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ABC's Late-Night Programming Scores 2nd-Biggest Audience This Season

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During the week of November 26, 2012, ABC scored solid double-digit gains over the prior week in both Total Viewers (+20% - 2.684 million vs. 2.237 million) and Adults 18-49 (+16% - 763,000 vs. 660,000), attracting its 2nd-largest audience in late-night this season. In fact, ABC was the only broadcaster to post gains week to week in either Nielsen measure (CBS was down -4%/-6%, respectively; NBC was down -3%-17%, respectively).

ABC also saw growth over the year-ago week of 17% in Total Viewers (2.289 million on week of 11/28/11), building the most compared to CBS (+6%) and NBC (-14%).

- For the 9th time (out of 10 weeks) this season, ABC (2.684 million) qualified as the most-watched network in late-night, holding its largest advantage so far this season over CBS (+23% - 2.178 million) and beating NBC by 24% (2.163 million).

- ABC also stood as the No. 1 network in late-night in Adults 18-49 (763,000) for the 8th time this season, topping CBS by 8% (706,000) and NBC by 9% (700,000).

"Nightline" (Monday - Friday)
ABC's "Nightline" stood as the No. 1 late-night program for the week of November 26, 2012, across all key target demos: Total Viewers (4.252 million), Adults 25-54 (1.441 million) and Adults 18-49 (1.101 million), according to Nielsen Media Research. "Nightline" has been the top late-night program in broadcast in 8 of 9 weeks this season in viewers and in the key adult news demo.

"Nightline" posted across the board double-digit growth week to week in Total Viewers (+20%), Adults 25-54 (+18%) and Adults 18-49 (+20%), attracting its largest overall audience in 1 year - since w/o 11/21/11.

On Tuesday (11/27/12), "Nightline" aired the No. 1 late-night telecast of the week among Total Viewers (5.228 million) and Adults 25-54 (1.597 million). In fact, it was "Nightline's" most-watched telecast in 1 year - since 11/22/11.

Season to date, "Nightline" ranks No. 1 among the late-night broadcast programs in Total Viewers, Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49, ahead of both NBC's "The Tonight Show" and CBS' "The Late Show." This marks the 3rd straight year that the ABC program is taking the top spot in all 3 measures.

"Jimmy Kimmel Live" (Monday - Friday)
During the final week of the month, ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live" shot up over the prior week by 22% in Total Viewers (2.129 million vs. 1.750 million) to attract its 2nd-biggest audience this season, behind only the show's Brooklyn Homecoming week 4 weeks ago. In fact, this week ranked among "JKL's" Top 5 most-watched weeks ever. "JKL" also surged week to week by 14% in Adults 18-49 (644,000 vs. 563,000). In addition, "Jimmy Kimmel Live" grew its overall audience over the year-ago week by 22% (1.739 million on w/o 11/28/11).

- During the week, ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live" stood as the No. 3 talk show in late-night in Total Viewers (2.129 million), behind only NBC's "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" (3.648 million) and CBS' "The Late Show with David Letterman" (2.895 million).

- ABC's "JKL" (M-F 12:00 a.m.) dominated CBS' "The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson" (M-F 12:35 a.m.) by a season-best 44% in Total Viewers (2.129 million vs. 1.475 million) and by 15% in Adults 18-49 (644,000 vs. 558,000), beating the CBS late-night program in both Nielsen measures on each of the 10 weeks of the season. "JKL" drew a bigger overall audience than "Ferguson" on all 5 days of the week, including "JKL's" repeat telecasts on Thursday and Friday outdrawing original telecasts of "Ferguson" on both days.

- Featuring "DWTS: All Stars" champions Melissa Rycroft and Tony Dovolani, "Malibu Country's" Reba McEntire and Mike Tyson on Tuesday (11/27/12), "Jimmy Kimmel Live" pulled in its biggest single-day audience (2.906 million) since May 2010 - since 5/25/10. In fact, Tuesday's telecast stood as "JKL's" 3rd-most-watched on any night in its nearly 10-year history.

On average for the 2012-13 season (10 weeks), ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live" is up over the same point last season by 7% in Total Viewers (1.985 million vs. 1.854 million), marking its biggest-ever audience through this point in a season. In addition, "JKL" is the only late-night broadcast talk show to grow its overall audience year over year.

- ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live" posts its most competitive performance ever with NBC's "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" and CBS' "The Late Show with David Letterman" this season among Adults 18-49, pacing 332,000 young adult viewers behind the NBC program (691,000 vs. 1.023 million) and just 238,000 young adult viewers from the CBS program (929,000 vs. 691,000). In addition, "JKL" cut its year-to-year gap among Adults 18-49 with CBS' "The Late Show" by nearly half (-43% - 238,000 vs. 416,000).

- ABC's "JKL" (M-F 12:00 a.m.) beats NBC's "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" (M-F 12:35 a.m.) by 18% in Total Viewers (1.985 million vs. 1.676 million) and by 2% in Adults 18-49 (691,000 vs. 675,000) this season, drawing a larger overall audience than the NBC late-night program in all but one of the 10 weeks this season.

- ABC's "JKL" dominates CBS' "The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson" (M-F 12:35 a.m.) by solid double-digit margins in both Total Viewers (+28% - 1.985 million vs. 1.550 million) and Adults 18-49 (+19% - 691,000 vs. 582,000), topping the CBS program on each week this season on both Nielsen measures.