ABC Earns Second Place To CBS With Its 'Academy Of Country Music Awards'

Up against competition from CBS' 3-hour broadcast of the "Academy of Country Music Awards," ABC earned second place Sunday night in Total Viewers (7.9 million) and Adults 18-49 (2.3/6). Although half of its schedule was in repeat (7:00-9:00 p.m.), ABC defeated NBC's all-original Sunday line-up by 1.6 million viewers and by 10% in Adults 18-49 (NBC's "Dateline"/"Minute To Win It"/2-hour "Celebrity Apprentice" = 6.3 million and 2.1/6).

· Marking its 3rd consecutive Sunday of week-to-week growth, ABC turned in its highest Adult 18-49 rating on the evening in 5 weeks since 3/14/10.

"America's Funniest Home Videos" (7:00-8:00 p.m.)

ABC's repeat airing of "America's Funniest Home Videos" finished No. 1 in the 7 o'clock hour among Adults 18-49 (1.7/6), beating originals of CBS' "60 Minutes" by 13% (1.5/5) and NBC's "Dateline" by 31% (1.3/4).

· In Total Viewers (6.7 million) and Adults 18-49 (1.7/6), "AFV" turned in its strongest repeat performance since December since 12/20/09.

"Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" (8:00-9:00 p.m.)

Opposite the opening hour of CBS' "Academy of Country Music Awards," a repeat of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" stood as the most-watched TV series from 8:00-9:00 p.m.

· In viewers (6.7 million-tie) and young adults (1.9/5-tie), "Home Edition" posted its best repeat numbers in 1 year since 4/19/09.

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

Leading its regular competition in the 9 o'clock hour by wide margins among Total Viewers (10.4 million) and Adults 18-49 (3.3/8), ABC's "Desperate Housewives" emerged as Sunday's No. 1 TV show in Adults 18-49. "Housewives" outperformed its nearest series competition in the time period by 3.8 million viewers (NBC's "Celebrity Apprentice" = 6.6 million) and by 22% in Adults 18-49 (Fox's "Family Guy"/"American Dad" = 2.7/7).

· "Housewives" marked its 6th straight original telecast as Sunday's No. 1 scripted TV show in viewers and young adults.

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

Opposite the final hour of CBS' awards show, ABC's "Brothers & Sisters" stood as the No. 1 series in the 10:00 p.m. hour across all key Women demographics: W18-34 (2.3/6), W18-49 (3.0/8), and W25-54 (3.9/9).

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 36% currently, from 31% at the same point in 2009. 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), 4/18/10.