“Desperate Housewives” Outdraws Its Nearest Competitors by 3.7 Million Viewers and by 38% Among Adults 18-49

via ABC press release:

Quick Take for Sunday, April 19, 2009

(Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Ratings)

ABC Posts a Dominant Sunday Victory in Adults 18-49, Beating Out Second-Place Fox by 24%, Third-Place NBC by 35% and Fourth-Place CBS by 55%

Sunday Night (7:00-11:00 p.m.)

ABC posted a dominant victory on Sunday evening in Adults 18-49 (3.1/8), beating out runner-up Fox by 24% (2.5/7), third-place NBC by 35% (2.3/6) and fourth-place CBS by 55% (2.0/5). Excluding only the 8 o'clock hour with a repeat "Home Edition," ABC placed No. 1 in 3 of 4 hours of the evening in the key young adult sales demo.

• On its first original telecast in 4 weeks (since 3/22/09), "Desperate Housewives" registered as Sunday's No. 1 TV show in both Total Viewers and Adults 18-49. "Housewives" marked its 18th time in 19 original broadcasts this season to qualify as Sunday's top entertainment series with viewers and young adults.

"America's Funniest Home Videos" (7:00-8:00 p.m.)

ABC's "America's Funniest Home Videos" finished a definitive No. 1 in the 7 o'clock hour in Adults 18-49 (2.2/7), outpacing No. 2 CBS 22% (1.8/6 - "60 Minutes"), No. 3 Fox by 57% (1.4/4 - "American Dad"/"King of the Hill") and No. 4 NBC by 120% (1.0/3 - "Miss USA Pageant").

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

ABC's repeat "Extreme Makeover:  Home Edition" was the second-most-watched show in the 8 o'clock hour, outdrawing original competition including the second half of NBC's "Miss USA Pageant" by 1.6 million viewers (7.6 million vs. 6.0 million) and by 29% in Adults 18-49 (2.2/6 vs. 1.7/5).  Building its audience from start to finish, at 8:30 p.m. ABC's replay "Home Edition" outdelivered Fox's "Simpsons"-led series debut of "Sit Down, Shut Up" by 2.9 million viewers (8.1 million vs. 5.2 million) and by 9% in Adults 18-49 (2.5/6 vs. 2.3/6).

"Desperate Housewives" (9:00-10:00 p.m.)

Sunday's No. 1 TV program, ABC's "Desperate Housewives" towered over the 9 o'clock hour, outpacing its closest competitors by 3.7 million viewers (13.7 million vs. 10.0 million - CBS' "Hallmark Movie") and by 38% in Adults 18-49 (4.7/11 vs. 3.4/8 - Fox's originals of "Family Guy"/"American Dad").

• Despite a 4-week break from originals, "Housewives" matched its highest-rated telecast since early-February in Adults 18-34 (4.1/11) - since 2/8/08.

"Brothers & Sisters" (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

On its first original airing in a month (since 3/22/09), ABC's "Brothers & Sisters" delivered the No. 1 position in its time period for the 4th consecutive original telecast across each of the key Adult demos: AD18-34 (2.8/8), AD18-49 (3.3/9-tie) and AD25-54 (4.1/10). 

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 31% currently, from 24% at the same point in 2008. 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.

Source:  Nielsen Media Research (Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Ratings), 4/19/09.