“Meet” Wins Sunday Ratings

After a tighter-than-usual ratings weekend on January 11, Meet the Press reclaimed the #1 spot in all categories on January 18 (from the release):

According to Nielsen Media Research data, “Meet the Press with David Gregory” was the most-watched Sunday morning public affairs program, winning the week ending Sunday, January 18 in all categories. The Gregory-moderated broadcast was No. 1, averaging 4.446 million total viewers, +22 percent more (+801,000) than second place ABC’s “This Week” 3.645 million, a +40 percent advantage (+1,264,000) over third place CBS’ “Face the Nation” 3.182 million and a +207 percent lead (+2,998,000) over FOX News Sunday’s 1.448 million. “Meet the Press” has now placed first in total viewers for 381 of the past 384 weeks (when everyone is at full coverage). Rebroadcasts of “Meet the Press” on MSNBC delivered an additional 996,000 viewers.

In Washington, D.C., “Meet the Press” beat the competition with 160,000 viewers (5.4/13 HH), a +122 percent advantage over ABC’s 72,000 (2.2/5), a +70 percent lead over CBS’s 94,000 (2.7/6), and +119 percent more than FOX’s 73,000 viewers (2.5/6).

In homes nationally, the NBC program was No. 1, posting a 3.1 rating and 8 share. ABC came in second with a 2.6 rating and 7 share, CBS in third with a 2.2 rating and 6 share and FOX placed last with a 1.1 rating and 3 share. “Meet the Press” has now placed first in households for 119 consecutive weeks and 479 of the past 480 weeks (when everyone is at full coverage).

For its part, ABC boasts gains with women:

Among women viewers, “This Week” has experienced remarkable growth and has significantly closed the gaps with “Meet the Press” since last year. Among Women 25-54, “This Week” posted 700,000 to “Meet’s” 740,000 — a near tie and a growth of 23% for ABC and a decline of 11% for NBC vs. the same week last year. Among Women 18-49, “This Week” grew 31%, while “Meet” dropped 10% compared to last year. “This Week” also closed the W18-49 gap with “Meet,” by a whopping 95% vs. last year. In 2008 the W18-49 gap between the two shows was 220,000, and last Sunday it was only 10,000.

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