Primetime Ratings Report For the week of February 21, 2011 (Based on National Live + Same Day Program Ratings)

ABC Finishes as the Most-Watched Network Overall, Generating Its Top Weekly Results in 1 Year with Total Viewers and Adults 18-49

As the "Academy Awards" Emerges as the No. 1 TV Show by Wide Margins, ABC Claims 6 of the Top 15 TV Programs for the Week Among Adults 18-49

ABC Wins Monday in Adults 18-49 with its Strongest Rating Since November

Hitting Season Highs, "The Bachelor" Surges Week to Week by 12% in Viewers And by 17% in Adults 18-49 to Rank No. 1 in its Time Period in Both Measures

ABC's "Castle" Achieves its Highest Adult 18-49 Number in Over 3 Months

On Tuesday at 10pm, ABC's Special "Primetime: What Would You Do?" Generates the Net's Top Ratings in Nearly 3 Months with Key Adults

ABC's "The Middle" Tops CBS' "Survivor" for 2nd Straight Week in Key Women

Marking its 2nd-Highest-Ever Teen Number Against "Idol," "Modern Family" is Wednesday's No. 1 Scripted Show in Adults 18-49 for its 16th Straight Original

ABC Freshman "Mr. Sunshine" Paces No. 2 to "Idol" in Adults 18-34 and Produces Big Year-Over-Year Time-Period Gains for the Net in its Half-Hour

ABC's "Off the Map" Posts Double-Digit Percentage Week-to-Week Increases

Surging to its Best Numbers in 3 Weeks, "Wipeout" Produces Big Year-to-Year Time Period Improvement for ABC Opposite "Idol" in Thursday's 8pm Hour

ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" is the No. 1 Scripted TV Show in its Slot In Adults 18-49 for its 16th Consecutive Original Airing This Season

ABC More Than Doubles its Combined Network Competition on "Oscar" Sunday

ABC's "Oscar's Red Carpet Live" Pre-Show Draws its Biggest Audience in 4 Years

Video Views for the "Oscar" Multiplatform Experience Surge 29% Year to Year, With 3 Million Video Views Across Oscar.com and the Oscar Backstage Pass App

WEEK No. 23:

During the week of February 21, 2011, ABC finished as the most-watched network overall (10.7 million viewers), drawing its top Total Viewer (10.7 million) and Adult 18-49 (3.3/9) numbers in 1 year - since w/o 3/1/10.

· Surging over the same week last year in viewers and young adults, ABC grew its overall audience year to year for the 3rd consecutive week.

· 2011 February Sweep (25 Nights): ABC is up in the February Sweep by 1.5 million viewers (7.6 million vs. 6.1 million) and by 15% in Adults 18-49 (2.3/7 vs. 2.0/5) over its year-ago performance. In addition, among Adults 18-49, ABC claims February's No. 1 comedy with "Modern Family" (also the top-rated scripted show) and the No. 1 drama with "Grey's Anatomy."

Rankings: ABC's broadcast of the "83rd Annual Academy Awards" finished as the week's No. 1 TV show by wide margins in viewers and young adults, standing as television's most-watched entertainment telecast in 1 year. Among Adults 18-49, ABC claimed 6 of the week's Top 15 TV programs: "Academy Awards" - No. 1, "Oscar's Red Carpet Live-3" - No. 3, "Modern Family" - No. 7, "Oscar's Red Carpet Live-2" - No. 9 and "The Bachelor" and "Grey's Anatomy" tied at No. 14. For the 2nd week in a row, ABC claimed the No. 1 newsmagazine in Adults 18-49, as "20/20" took the week's top spot.

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 39% currently, from 35% at the same point in 2010. 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.

Monday

ABC took first place on Monday evening in Adults 18-49. In addition, the Net finished No. 1 on Monday for the 5th week in a row across all key Women demographics (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54).

· ABC produced its biggest Monday in 3 months among Total Viewers (10.0 million) and Adults 18-49 (3.1/8) - since 11/22/10. The Net hit a 4-month Monday high with Adults 18-34 (2.6/8) - since 10/25/10.

"The Bachelor" (8:00-10:01 p.m.)

Gaining audience throughout its broadcast and hitting a season high, ABC's "The Bachelor" won its time slot among Adults 18-49 (3.4/9), beating out CBS' comedy block (3.1/8) and Fox's drama block (2.8/7 - "House"/"The Chicago Code"). "The Bachelor" continued to win its 2-hour time period among Adults 18-34 (4th consecutive week) and registered as Monday's No. 1 TV series overall with key Women (W18-34/W18-49) for the 8th week running.

· Surging week to week in Total Viewers (+12% -10.4 million vs. 9.3 million) and Adults 18-49 (+17% - 3.4/9 vs. 2.9/8), "The Bachelor" posted season-high results on both Nielsen measures.

"Castle" (10:01-11:00 p.m.)

During the 10 o'clock hour against original drama competition on CBS ("Hawaii Five-0") and NBC ("Harry's Law"), ABC's "Castle" (2.6/7) took second to "Hawaii Five-0" (2.7/7) among Adults 18-49. The ABC drama beat out its competitors with Adults 18-34 (1.8/5) and won the hour with Women 18-34 (2.4/7) for its 5th straight telecast. In addition, ABC's "Castle" continued to draw more overall viewers (9.0 million vs. 8.8 million) than "Harry's Law" and defeated the NBC drama by a best-ever margin of 53% in Adults 18-49 (2.6/7 vs. 1.7/5).

· Jumping 18% over the prior week, ABC's "Castle" posted its highest-rated telecast in Adults 18-49 since the beginning of November - since 11/1/10.

Tuesday

"No Ordinary Family" (8:00-9:00 p.m.)

Building year to year for the 3rd straight week, ABC's "No Ordinary Family" grew the Net's overall audience in the 8 o'clock hour by 9% over the same night last year (4.8 million vs. 4.4 million on 2/23/10).

"Primetime: What Would You Do?" (10:01-11:00 p.m.)

At 10:00 p.m., a special presentation of ABC's "Primetime: What Would You Do?" equaled the Net's strongest numbers in the hour in nearly 3 months with Adults 18-49 (1.4/4) and Adults 25-54 (1.8/5) - since 11/30/10 and 12/7/10, respectively.

Wednesday

ABC ran No. 2 on Wednesday to Fox with a 2-hour "American Idol" among Adults 18-34 (1.9/6) and Women 18-34 (2.4/7).

· Continuing to grow its Wednesday numbers year to year, ABC surged over the same night last year (2/24/10) by 3.0 million viewers (6.6 million vs. 3.6 million) and by 77% in Adults 18-49 (2.3/6 vs. 1.3/4).

"The Middle" (8:00-8:30 p.m.)

At 8:00 p.m., opposite "Idol" and "Survivor: Redemption Island," ABC's "The Middle" once again more than doubled the numbers of NBC's "Minute to Win It" in Total Viewers (+132% - 8.0 million vs. 3.4 million) and Adults 18-49 (+167% - 2.4/7 vs. 0.9/3). In addition for the 2nd consecutive week, ABC's "The Middle" defeated CBS' "Survivor" with Women 18-34 (+19%).

· ABC's "The Middle" was up week to week in both Total Viewers (8.0 million vs. 7.9 million) and Adults 18-49 (2.4/7 vs. 2.3/7)

"Better with You" (8:30-9:00 p.m.)

At 8:30 p.m., like its lead-in, ABC freshman "Better with You" towered over NBC's "Minute to Win It," leading by 1.8 million viewers (5.7 million vs. 3.9 million) and by 64% in Adults 18-49 (1.8/5 vs. 1.1/3).

· ABC's "Better with You" built its numbers over the prior week with key Women (W18-49/W25-54).

"Modern Family" (9:00-9:31 p.m.)

Increasing from its lead-in at 9:00 p.m. against the third half-hour of "Idol," ABC's "Modern Family" dominated its scripted competition, outdelivering CBS' "Criminal Minds" by 32% among Adults 18-49 (4.1/11 vs. 3.1/8). "Modern Family" registered as Wednesday's No. 1 scripted TV show in Adults 18-49 for its 16th consecutive original airing this season.

· "Modern Family" marked its 2nd-highest-ever number with Teens 12-17 (1.8/6) against "American Idol."

"Mr. Sunshine" (9:31-10:00 p.m.)

At 9:30 p.m., opposite the final half-hour of "Idol," ABC's "Mr. Sunshine" finished No. 2 with Adults 18-34 (1.9/6-tie). In addition, the new ABC comedy beat out the final half-hour of NBC's 2-hour "Minute to Win It" by 2.3 million viewers (6.1 million vs. 3.8 million) and by 100% in Adults 18-49 (2.2/6 vs. 1.1/3).

· "Mr. Sunshine" generated big year-to-year gains for ABC in the half hour, up by 2.6 million viewers and by 57% in Adults 18-49 from the year-ago night (3.5 million and 1.4/3).

"Off the Map" (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

In the 10:00 p.m. hour against CBS' "Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior" and NBC's "Law & Order: SVU," ABC's "Off the Map" posted double-digit percentage gains over the prior week in Total Viewers (+12% - 4.8 million vs. 4.3 million) and Adults 18-49 (+13% - 1.7/5 vs. 1.5/4).

· The ABC freshman drama also continued to deliver strong year-over-year increases for the Net, growing the hour in both Total Viewers (+1.8 million) and Adults 18-49 (+31%) from the same night last year (3.0 million and 1.3/3).

Thursday

"Wipeout" (8:00-9:00 p.m.)

Surging week to week in the 8 o'clock hour, opposite the first hour of Fox's 2-hour "American Idol" and CBS' original comedies ("The Big Bang Theory"/"Rules of Engagement"), ABC's Winter "Wipeout" (7.1 million and 2.2/6) defeated NBC's original comedies ("Community"/"Perfect Couples" = 3.3 million and 1.6/5) by 3.8 million viewers and by 38% in Adults 18-49. The broad-skewing ABC unscripted series finished No. 2 against its broadcast competition in the hour with Teens 12-17 (1.8/6) and Kids 2-11 (2.4/8), trailing only "Idol." In fact, ABC's "Wipeout" is the No. 1 TV show this season on the major networks in terms of Family Coviewing, as 31% of its Adult 18-49 audience watches with Teens 12-17 or Kids 2-11.

· "Wipeout's" numbers jumped over the prior week by 1.1 million viewers and by 16% in Adults 18-49 (6.0 million and 1.9/5 on 2/17/11), generating its best performance in 3 weeks.

· Despite going up against "Idol" in the time period this year, "Wipeout" was up hugely for ABC in the hour year to year among viewers (+82%) and young adults (+100%) over the year-ago evening with original programming ("Deep End" = 3.9 million and 1.1/3 on 2/25/10).

"Grey's Anatomy" (9:00-10:01 p.m.)

Up against the second hour of Fox's 2-hour "Idol," ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" beat out its scripted competition in Thursday's 9 o'clock hour in Adults 18-49, standing as the No. 1 scripted series in the slot for its 16th straight original broadcast this season. In its time period, "Grey's" (3.4/9) outdelivered NBC's comedies ("The Office"/"Parks and Recreation") by 21% (2.8/7) and CBS' "CSI" by 26% (2.7/7).

"Private Practice" (10:01-11:00 p.m.)

ABC's "Private Practice" (6.4 million and 2.3/7) posted strong advantages over NBC's comedies ("30 Rock"/"Outsourced" = 3.9 million and 1.9/5) in the 10 o'clock hour, leading by 2.5 million viewers and by 21% in Adults 18-49. In addition, for its 15th consecutive first run telecast this season, the ABC drama registered as the No. 1 scripted TV show in its hour with key Women (W18-34/W18-49).

Sunday

With coverage of the "83rd Annual Academy Awards," ABC more than doubled its combined network competition on Sunday evening. During primetime, ABC outdrew the other networks combined by 15.7 million viewers (30.7 million vs. 15.0 million - CBS, NBC and Fox) and by 102% in Adults 18-49 (9.1/24 vs. 4.5/11).

"Oscar's Red Carpet Live - 3" (8:00 - 8:30 p.m.)

With "Oscar's Red Carpet Live" pre-show from 8:00-8:30 p.m., ABC pulled in 26.6 million viewers, drawing the special's largest audience since 2007.

The "83rd Annual Academy Awards" (8:30-11:32 p.m.)

ABC's broadcast of the "83rd Annual Academy Awards" attracted an average audience of 37.9 million Total Viewers and posted an 11.8 rating, 30 share among Adults 18-49.

· Drawing its 2nd-largest overall audience since 2007, the "Academy Awards" registered as TV's most-watched entertainment telecast in 1 year - since 3/7/10. Hosted by James Franco and Anne Hathaway, the "Oscars" retained nearly all of its audience year to year with Adults 18-34 (96% - 10.7/30 vs. 11.1/31) and Women 18-34 (99% - 12.9/36 vs. 13.0/35).

· ABC's "83rd Annual Academy Awards" (37.9 million) overshadowed other awards shows this season, outdrawing the 2010 "Emmy Awards" by 24.4 million viewers (13.5 million), the 2011 "Golden Globe Awards" by 20.9 million viewers (17.0 million) and the 2011 "Grammy Awards" by 11.2 million viewers (26.7 million).

· ABC's "83rd Annual Academy Awards" reached an estimated 71.3 million unique television viewers across the U.S. - unduplicated Viewers 2+ watching 6-minutes or more during its telecast.

Online: Oscar.com and Oscar Backstage Pass App

Preliminary data on video views for the "Oscar" multiplatform experience surged by +29% year to year on Sunday, with over 3 million total video views across Oscar.com and the Oscar Backstage Pass App.

Source: The Nielsen Company (National, Live+ Same Day Program Ratings), week of 2/21/11, unless stated otherwise.