via press release:

ABC Finishes a Strong No. 2 in Viewers and Adults 18-49, while Ranking a

Dominant No. 1 on Thursday in Adults 18-34 and Among Key Women Demos

Freshman “FlashForward” Tops NBC’s Comedies at 8pm by Sizable Margins

Towering Over the 9 O’clock Hour in Adults 18-49, “Grey’s Anatomy”

Registers as Thursday’s No. 1 Television Series for the 9th Week in a Row

Improving its Hour Year-to-Year by Wide Margins in Viewers and Young Adults, “Private Practice” is the No.1 Series in its Slot in Adults 18-34 for 8 Weeks Running

Thursday Night (8:00-11:00 p.m.)

ABC placed a strong second to CBS on Thursday in Total Viewers (10.3 million) and Adults 18-49 (3.5/10), while finishing a dominant No. 1 on the night in Adults 18-34 (3.2/10) and among key Women demographics: W18-34 (4.7/14) and W18-49 (5.0/13).

“FlashForward” (8:00-9:00 p.m.)

ABC freshman “FlashForward” outperformed NBC’s comedies (“Community”/”Parks and Recreation”) in the 8 o’clock hour by 3.2 million viewers (8.0 million vs. 4.8 million) and by 20% in Adults 18-49 (2.4/7 vs. 2.0/6).

• The top gainer overall for any new series this season in DVR playback, “FlashForward” surges over the first-reported numbers by 1.9 million viewers and by 8-tenths of an Adult 18-49 rating point (+24%) from the Live + Same Day Numbers to the Live + 7 Day DVR finals.

“Grey’s Anatomy” (9:00-10:00 p.m.)

ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy” (5.0/13) qualified as Thursday’s No. 1 TV show in Adults 18-49, the top-rated series on the night for the 9th week in a row.  Dominating the 9 o’clock hour, “Grey’s” defeated CBS’ “CSI” by 43% (3.5/9), NBC’s comedy combo “The Office”/”30 Rock” by 52% (3.3/8) and Fox’s “Fringe” by 150% (2.0/5).  “Grey’s” was also once again Thursday’s highest-rated show in Adults 18-34 (4.6/13).

• TV’s most-popular show in DVR playback, “Grey’s  Anatomy” jumps over the first-reported numbers by  2.9 million viewers and by an additional 1.4 Adult 18-49 rating points (+24%) from the Live + Same Day Numbers to the Live + 7 Day DVR finals.

“Private Practice” (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

ABC’s “Private Practice” won the 10 o’clock hour among Adults 18-34 (2.8/9), standing as the No. 1 series in the final hour of Thursday evening for 8 weeks running.

• Versus the year-ago night (11/20/08), “Private Practice” improved ABC’s delivery in the 10 o’clock hour by 1.2 million viewers (9.0 million vs. 7.8 million) and by 24% in Adults 18-49 (3.1/9 vs. 2.5/7 – original “Life on Mars”).
• Like its lead-in, “Private Practice” sees impressive DVR gains from the first-reported numbers, shooting up by 1.8 million viewers and by 0.9 Adult 18-49 rating points (+23%) from the 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), 11/19/09.  DVR Playback = 9/21-11/1/09.