ABC's "Kimmel" Sees its Most-Watched Ever May

Some early points on Jimmy Kimmel Live's numbers, ahead of the regular press release:

Week of May 23, 2011

During the week of May 23, 2011, which included the final 3 nights of the season leading into the Memorial Day weekend, ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live was up week to week by 10% in Total Viewers, by 5% in Adults 18-34 and by 2% in Adults 18-49. Standing as the only late-night entertainment broadcast program to build its Adult 18-49 numbers over the prior week, JKL attracted its largest young adult audience in 5 weeks - since w/o 4/18/11. In addition, JKL also posted the largest weekly increase of any late-night entertainment broadcast program in Total Viewers.

· ABC's JKL saw double-digit advantages over NBC's Late Night with Jimmy Fallon in Total Viewers (+15%), marking the ABC's late-night program's 3rd win in 4 weeks over the NBC late-night program.

· ABC's JKL topped CBS' The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson by a season-best margin of 25% in Total Viewers to score its 11th consecutive win over Ferguson. JKL beat Ferguson by 16% in Adults 18-34 and by 9% in Adults 18-49, leading the CBS late-night program in 4 of 5 nights of the week in both key Adults demos. In fact, an encore telecast of JKL on Friday edged out an original telecast of Ferguson in Adults 18-49 and bested the CBS program by an impressive 34% in Adults 18-34.

· With its 9th win in 10 weeks, ABC's JKL bested TBS' Conan by a solid 34% in Adults 18-49.

· JKL's Tuesday telecast (5/24/11), which featured Taylor Lautner, Dancing with the Stars winners Hines Ward and Kim Johnson and musical guest Britney Spears, was the ABC late-night program's most-watched telecast on any night in late-night in 1 year - since 5/25/10. In fact, the Tuesday telecast attracted JKL's third-largest audience ever in late night. In addition, Tuesday's telecast was JKL's 2nd-best of the season in Adults 18-49.

2011 May Sweep

During the recently completed 2011 May Sweep, ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live grew 4% over the year-ago Sweep in Total Viewers to attract its largest overall audience ever for a May Sweep. In addition, JKL was up 3% year to year in Adults 18-49, qualifying as the only late-night entertainment broadcast program to see increases over the year-ago Sweep.

Growing its overall audience year to year for the 5th Sweep period in a row, JKL gained 12% over the 2011 February Sweep in Total Viewers, turning in its most-watched Sweep period since November 2008.

· ABC's JKL drew a larger overall audience than NBC's Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (+6%), marking its 2nd May in a row to beat the NBC late-night program.

· For the 2nd time in the last 3 Sweep periods, ABC's JKL beat CBS' The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson in Total Viewers (+8%). In addition, JKL outperformed Ferguson among Adults 18-49 for the third consecutive Sweep.

· ABC's JKL topped TBS' Conan by 11% in Adults 18-49.

2010-11 Broadcast Season

During the just completed 2010-11 Broadcast Season, ABC's JKL was up over last season in Total Viewers (+4%) and Adults 18-49 (+3%), generating its most-watched season in 4 years - since its 2006-07 season.

· In fact, among Adults 18-49, NBC's Fallon (-3%) and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (-15%) and CBS' Ferguson (-10%) and The Late Show with David Letterman (-11%) are all down through the comparable weeks last year.

Fringe Ratings Report: ABC Late-Night Programming Week of May 23, 2011 / May 2011 Sweep / 2010-11 Broadcast Season

Standing as the Week's No. 1 Broadcaster in Late-Night in Viewers and Young Adults, ABC Draws its Largest Adult 18-49 Audience in 2 Months

Building 9% Year to Year in Viewers, ABC Draws its Largest Ever May Sweep Audience in Late-Night

For the 2010-11 Broadcast Season, ABC is the Only Broadcast Network to Post Yearly Gains in Late-Night in Adults 18-49

ABC's "Nightline" Wins the 2010-11 Season and the May 2011 Sweep

For the 2010-11 Season, "Nightline" is No. 1 in All Key Demos for the First Time

For the May Sweep, "Nightline" Ranks No.1 Across All Key Demos

"JKL" Leads "Fallon" and "Ferguson" by Double-Digit Percentages for the Week

Posting 5 Consecutive Sweeps of Gains, "JKL" Sees its Biggest May Audience Ever

For 2010-11, "JKL" Delivers Year-to-Year Gains in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, Generating its Most-Watched Season in 4 Years

ABC Late-Night (Monday - Friday)

Week of May 23, 2011

During the week of May 23, 2011, which included the final 3 nights of the season leading into the Memorial Day weekend, ABC was up over the prior week in late-night in both Total Viewers (2.576 million vs. 2.402 million) and Adults 18-49 (918,000 vs. 916,000), standing as the only broadcast network to build week to week in late night on both Nielsen measures. ABC turned in its 4th-most-watched week of the season in late-night and scored its largest Adult 18-49 audience in 2 months - since w/o 3/28/11.

· For the 3rd time in the last 4 weeks, ABC stood as the No. 1 network in late-night in Total Viewers (2.576 million), outdrawing CBS by 10% (2.350 million) and NBC by 15% (2.232 million).

· ABC also finished No. 1 for the week in late-night in young adults (918,000), topping CBS by 5% (878,000) and NBC by 5% (871,000).

2011 May Sweep

During the recently completed 2011 May Sweep, ABC produced its largest ever audience in late-night for a May Sweep. Building its overall audience year to year for the 5th Sweep period in a row, ABC is up over the year-ago May Sweep by 9% in Total Viewers (2.594 million vs. 2.390 million). ABC also grew by 2% in Adults 18-49 over the year-ago sweep (915,000 vs. 899,000). In fact, ABC was the only broadcast network to grow year to year in late-night in both viewers and young adults.

· ABC posted increases over the 2011 February Sweep in Total Viewers (+12% - 2.594 million vs. 2.323 million) and Adults 18-49 (+4% - 915,000 vs. 883,000), with its largest overall audience for any Sweep period in late-night since November 2008 and its best in Adults 18-49 since November 2009.

· ABC (2.594 million) stood as the most-watched broadcast network in late-night, beating CBS (2.574 million) by 1% in Total Viewers and NBC (2.424 million) by 7%.

2010-11 Broadcast Season

For the complete 2010-11 Broadcast Season, ABC grew its late-night audience over last season in Total Viewers (+4% - 2.379 million vs. 2.289 million) and Adults 18-49 (+1% - 873,000 vs. 867,000). In fact, among Adults 18-49, both NBC (-9% - 911,000 vs. 1.004 million) and CBS (-11% - 912,000 vs. 1.029 million) are down through the same weeks last year.

"Nightline" (Monday - Friday)

Week of May 23, 2011

During the week of May 23, 2011, ABC's "Nightline" ranked No. 1 in each of the target demos: Total Viewers (4.279 million), Adults 25-54 (1.709 million) and Adults 18-49 (1.341 million), according to Nielsen Media Research. "Nightline" increased its No. 1 rank in Total Viewers to 14 straight weeks, while taking the top spot in Adults 25-54 for the 12th time in the last 14 weeks.

"Nightline" saw week-to-week increases in Total Viewers (+2%) and Adults 25-54 (+2%). The ABC program stood as the only late-night program to grow year to year in both Nielsen measures compared to its late night rivals, CBS' "The Late Show" (-6% and -4%, respectively) and NBC's' "The Tonight Show" (-9% and -12%, respectively).

· Hitting a season best, "Nightline's" Tuesday (5/24/11) airing drew the late-night program's most-watched telecast in Total Viewers (6.566 million) and Adults 25-54 (2.655 million) in 2 1/2 years - since 11/4/08, on the night of the presidential election.

May 2011 Sweep

For the 2011 May Sweep, ABC News' "Nightline" ranked No. 1 across all key demos: Total Viewers (4.402 million), Adults 25-54 (1.761 million) and Adults 18-49 (1.361 million), according to Nielsen Media Research. May 2011 represents the first time ever that "Nightline" ranked No. 1 in Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49 during a May Sweeps period, beating both NBC's "The Tonight Show" and CBS' "The Late Show." "Nightline" took the top spot in Adults 25-54 for the 3rd straight sweeps period, as the ABC program also ranked No. 1 in November 2010 and February 2011.

Compared to May 2010, "Nightline" was up by 14% in its Total Viewers and by 5% in Adults 25-54. This represents the ABC late-night programs' largest overall May Sweep audience in 11 years and best Adults 25-54 performance during the month in 7 years - since May 2000 and May 2004, respectively.

Versus the previous sweeps period (February 2011), "Nightline" grew by 14% in Total Viewers and by 7% in Adults 25-54. Looking at all sweeps periods, "Nightline" posted its strongest performance in both measures in 10 sweeps periods - since November 2008.

· "Nightline" topped NBC's "The Tonight Show" in May 2011 by 452,000 Total Viewers, by 111,000 Adults 25-54 and by 40,000 Adults 18-49, beating the NBC program for the first time in any of the 3 measures during a May sweeps period in 16 years - since May 1995.

· "Nightline" beat CBS' "The Late Show" during the month by 913,000 Total Viewers, by 237,000 Adults 25-54 and by 228,000 in Adults 18-49, turning its largest margins across all 3 demos in over 10 years during the course of any sweeps period - since July 1999, November 2000 and November 1999, respectively.

2010-11 Broadcast Season

For the 2010-11 broadcast season, ABC News' "Nightline" ranked No. 1 across all key demos: Total Viewers (4.023 million), Adults 25-54 (1.649 million) and Adults 18-49 (1.277 million), according to Nielsen Media Research. The 2010-11 season qualifies as the first time ever that "Nightline" ranked No. 1 in any of the aforementioned Nielsen measures during the course of a broadcast season, topping both CBS' "The Late Show" and NBC's "The Tonight Show" ("Letterman" began on CBS during the 1993-94 season).

"Nightline" improved by 5% in its Total Viewers and by 4% in Adults 25-54 compared to the 2009-10 season, representing the ABC late-night programs' largest overall season audience in 8 years - since the 2002-03 season. In addition, "Nightline" stood as the only late-night program to post season-to-season growth in Adults 25-54 as both CBS' "The Late Show" (-6%) and NBC's "The Tonight Show"(-4%) saw decreases.

· "Nightline" defeated NBC's "The Tonight Show" during the season by 149,000 Total Viewers, by 53,000 Adults 25-54 and by 3,000 Adults 18-49. In fact, "Night" bettered the NBC program in Adults 25-54 during the broadcast season for the first time in 16 years and the first time in Adults 18-49 in 17 years - since the 1994-95 season and the 1993-94 season, respectively.

· "Nightline" outperformed CBS' "The Late Show" during the season by 469,000 Total Viewers and by 101,000 Adults 25-54, producing its largest margins in both demos in 11 years - since the 1999-2000 season. In addition, the ABC program beat "The Late Show" by 126,000 Adults 18-49, scoring its biggest advantage in 12 years (since the 1998-99 season) and 2nd largest overall in the demo versus the CBS program.

"Jimmy Kimmel Live" (Monday - Friday)

Week of May 23, 2011

During the week of May 23, 2011, which included the final 3 nights of the season leading into the Memorial Day weekend, ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live" was up week to week by 10% in Total Viewers (1.921 million vs. 1.751 million), by 5% in Adults 18-34 (249,000 vs. 237,000) and by 2% in Adults 18-49 (755,000 vs. 740,000). Standing as the only late-night entertainment broadcast program to build its Adult 18-49 numbers over the prior week, "JKL" attracted its largest young adult audience in 5 weeks - since w/o 4/18/11. In addition, "JKL" also posted the largest weekly increase of any late-night entertainment broadcast program in Total Viewers.

· ABC's "JKL" saw double-digit advantages over NBC's "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" in Total Viewers (+15% - 1.921 million vs. 1.669 million), marking the ABC late-night program's 3rd win in 4 weeks over the NBC late-night program.

· ABC's "JKL" topped CBS' "The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson" by a season-best margin of 25% in Total Viewers (1.921 million vs. 1.537 million) to score its 11th straight win over "Ferguson." "JKL" beat "Ferguson" by 16% in Adults 18-34 (249,000 vs. 214,000) and by 9% in Adults 18-49 (755,000 vs. 694,000), leading the CBS late-night program in 4 of 5 nights of the week in both key Adults demos. In fact, an encore telecast of "JKL" on Friday edged out an original telecast of "Ferguson" in Adults 18-49 (568,000 vs. 566,000) and bested the CBS program by an impressive 34% in Adults 18-34 (195,000 vs. 145,000).

· With its 9th win in 10 weeks, ABC's "JKL" bested TBS' "Conan" by a solid 34% in Adults 18-49 (755,000 vs. 564,000).

· "JKL's" Tuesday telecast (5/24/11), which featured Taylor Lautner, "Dancing with the Stars" winners Hines Ward and Kym Johnson and musical guest Britney Spears, was the ABC late-night program's most-watched telecast (2.888 million) on any night in late-night in 1 year - since 5/25/10. In fact, the Tuesday telecast attracted "JKL's" third-largest audience ever in late night. In addition, Tuesday's telecast was "JKL's" 2nd-best of the season in Adults 18-49 (1.036 million).

2011 May Sweep

During the recently completed 2011 May Sweep, ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live" grew 4% over the year-ago Sweep in Total Viewers (1.887 million vs. 1.806 million) to attract its largest overall audience ever for a May Sweep. In addition, "JKL" was up 3% year to year in Adults 18-49 (740,000 vs. 719,000), qualifying as the only late-night entertainment broadcast program to see increases over the year-ago Sweep.

Growing its overall audience year to year for the 5th Sweep period in a row, "JKL" gained 12% over the 2011 February Sweep (1.877 million vs. 1.681 million) in Total Viewers, turning in its most-watched Sweep period since November 2008.

· ABC's "JKL" drew a larger overall audience than NBC's "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" (+6% - 1.887 million vs. 1.780 million), marking its 2nd May in a row to beat the NBC late-night program.

· For the 2nd time in the last 3 Sweep periods, ABC's "JKL" beat CBS' "The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson" in Total Viewers (+8% - 1.887 million vs. 1.750 million). In addition, "JKL" outperformed "Ferguson" among Adults 18-49 for the third consecutive Sweep.

· ABC's "JKL" topped TBS' "Conan" by 11% in Adults 18-49 (740,000 vs. 669,000).

2010-11 Broadcast Season

For the complete 2010-11 Broadcast Season, ABC's "JKL" was up over last season in Total Viewers (+4% - 1.744 million vs. 1.674 million) and Adults 18-49 (+3% - 717,000 vs. 693,000), generating its most-watched season in 4 years - since its 2006-07 season.

· In fact, among Adults 18-49, NBC's "Fallon" (-3% - 813,000 vs. 840,000) and "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" (-15% - 1.274 million vs. 1.496 million) and CBS' "Ferguson" (-10% - 701,000 vs. 779,000) and "The Late Show with David Letterman" (-11% - 1.151 million vs. 1.293 million) are all down from last season.

Late-Night Rank (Week of May 23): TOTAL VIEWERS A18-49(000)

ABC 2,576,000 918,000

CBS 2,350,000 878,000

NBC 2,232,000 871,000

Late-Night Rank (2011 May Sweep): TOTAL VIEWERS A18-49(000)

ABC 2,594,000 915,000

CBS 2,574,000 923,000

NBC 2,424,000 939,000

Late-Night Rank (2010-11 Season): TOTAL VIEWERS A18-49(000)

ABC 2,379,000 873,000

CBS 2,598,000 912,000

NBC 2,382,000 911,000

Source: The Nielsen Company, Live + Same Day National Program Ratings for week of 5/23/11, 5/16/11 & 5/24/10 or as dated. Live+7 (where available) & Live+SD for Season-to-date 10-11 vs. 09-10 (9/2/10-5/25/11 vs. 9/21/09-5/26/10) and May 2011 sweep (4/28/11-5/25/11) vs. May 2010 sweep (4/29/10-5/26/10) and Feb 2011 sweep (2/3/11-3/2/11). Comparisons based on 000s.

ABC Late-Night = "Nightline" and "JKL"; CBS Late-Night = "Letterman" and "Ferguson"; NBC Late-Night = "Tonight Show," "Fallon" and "Carson Daly."