I do agree with Robert, it’s fine to pump up the numbers since all the networks do it and it technically isn’t a lie if the number can be justified, but the claim it’s bigger than ever shouldn’t have been made. I can see the reasoning, that if you hear that many people are watching something, maybe you should check it out. However, it’s nearly impossible to jump into LOST so I don’t see how that logic works for this show.

As for those ratings, the numbers are what they are, and while I hoped for better, there really wasn’t much chance the 5th season premiere could be higher than any of the previous ones. DVR bump percentage wise I expect to be higher than it’s been though since more DVRs are in use than last year, so we will see what that does. Plus, the ratings slide in Season 3 is largely how the writers got their end date set so we don’t really need ratings to go up since that might make ABC try to push for a season 7, we just need them to hold their own and not plunge too far. To be honest, I’m happy that it is still being watched by as many as it is considering it is in year 5, has been one overall major storyline, and is so complex that it can turn a lot of people off that will likely never be able to come back. Anyway, when all is said and done, if I’m not mistaken, the show should still pop up on ABC’s renew/cancel index at #3 behind Housewives and Anatomy. So despite having it’s lowest premiere, it still relatively is performing similarly to last season for ABC.

11 million from episode 1 of season 5 plus 11 million from episode 2 of season 5 is more than 20 million. I think ABC meant it that way.

But for all those who think Robert its attacking LOST, I don’t think so, nobody can say that LOST its not one of the biggest show running this time, and it will be remembered like that for many years……..I’m sure that in the future many shows will try to make the same, and they would failed.
Saying LOST it’s not a good show, that’s a real lie……

Sorry for my writing mistakes but English it’s not my mother language

I’ll leave the reviews to those better suited to write them, but I’ll gladly promote Lost (again, LOVED the third episode!). I am not much into spoilers, and even if I was ABC swears you to an oath of not giving away any information in advance.

@Sam, though I generally agree with everything you wrote, I would modify it to “Neilsen ratings aren’t as big of a factor for a show like LOST” ABC still wants to make as much advertising revenue as it possibly can. At least sub-consciously (and more likely consciously) that’s a big deal for ABC or it wouldn’t feel the need to puff it up in such a misleading way in the above referenced promotion.

Again, I don’t have any problem with ABC touting the 20 million figure, and I am not at all worried about LOST being cancelled, or not coming back for its final season but to suggest that more people are watching it than ever just isn’t true.

Anyway, my point here is…now Both Greys and Housewives are only reaching about 13-14 million viewers per week. ‘Lost’ has managed to shrink it’s gap by only 2 million viewers…it has caught up to those shows by default.

I would also like to point out Nielsen Ratings isn’t really a big factor for a show like ‘Lost,’ because it has a cult following…meaning it makes way more money with Dvds, merchandising and other promotional tie ins than Housewives and Greys ever would. Lost is more profitable than the other their other two shows in that sense.

Did either Robert or Bill have to write a review of the first 3 episodes in a newspaper or something in order to watch them before everyone else?

1. this *wasn’t* a post about LOST ratings, it was a post about ABC seemingly unabashedly lying (way worse than anything in the press releases, I think the PR people for the nets on balance do a pretty good job of being accurate with their spin)

2. I am aware that barring disaster, LOST’s ratings have absolutely no bearing on its renewal prospects, but we will definitely comment on the ratings numbers anyway.

I’m sorry that you want a blog of only posts that you don’t find critical of a show you like even when they were not actually critical of the show you like. Just because I love the show doesn’t mean I won’t comment on series-low ratings or ABC spinning that into “bigger than ever”/

I’m sorry that I won’t be a mindless fool agreeing with everything that you say here. Apparently, that’s what you must want…

Seriously, if you’re going to be a sensitive wuss every time the words “series low” are typed in conjunction with LOST, just to be safe, you might want to avoid this blog until June…

[edit] Wanted to chime in about the press releases also. 95+% of the releases we post, we post simply because they include a lot of data that isn’t available in the overnight or weekly reporting. At this point we’re posting dozens of them a week and there’s just not time to debunk them. Plus, after you have debunked the first few, it gets old, so we merely precede the press releases with “Via XYZ network press release” and leave it up to the readers to realize that as it’s a press release. Believe me, if the ABC press release for Wednesday night would have insinuated that LOST’s premiere was bigger than ever, Bill and I probably would’ve done separate posts debunking it!

P.S. this Wednesday’s LOST is awesome…

Basically, ABC’s promo could be summed up by saying “LOST gets good ratings, you should watch it.” So you’re ok with them throwing out the “misleading” 20 million number, but not with them saying it’s bigger than ever? Gotcha.

Considering the flocking of viewers over to cable, LOST is still about as big as it ever has been. I don’t see many fifth season or longer serial shows still on broadcast TV, do you? Take a chill pill…

Btw, Disney is not the only one who makes thinkgs like ‘#1 comedy on America’, NBC and MSNBC were saying they were first in the election coverage (when CNN or ABC were fist.. I really dont remember)

So what gives, Disney?

Adam, I’ve seen enough online, itunes and VOD data to conclude that for now, all of that will amount to significantly less viewing than just the week’s worth of DVR viewing that we won’t see for a couple of weeks. All the noise about new media, for now, is mostly noise. Live viewing via TV is still, and by a large margin, the biggest chunk of viewing. This may not be true for everything — short clips, especially, or perhaps even Obama’s inaugural address. But it’s certainly true for LOST.