ABC Beats its Non-Sports Competition on Sunday by 19% in Adults 18-49

I guess Fox's 30 minute overrun makes them "sports" competition on the night, so ABC need worry about competing only with CBS.

via press release:

ABC Beats its Non-Sports Competition on Sunday by 19% in Adults 18-49

“America’s Funniest Home Videos” Sees its Numbers Surge Week to Week

Making ABC the No. 1 Non-Sports Network at 9pm in Viewers and Young Adults, “Housewives” is Sunday’s Most-Watched Entertainment Series for 9 Straight Airings

“Brothers & Sisters” Beats its Non-Sports Competition in the 10pm Hour,

Leading the Final Hour of CBS’ Christmas Movie by 36% in Adults 18-49

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

Facing stiff sports-driven competition on Sunday, including Fox’s substantial NFL overrun (Vikings-Bears) into the 7 o’clock hour and another big NBC Sunday Night Football contest (Steelers-Ravens), ABC beat its non-sports driven competition on CBS by 19% in Adults 18-49 (3.1/8 vs. 2.6/6).

“America’s Funniest Home Videos” (7:00-8:00 p.m.)

In the 7 o’clock hour against Fox’s NFL overrun, ABC’s “America’s Funniest Home Videos” jumped week to week by 2.3 million viewers (8.3 million vs. 6.0 million) and by 17% in Adults 18-49 (2.1/6 vs. 1.8/5), drawing its 3rd-largest audience this season. 

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

ABC’s “Desperate Housewives” made ABC the No. 1 non-sports net during the 9 o’clock hour in Total Viewers (12.6 million) and Adults 18-49 (4.3/10). In fact “Housewives” qualified as the night’s most-watched entertainment series for its 9th straight telecast this season.

• “Housewives” is generating an even bigger increase this season than last over its first-reported numbers through DVR playback, picking up an average 1.7 million viewers and an additional 8-tenths of an Adult 18-49 rating point from the initially reported Live + Same Day Numbers to the Live + 7 Day DVR finals. 

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

ABC’s “Brothers & Sisters” took full control of its non-sports competition during the 10 o’clock hour among Adults 18-49, beating the final hour of CBS’ movie (“A Dog Named Christmas”) by 36% (3.0/8 vs. 2.2/6).

• Like its lead-in, “Brothers & Sisters” is seeing a sizeable uptick this season over its first-reported numbers through DVR playback (also bigger than last season), picking up an average 1.3 million viewers and an additional 6-tenths of an Adult 18-49 rating point from the initially reported Live + Same Day Numbers to the Live + 7 Day DVR finals. 

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 33% currently, from 28% 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), 11/29/09.  DVR Playback = 9/21-11/8/09.