For the 3rd Evening in a Row, “Dancing with the Stars” Wins its Time Slot in Viewers and Young Adults and Stands as the Most-Watched TV Show of the Night

“DWTS Results” Generates ABC’s Top Results in The Time Period Since Last November

Earning Second in its Time Period, “David Blaine: Dive of Death” Draws the Net’s Biggest Audience in the Slot Since April and Top Adult 18-49 Rating in Over 7 Months

“Dancing with the Stars Results” (8:00-9:00 p.m.)
On the third evening of its 3-night live premiere event, ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” finished a strong No. 1 in its time slot, topping second-place Fox’s “Bones” by 6.0 million viewers (15.6 million vs. 9.6 million) and by 13% in Adults 18-49 (3.5/10 vs. 3.1/9). It was the 3rd night in a row that “DWTS” won its time slot with both viewers and young adults. Actor Ted McGinley was the second celebrity dancer to be eliminated from the contest this season. Also in the hour, “DWTS” towered over NBC’s highly-promoted series debut of “Knight Rider,” more than doubling the NBC premiere in viewers and outpacing it by 46% in the key Adult 18-49 sales demo (”Knight Rider” = 7.3 million viewers and 2.4/7 in AD18-49).

* For the 3rd straight night, “DWTS” registered as the most-watched TV show. With musical performances by the Jonas Brothers and Jesse McCartney, “Dancing” was also the No. 1 broadcast program on Wednesday night with Teens 12-17 (2.0/8-tie) and Kids 2-11 (2.3/9).

* “Dancing with the Stars Results” attracted ABC’s biggest audience and highest Adult 18-49 number to the time period since last November – since 11/28/07.

“David Blaine: Dive of Death” (9:00-11:00 p.m.)
Starting after the Presidential Address at approx 9:16 p.m. (ET), “David Blaine: Dive of Death” took second place in its time period among Total Viewers (7.8 million) and Adults 18-49 (2.6/7). The special featured David Blaine, the “Upside Down Man,” attempting to hang from a thin wire five stories in the air – with no safety net or airbag to break his fall – in Central Park’s Wollman Rink for three days and nights. During the 10 o’clock hour, “David Blaine: Dive of Death” beat out NBC’s season premiere of “Lipstick Jungle,” despite the lead-in advantage coming out of “America’s Got Talent,” in Viewers (6.6 million vs. 6.1 million) and Adults 18-49 (2.5/7 vs. 2.3/7).

* “David Blaine: Dive of Death” drew the Net’s biggest audience in the time period since April and its top Adult 18-49 rating in more than 7 months – since 4/16/08 and 2/13/08, respectively.

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 more than 27% currently, from 19% at the same point in 2007. 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), 9/24/08.