via ABC press release:
Quick Take for Tuesday, August 18, 2009
(Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Ratings)
“Millionaire” is Up Week to Week on Tuesday in Viewers and Adults 18-49, Generating ABC’s Biggest Audience of Summer ‘09 in the Time Period
Surging 21% from its Adult 18-49 Lead-in Opposite Established Unscripted Competition on NBC and CBS at 9pm, the Debut of “Shaq VS” Pulls in ABC’s
Top Summer Numbers in the Hour with Regular Programming in More Than 1 Year
“Primetime: The Outsiders” Takes Second to “America’s Got Talent”
During the 10 O’clock Hour Among Adults 18-49 and Adults 25-54
“Millionaire-8/18” (8:00-9:00 p.m.)
During the 8 o’clock hour, ABC’s “Millionaire” was up over the prior Tuesday by 3% in Total Viewers (6.3 million vs. 6.1 million) and by 8% in Adults 18-49 (1.4/5 vs. 1.3/4).
- “Millionaire” generated ABC’s biggest audience in the hour this summer and its second-highest Adult 18-49 rating (tie).
“Shaq VS” (9:00-10:00 p.m.)
The series debut of ABC’s “Shaq VS” jumped from its lead-in by 21% in Adults 18-49 (1.7/5 vs. 1.4/5) and gained young audience throughout its telecast (+13% build on the half-hour), opposite established unscripted time-period competition on both NBC (“America’s Got Talent”) and CBS (“Big Brother”) from 9:00-10:00 p.m. In fact despite a decided lead-in advantage for Fox coming into 9 o’clock from “Hell’s Kitchen,” “Shaq VS” outdrew Fox’s freshman unscripted “More To Love” by 8% in Total Viewers (4.3 vs. 4.0 million). On the show’s premiere episode, Shaquille O’ Neal challenged Super Bowl-winning Ben Roethlisberger, of the Pittsburgh Steelers, to a quarterbacking challenge.
- In Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, “Shaq VS” produced ABC’s strongest summer numbers in the hour with regular programming in more than 1 year – since 8/5/08.
“Primetime: The Outsiders” (10:00-11:00 p.m.)
ABC News’ “Primetime: The Outsiders” earned second place in the 10 o’clock hour to NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” among Adults 18-49 (1.3/4) and Adults 25-54 (1.6/4).
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 32% currently, from 26% 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), 8/18/09.
What did ABC have @ 9 p.m. all year that got worse than a 1.7?
not all year, just the summers. It’s been various things this summer from repeats of reality shows to Better off Ted and Scrubs. Not sure about last summer…
Last summer, ABC had the Wipeout/I Survived A Japanese Game Show combo on Tuesdays from 8-10pm. After JGS was finished, the now-canceled Wanna Bet aired in the post-Wipeout slot for a few weeks. Primetime: The Outsiders was on for most of the summer in the Tuesday 10pm hour.