WITH BREAK-OUT PERFORMANCES FROM NEW AND RETURNING SERIES, NBC TIES FOR PREMIERE WEEK'S TOP SPOT IN 18-49

WITH BREAK-OUT PERFORMANCES FROM NEW AND RETURNING SERIES, NBC TIES FOR PREMIERE WEEK'S TOP SPOT IN 18-49

'BIONIC WOMAN' IS THE #1 NEW SERIES IN ADULTS 18-49 AND NBC'S TOP WEDNESDAY NEW SERIES PREMIERE SINCE 'THE WEST WING' IN 1999

'THE OFFICE' IS THE WEEK'S #1 COMEDY IN ADULTS 18-49 IN ITS FOURTH-SEASON PREMIERE

NBC WINS THE WEEK OUTRIGHT IN ADULTS 18-34, JUMPS 28 PERCENT VS. LAST YEAR'S PREMIERE WEEK AMONG MEN 18-34 AND GETS 2.4 YEARS YOUNGER OVERALL

NBC CLAIMS FOUR OF THE WEEK'S TOP 10 TELECASTS IN 18-49, AS MANY AS ANY OTHER NETWORK

'HEROES' MAKES ITS SECOND SEASON DEBUT AS THE #1 SHOW ON MONDAY NIGHT AND THE #5 SHOW OF THE WEEK IN ADULTS 18-49

'LIFE' DEBUT UPSETS THE WEDNESDAY COMPETITION, RANKING #1 IN 18-49, WHILE SERIES PREMIERES OF 'CHUCK' AND 'JOURNEYMAN' POST STRONG NUMBERS ON MONDAY

'LAW & ORDER: SVU' RETURNS WITH WINNING NUMBERS IN NINTH-SEASON DEBUT, DOMINATING THE COMPETITION IN 18-49, VIEWERS AND OTHER MEASURES

BURBANK, Calif. � October 2, 2007 � Fueled by strong premiere-week numbers for both new and returning shows, NBC tied for first place with ABC in primetime's key demographic of adults 18-49, averaging a 3.9 rating, 11 share in 18-49 and 9.9 million viewers overall, according to in-home viewing figures from Nielsen Media Research.

NBC's "Bionic Woman" muscled its way to the top among the season's newcomers, with the highest 18-49 rating of any new series to debut to-date in the 2007-08 season. "Bionic Woman" strong-armed the competition on Wednesday night, emerging from the fray as the night's top-rated show in primetime's key demographic of adults 18-49. In its debut, "Bionic Woman" was the #8-ranked program of the week in adults 18-49.

Altogether, NBC had four of the top 10 programs of the week in adults 18-49, as many as any other network. "Heroes" ranked # 5*, "NBC Sunday Night Football" ranked #6, "Bionic Woman" was #8 and "The Office" ranked #10.

Among men 18-49, NBC had three of the top five and four of the top 10 shows of the week, with "NBC Sunday Night Football" (#1), "Heroes" (#2), "Bionic Woman" (#5) and "The Office" (#7, tied). Among men 18-34, "Heroes" was the #1 program of the week, "NBC Sunday Night Football" was #2 and "The Office" ranked #4.

NBC won the week outright among adults 18-34 with its highest premiere-week rating (3.4) in three years. NBC also won the week in all key adult-male demos, including men 18-34, where NBC generated a 28 percent jump over last year's opening-week rating and growth on five of seven nights of the week.

The median age of NBC's audience is 2.4 years younger for this premiere week than for last year's (45.2 vs. 47.6). That year-ago median age was itself 2.0 years younger than NBC's age for the prior premiere week (49.6 in September 2005).

NBC tied for #1 in 18-49, its strongest competitive position in a premiere week in four years. Primetime averages for the week of September 24-30 in adults 18-49 were ABC and NBC (3.9/11), CBS (3.4/10), Fox (2.7/8), Univision (1.4/4), CW (1.1/3) and Telemundo (0.4/1). In overall total viewers the weekly averages were ABC (11.9 million), CBS (11.8 million), NBC (9.9 million), Fox (6.9 million), Univision (3.3 million), CW (2.8 million) and Telemundo (1.0 million). NBC finished within 2.5 percent of its premiere-week rating of last year while the other major networks were all off by double-digit percentages.

(* Note: Per Nielsen rules, Monday's "Heroes" results include unduplicated viewers from the program's Saturday rebroadcast, and those additional viewers are also included in NBC's Monday averages and NBC's weeklong averages. The hour of the Saturday rebroadcast is not included in the Saturday averages or in NBC's weeklong averages.)

NBC highlights for the week of September 24-30:

* Of the 19 new series to premiere thus far in the 2007-08 season, four of the eight top-rated new series in primetime's key demographic of adults 18-49 premiered this week on NBC � "Bionic Woman" (5.7 rating in 18-49), "Life" (4.0), "Chuck" (3.6) and "Journeyman" (3.5). Among men 18-34, NBC had the top four new programs of the week and among men 18-49, NBC had four of the top five.

* On Monday, "Heroes" made its sophomore-season debut as the night's #1 show in adults 18-49, while freshmen "Chuck" and "Journeyman" posted strong ratings in their respective premieres.

* "Heroes" soared 24 percent above last year's season premiere in 18-49 and 20 percent in overall viewers in results that combined the unduplicated audience of Monday's "Heroes" telecast with its Saturday rebroadcast.

* "Chuck" exhibited strong growth from half-hour to half-hour in both of its telecasts this week. On Monday, the "Chuck" premiere increased by 18 percent in 18-49 and 7 percent in total viewers from its first half-hour to its second. And in its Saturday encore telecast, "Chuck" increased by 7 percent in 18-49 and 19 percent in total viewers from its first to its second half-hour.

* On Tuesday, "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" kicked off its ninth season by dominating its time period in all key demographics and total viewers. Also on Tuesday, "The Biggest Loser" gained 50 percent in 18-49 and 51 percent in total viewers from its first to its final half-hour despite fierce competition.

* On Wednesday, "Bionic Woman" debuted as the night's #1 program in adults 18-49, topping the premiere of ABC's "Private Practice," the season premiere of CBS' "Criminal Minds" and the second week of Fox's "Kitchen Nightmares."

* Also on Wednesday, the series premiere of "Life" won its hour, upsetting the season premiere of CBS' "CSI: NY" and the series premiere of ABC's "Dirty Sexy Money" in adults 18-49.

* On Thursday, "The Office" made its fourth-season debut as the week's top-rated comedy in adults 18-49. "The Office" matched its highest demo rating ever against competition that included the season premieres of ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" and CBS's "CSI."

* On Friday, the two-hour fifth-season premiere of "Las Vegas" rolled solid numbers. In its second hour, which will be its regular time period, "Las Vegas" ranked #1 in 18-49 (tied) and total viewers.

* On Sunday, the "NBC Sunday Night Football" telecast of the Philadelphia Eagles versus the New York Giants propelled NBC to a nightlong win in adults 18-49, adults 18-34 and all key adult male demographics.

Ratings reflect "live plus same day" data unless otherwise noted. Season-to-date figures are averages of "live plus seven day" data except for the two most recent weeks, which are "live plus same day."

Additional NBC highlights for the week of September 24-30:

On Monday, Sept. 24 at 8 p.m. ET, the series premiere of "Chuck" (3.6 rating, 9 share in 18-49, 9.2 million viewers overall) ranked #2 in adults 18-49 and total viewers and #1 in men 18-49 and other key male demos, versus competition that included the season premiere of ABC's "Dancing With the Stars," the season premiere of CBS' "How I Met Your Mother" and the series premiere of "The Big Bang Theory," and Fox's "Prison Break." "Chuck" scored NBC's highest 18-49 rating in this time period since April 30. Versus NBC's average in this time period last May, when the competition also included ABC's "Dancing," "Chuck" was up 16 percent in 18-49 (3.6 vs. 3.1).

"Chuck" built by 18 percent in 18-49 rating from its first to its second half-hour (to a 3.9/10 from a 3.3/9). In total viewers, "Chuck" increased by 7 percent (to 9.5 million from 8.9 million).

"Chuck" is the #2 8 p.m. drama of the week in 18-49 ahead of "Bones," "NCIS," "Prison Break," "Ghost Whisperer" and "Smallville" and behind only "Ugly Betty."

At 9 p.m. ET, the second-season premiere of "Heroes" accumulated a 7.3/17 in adults 18-49 and 17.0 million viewers overall*, both new series highs. "Heroes" returned as the night's #1 program in adults 18-49, topping such competition as ABC's season premiere of "Dancing With the Stars," CBS' season premieres of "Two and a Half Men" and "CSI: Miami" and Fox's "Prison Break."

In these results that combine the unduplicated audience of Monday's "Heroes" telecast with its Saturday rebroadcast, the second-season debut of "Heroes" soared 24 percent above last year's season premiere in 18-49 (7.3 vs. 5.9) and 20 percent in overall viewers (17.0 million vs. 14.1 million).

Monday at 10 p.m. ET, the premiere of "Journeyman" (3.5/9 in 18-49, 9.2 million viewers overall) ranked #2 in the hour among adults 18-49, adults 25-54 and other key measures. "Journeyman" improved on NBC's performance in this time period for last May's sweep by 30 percent in 18-49 (3.5 vs. 2.7) and by 39 percent in total viewers (9.2 million vs. 6.6 million).

(* Note: Per Nielsen rules, Monday's "Heroes" results include unduplicated viewers from the program's Saturday rebroadcast, and those additional viewers are also included in NBC's Monday averages and NBC's weeklong averages. The hour of the Saturday rebroadcast is not included in the Saturday averages or in NBC's weeklong averages.)

On Tuesday, Sept. 25 from 8-10 p.m. ET, "The Biggest Loser" (3.0/8 in 18-49, 6.6 million viewers overall) surged by 50 percent in 18-49 rating and by 51 percent in total viewers from its first to its fourth half hours, despite potent competition that included ABC's "Dancing With the Stars," and season premieres of Fox's "House" and "Bones" and CBS' "NCIS" and "The Unit."

Despite the competitive landscape, "Loser" matched its comparable year-ago episode-three results (3.0/7 from 9-10 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 4) and finished within 12 percent of its prior week performance (a 3.4/9).

Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET, the ninth-season premiere of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (4.8/13 in 18-49, 12.1 million viewers overall) dominated the time period with its highest 18-49 rating since February 13, opposite competition from the series premiere of CBS' "Cane" and the season premiere of ABC's "Boston Legal."

"Law & Order: SVU" won the hour by all key demographic measures and in total viewers. "SVU" topped its nearest competitor by 60 percent in adults 18-49 (4.8 vs. a 3.0 for "Cane") and beat "Cane" and "Boston Legal" combined among adults, men and women 18-34. "SVU" increased from its first to its second half hour by 6 percent in 18-49 rating (to a 5.0 from a 4.7), while both "Cane" and "Boston Legal" posted declines in primetime's key demographic.

"Law & Order: SVU" was the #2 10 p.m. drama of the week, ahead of such telecasts as "Without a Trace," "Big Shots," "CSI: Miami," "CSI: NY," "Dirty Sexy Money" and "Cane," and only a tenth of a point behind ABC's Sunday drama "Brothers & Sisters," which benefited from a big lead-in from "Desperate Housewives."

On Wednesday, Sept. 26 at 8 p.m. ET, "Deal or No Deal" (2.7/8 in 18-49, 9.0 million viewers overall) scored NBC's highest 18-49 rating in the hour in five months (since April 18) and matches NBC's highest demo rating in the slot in nine months (since December 20, 2006). From its first half-hour to its second, "Deal" increased by 41 percent in 18-49 rating (to a 3.1/9 from a 2.2/7) and by 24 percent in overall viewership (to 10.0 million from 8.1 million).

Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET, the series premiere of "Bionic Woman" (5.7/14 share in 18-49, 13.9 million viewers overall) was the #1 telecast of the night in adults 18-49, winning its fiercely competitive time period versus the series premiere of ABC's "Private Practice," the season premiere of CBS' "Criminal Minds" and week two of Fox's "Kitchen Nightmares." "Bionic Woman" also won its slot in adults 25-54 and all key adult-male demos.

"Bionic Woman" was NBC's highest-rated program in this time period in nearly three years, excluding Olympics (since a special "Apprentice" on September 29, 2004). This marks NBC's highest-rated Wednesday new series premiere among adults 18-49 since "The West Wing" on September 22, 1999. In primetime's key demographic of adults 18-49, "Bionic" is also the top-rated new series premiere to date for the 2007-08 television season.

"Bionic Woman" built on its lead-in from the previous hour by 111 percent. The premiere telecast increased from half-hour to half-hour in both 18-49 and total viewers. Its 0.4 of a rating point increase in adults 18-49 (to a 5.9 from a 5.5) is the most growth of any program in the hour

Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET, the series premiere of "Life" (4.0/11 in 18-49, 9.9 million viewers overall) upset the competition, ranking #1 in its highly competitive hour in adults 18-49, adults 25-54 adults 18-34 (tie) and in all key male demos. "Life" scored NBC's highest rating in this time period since June 21, 2006 and improved on NBC's premiere-week 18-49 rating in this time period last season by 43 percent (4.0 vs. 2.8) and the network's year-ago overall viewer total by 30 percent (9.9 million vs. 7.6 million).

In both 18-49 and total viewers, this was NBC's top Wednesday night since December 13, 2006 and its best premiere Wednesday in three years. NBC ranked #1 for the night in all key adult male demographics (men 18-34, men 18-49 and men 25-54).

On Thursday, Sept. 27 at 8 p.m. ET, the third-season premiere of "My Name is Earl" (3.8/11 in 18-49, 8.7 million viewers overall) scored that series' highest 18-49 rating since February 15 and its biggest overall viewership since February 22. "Earl" pulled to within 2 shares of the time period lead in adults 18-49, having finished 6 shares out of first place on premiere Thursday of last season. "Earl" won this highly competitive hour among men 18-34.

Thursday from 9-10:01 p.m. ET, the fourth-season debut of "The Office" (5.1/12 in 18-49, 9.7 million viewers overall) scored NBC's highest 18-49 rating in this time period since the "Will & Grace" finale on May 18, 2006 and tied its own series 18-49 rating record (previously established on January 12, 2006, live plus same day).

"The Office" improved on its own year-ago season-premiere rating by 19 percent in 18-49 and 6 percent in total viewers (4.3/11 in 18-49, 9.1 million viewers overall from 8:30-9 p.m. on September 21, 2006). Versus NBC's premiere Thursday result in this hour last year, "The Office" was up 46 percent in adults 18-49 (5.1 vs. 3.5). "The Office" was #1 in the time period among men 18-34, topping the season premieres of both "Grey's Anatomy" and "CSI" in that elusive demo.

Thursday from 10:01-11 p.m. ET, the 14th-season premiere of "ER" (4.1/11 in 18-49, 9.9 million viewers overall) delivered that series' highest 18-49 rating and overall viewership since February 22. "ER" launched the new season up 14 percent in 18-49 versus its average in the May sweep (4.1 vs. 3.6). "ER" pulled to within 2 shares of the time period lead in adults 18-49, though ABC had a 9-share advantage in the previous hour and CBS enjoyed a 7-share advantage. From half-hour to half-hour, "ER" held 100 percent of its 18-49 rating (4.1 in both half hours), while competing dramas "Without a Trace" on CBS declined by 12 percent (from a 5.0 to a 4.4) and ABC's debuting "Big Shots" diminished by 22 percent (from a 5.1 to a 4.0).

On Friday, Sept. 28 at 8 p.m. ET, "Deal or No Deal" (1.8/7 in 18-49, 7.5 million viewers overall) dealt NBC its highest 18-49 rating in this time period since April 13 and biggest overall viewership since March 16.

Friday from 9-11 p.m. ET, the fifth-season premiere of "Las Vegas" (2.5/8 in 18-49, 9.3 million viewers overall) rolled NBC's highest 18-49 rating in this time period since March 16. In the 10-11 p.m. hour, the regular time period for "Las Vegas" this season, the drama ranked #1 in adults 18-49 (tied) and in total viewers.

On Saturday, Sept. 29 at 9 p.m. ET, an encore telecast of Monday's "Chuck" (1.5/5 in 18-49, 4.6 million viewers overall) snared NBC's highest 18-49 rating in the time period since March 24. "Chuck" increased by 7 percent in 18-49 and 19 percent in total viewers from its first to its second half-hour. At 10 p.m. ET, an encore telecast of "Law & Order: SVU" (1.6/5 in 18-49, 5.6 million viewers overall) was the #1 non-sports telecast in the hour among adults 18-49 and ranked #1 outright in total viewers.

(* Note: Results from the Saturday 8-9 p.m. ET rebroadcast of "Heroes" were cumed with the show's original Monday telecast, per Nielsen rules.)

On Sunday, Sept. 23, "NBC Sunday Night Football", featuring the Philadelphia Eagles versus the New York Giants, averaged a 6.2/16 in adults 18-49, 15.0 million viewers overall and a 9.4/15 household rating and share from 8:24-11:03 p.m. ET. The game ranked as the #1 program of the week among men 18-49 and men 25-54 (9.0).

Also on Sunday, "Football Night in America 2" from 7:30-7:58 p.m. ET averaged a 2.1/7 18-49, 5.4 million viewers overall and a 3.6 rating, 7 share in households. "Football Night in America 3" from 7:58-8:15 p.m. delivered a 3.3/10 in 18-49, 7.9 million viewers overall and a 5.0/9 in households. From 8:15-8:25 p.m., "NBC Sunday Night Football Pre Kickoff" averaged a 4.2/12 in 18-49, 10.1 million viewers overall and a 6.5/11 in households. Note: "Football Night in America" from 7-7:30 p.m. ET was sustaining programming and does not figure in the nightly or weekly primetime averages.

For the night (from 7:30-11 p.m.), NBC averaged a 5.3/14 in adults 18-49 and 13.0 million viewers overall to win Sunday in adults 18-49, adults 18-34 and all key adult male demographics.