million vs. 11.0 million) and 14% in Adults 18-49 (5.0/15 vs. 4.4/13).

“Life With Bonnie” (8:30-9:00 p.m.)

“Life With Bonnie” delivered a very close second-place finish in its half-hour among Adults 18-49 (4.5/12), in a virtual tie for first with NBC’s second episode of “In-Laws” (4.6/12). “In-Laws” was likely boosted by pre-tuning for the season opener of “Frasier” at 9:00 p.m. “Life With Bonnie” retained a solid 90% of its young adult lead-in. Note: “Life with Bonnie” moves to its regular 9:00 p.m. time period tonight, October 1.

“NYPD Blue” (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

“NYPD Blue” debuted as the No. 1 drama on television Tuesday among Adults 18-49 (5.3/14), besting the other dramas on the night by substantial margins (“JAG” - 3.9/11, “The Guardian” - 3.7/9 and “Presidio Med” - 4.2/11). “Blue” led its hour in Adults 18-49 beating NBC’s “Dateline” by 29% (4.2/11) and CBS’ bow of “Presidio Med” by 26% (4.1/11). “NYPD Blue” also won its time period among Total Viewers (13.2 million), Adults 18-34 (3.7/11) and Adults 25-54 (6.5/16).

  • “NYPD Blue” produced ABC’s best delivery in the time period in nearly 1 year among Adults 18-34, Adults 18-49 and Adults 25-54 - since 11/6/01.
  • “NYPD Blue” built on its lead-in and gained audience during the course of its telecast. Blue built on its lead-in (7.9 million & 3.1/8) by 5.3 million viewers and by 71% in Adults 18-49. From start to finish, “Blue” increased its delivery among Total Viewers (13.0 million to 13.4 million) and Adults 18-49, where it increased by 2 shares (5.2/13 to 5.4/15).

Wednesday

On the opening Wednesday of the 2002-03 season, ABC attracted its largest audience (10.5 million) on the night in over 7 months (since 2/6/02) and hit its highest Adults 18-49 rating (4.5/12) with series programming in nearly 1 year (since 11/14/01). ABC placed a competitive second on the night among Adults 18-49 and won the night among Women 18-34 (6.0/16).

  • ABC tallied its best Wednesday Adult 18-34 performance (4.5/13) with series programming in more than 1-1/2 years - since 2/28/01.

“My Wife and Kids” (8:00-9:00 p.m.)

The season opener of “My Wife and Kids” soared to the top of its hour, leading its slot by 4 million viewers (14.8 million vs. 10.8 million - CBS) and by a commanding 62% in Adults 18-49 (6.3/18 vs. 3.9/11 - Fox). “Wife and Kids” was the No. 1 television program of the night in Adults 18-34 (6.3/19) and stood as the second-highest-rated program of the night in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, behind only NBC’s season premiere of “West Wing.” In addition the Damon Wayans comedy was up substantially over its year-ago season premiere, which was also a 1-hour telecast (12.3 million viewers & 5.5/15 in Adults 18-49).

  • In their first head-to-head match-up with original episodes, “Wife and Kids” towered over Fox’s “Bernie Mac” across the board. From 8:00-8:30 p.m., “My Wife and Kids” topped “Bernie Mac” by 6.0 million viewers (13.9 million vs. 7.9 million) and by 55% in Adults 18-49 (5.9/18 vs. 3.8/11). “Wife & Kids” even beat “Bernie” at its own game, besting the Fox show by a strong 29% in its core Adult 18-34 audience (5.9/18 vs. 4.5/15).
  • Aside from improving on its year-ago season premiere numbers, “My Wife and Kids” drew ABC’s largest audience in the hour in 1-1/2 years - since 3/7/01. The comedy produced ABC’s highest Adult 18-49 series rating in the time slot in nearly 2 years - since 11/15/00. Among Adults 18-34, “Wife and Kids” marked ABC’s best result in the hour with regularly scheduled programming in 3-1/2 years - since 3/3/99.
  • “Wife and Kids” posted its highest Adult 18-34 rating ever and tallied the series’ second-strongest performance in its history among Total Viewers and Adults 18-49.

“Bachelor, Revealed” (9:00-10:00 p.m.)

An ABC special, “Bachelor Revealed,” a lead-up to the series that dealt primarily with the casting of the program, produced solid demographic numbers in one of the most competitive hours so far this season. “The Bachelor” earned second place in the hour among Women 18-34 (6.1/15).

  • In a much more competitive environment than its original Monday series debut in March, “Bachelor, Revealed” was up by double digits in each of the key Women demographics - the program’s core audience. Versus its Monday night bow, “The Bachelor” special improved by 24% in Women 18-34 (6.1/15 vs. 4.9/12), by 24% in Women 18-49 (5.7/13 vs. 4.6/10) and by 14% in Women 25-54 (5.7/12 vs. 5.0/10).

“MDs” (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

Facing the high-rated final hour of the “West Wing” season premiere, the debut of ABC’s “MDs” topped CBS’ older skewing medical drama in the key young adult demos. At 10:00 p.m., “MDs” bested CBS’ “Presidio Med” by 10% in Adults 18-49 (3.4/9 vs. 3.1/8) and by a wider margin of 39% in Adults 18-34 (3.2/9 vs. 2.3/7).

Thursday

“Monk” (8:00-9:00 p.m.)

On its Thursday night debut, opposite the season openers of “Friends” and “Scrubs” on NBC and the second week of “Survivor: Thailand” on CBS, “Monk” drew an impressive audience. Attracting 7.1 million viewers, “Monk” delivered ABC’s largest audience in the hour since April - since 4/25/02. Competitively, “Monk” outdelivered the first hour of Fox’s movie, “Rush Hour” (5.1 million), by nearly 2 million viewers.

  • Compared the same night last year, “Monk” brought 1.1 million more viewers to the time period for ABC this year (7.1 million vs. 6.0 million).
  • Despite the extraordinary competition, “Monk” grew 7% in Total Viewers (6.8 million to 7.3 million) and by a sizeable 43% among Adults 18-49 (1.4/4 to 2.0/5) from its first half-hour to its second half-hour.

Friday

“America’s Funniest Home Videos” (8:00-9:00 p.m.)

The 13th season premiere of “America’s Funniest Home Videos” ranked No. 1 in its hour in the Adult 18-49 sales demographic (2.8/11 - tied with NBC’s “Dateline”), beating Fox's second week of its new series "Firefly" by 17% (2.4/9) and CBS' "48 Hours Investigates" by 53% (1.9/7).

  • The season opener of the veteran “America’s Funniest Home Videos” boosted ABC to its largest audience (8.4 million) and best Adult 18-49 rating (2.8/11) in the hour in 6 months - since 4/12/02 and 4/5/02, respectively.
  • Compared to the same night last year (5.5 million & 2.2/8), ABC improved its performance in the hour by nearly 3 million viewers and by 27% among Adults 18-49.

“20/20” (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

Despite the CBS drama’s sizeable lead-in advantage, “20/20” defeated the series debut of “Robbery Homicide Division” in the hour by 13% in Total Viewers (9.5 million vs. 8.5 million) and by 12% in Adults 18-49 (2.9/9 vs. 2.6/8).

Against the increased competition from season premieres on CBS and NBC in the hour this week, “20/20” was up from its week-ago delivery (8.5 million & 2.8/9) in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49. In addition, “20/20” improved the Net’s performance in the hour by more than 2 million viewers over the same night last year (7.1 million).

Saturday

The broadcast premiere of “The Green Mile” gave ABC a dominant across-the-board win on the first Saturday night of the season. The Network won the night in Total Viewers (10.2 million), Adults 18-34 (3.3/13), Adults 18-49 (3.8/13) and Adults 25-54 (4.4/13). During primetime ABC led its closest competitors by 13% in Total Viewers (10.2 million vs. 9.0 million - CBS) and by a wider margin of 36% among Adults 18-49 (3.8/13 vs. 2.8/10 - Fox). ABC ranked No. 1 in each half-hour of the night in young adults.

In Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, the 1999 theatrical starring Tom Hanks and Bonnie Hunt ranked as ABC's highest rated Saturday night movie in 1-year - since 9/29/01.

Sunday

“Alias” (9:00-10:00 p.m.)

The sophomore season premiere of “Alias” drew and average audience of 11.3 million viewers and a 5.0 rating, 11 share among Adults 18-49, building on its movie lead-in by 4.8 million viewers and by 150% in young adults (6.5 million & 1.9/6). “Alias” won the hour, beating NBC’s season premier of “Law & Order: CI” in each of the key adult demographics: Adults 18-34 (4.4/11), Adults 18-49 (5.0/12) and Adults 25-54 (6.2/13).

  • “Alias” ranked as the No. 1 program of the night in Adults 18-34 and as the second-highest-rated program of the night in Adults 18-49, behind only “The Practice.”
  • “Alias” scored its best numbers since its September 2001 series debut in Adults 25-54 (6.2/13) and Women 18-49 (5.8/13), and drew its largest audience in nearly 1 year (since 10/14/02). “Alias” notched its second-highest Adult 18-49 rating since October of last year (10/21/01) - second only to its strong season finale.

“The Practice” (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

The 7th season premiere of “The Practice” took top honors in its time period. “The Practice” led the final hour of Sunday’s primetime, beating the series debut of NBC’s highly promoted “Boomtown” by 4% in Total Viewers (13.9 million vs. 13.4 million) and by 8% in Adults 18-49 (5.3/13 vs. 4.9/12). “The Practice” stood as the No. 1 program on Sunday night in Adults 18-49.

  • “The Practice” posted its highest ratings since January (1/13/02) among Adults 18-49 (5.3/13) and Adults 25-54 (6.6/15). The legal drama posted its best ratings since October (10/21/01) in Men 18-34 (3.9/10).
  • Building on its solid lead-in, “The Practice” also grew 6% Total Viewers (13.5 million to 14.3 million) and 6% in Adults 18-49 (5.2/12 to 5.5/14) from beginning to end.

--Posted October 1, 2002
Source: ABC Media Release