ABC Ranks No. 2 On Sunday, Best Numbers In 4 Weeks

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

Opposite CBS' Masters Golf Tournament-boosted lineup with an overrun into the opening hour of prime, ABC held the No. 2 position on Sunday night among Total Viewers (8.1 million) and Adults 18-49 (2.2/7-tie).

- Marking its 2nd straight week of Sunday gains, ABC turned in its best numbers on the night in 4 weeks since 3/14/10.

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

Up against a Masters-led CBS in the 7 o'clock hour, ABC's "America's Funniest Home Videos" earned a solid second place in Total Viewers (6.4 million) and Adults 18-49 (1.5/5), defeating NBC's "Dateline" (3.7 million and 0.7/3) by 2.7 million viewers and by 114% in Adults 18-49.

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

Surging from its lead-in by +2.1 million viewers +60% in Adults 18-49 and building sharply during its telecast, "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" made ABC the second-most-watched network (8.5 million) in the 8 o'clock hour to CBS.

- "Home Edition" marked its highest-rated telecast among Adults 18-49 (2.4/7) in nearly 2 months since 2/21/10.

"Brothers & Sisters" (9:00-11:00 p.m.)

Building on its lead-in and gaining audience throughout its 2-hour broadcast, ABC's "Brothers & Sisters" finished No. 2 to CBS in the 9:00-11:00 p.m. time period, outdrawing NBC's "Celebrity Apprentice" by 2.2 million viewers in head-to-head competition (8.8 million vs. 6.6 million).

- In Total Viewers (8.6 million) and Adults 18-49 (2.5/7-tie), "Brothers & Sisters" generated its best numbers since January since 1/10/10 and 1/17/10, 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 36% currently, from 30% 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), 4/11/10.