via press release:

Quick Take for Friday, November 20, 2009

(Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Ratings)

Finishing No. 1 on the Night in Young Adults, ABC Attracts its Biggest Friday Audience in 9 Months and its Top Adult 18-49 Number in Nearly 8 Months

“Shrek the Third” Generates ABC’s Top Adult 18-49 Number in the Time Slot

Since Early February and its Largest Audience Since the Beginning of March

ABC News’ “20/20” Wins the 10 O’clock Hour in Viewers and Key Adults,

Drawing the Newsmagazine’s 2nd-Biggest Audience in the Last 8 Months

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

ABC finished No. 1 on Friday among young Adults: Adults 18-49 (1.9/6-tie) and Adults 18-34 (1.5/6).

• Hitting season-highs, ABC drew is biggest Friday night audience (6.8 million) in 9 months and its highest Adult 18-49 number (1.9/6) in nearly 8 months – since 2/13/09 and 3/27/09, respectively.

“ABC Friday Movie of the Week: Shrek the Third ” (8:00-10:00 p.m.)

The “ABC Friday Movie of the Week: Shrek the Third” finished in a virtual-tie for first place with CBS’ original dramas in its 2-hour time period among Adults 18-49 (1.9/6 vs. 2.0/6), while placing a definitive No. 1 with Adults 18-34 (1.7/5). With the movie, ABC was also the top-rated broadcaster from 8:00-10:00 p.m. with Teens 12-17 (1.1/4) and Kids 2-11 (2.7/9).

• “Shrek the Third” generated ABC’s best numbers in the 2-hour time period since early March in Total Viewers (6.3 million) and since the beginning of February in Adults 18-49 (1.9/6) – since 3/6/09 and 2/6/09, respectively.  The theatrical turned-in ABC’s strongest performance in the time slot with Teens 12-17 and Kids 2-11 in almost 1 year – since 12/5/08.

“20/20” (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

ABC News’ “20/20,” featuring the continuation of Barbara Walters’ headline-making interview with former Vice Presidential candidate and Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, won the 10 o’clock hour in Total Viewers (7.9 million), Adults 18-49 (1.8/6) and Adults 25-54 (2.5/7).  It was the 4th week in a row for the ABC news magazine to finish No. 1 in the hour among Adults 18-49.

• “20/20″ produced its 2nd-biggest audience in the last 8 months (since 3/27/09), behind only the two-weeks-ago telecast of the newsmagazine featuring Diane Sawyer’s exclusive interview with Rihanna.

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), 11/20/09.