Reality TV shows and sporting events were among the most-viewed shows of 2009, while several science fiction shows saw boosts from the use of “time-shifted” viewing.
| Top 10 TV Programs – Regularly Scheduled | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| RANK | Program | Network | % of Homes in U.S. (Rating) |
| 1 | American Idol-Wednesday | FOX | 14.4 |
| 2 | American Idol-Tuesday | FOX | 13.8 |
| 3 | Dancing with the Stars | ABC | 12 |
| 4 | NBC Sunday Night Football | NBC | 11.7 |
| 5 | Dancing with the Stars – Results Show | ABC | 9.9 |
| 6 | NCIS: Los Angeles | CBS | 9.8 |
| 7 | NCIS | CBS | 9.4 |
| 8 | NFL Regular Season L | ESPN | 8.8 |
| 9 | Sunday Night NFL Pre-kick | NBC | 8.8 |
| 10 | The Good Wife | CBS | 8.5 |
| Source: The Nielsen Company *Top primetime programs: Note Data from Jan 01, 2009- November 29, 2009, regularly scheduled programs. Household Ratings include Live and Same Day timeshifted viewing. Excludes programs with less than 4 telecasts and programs under 5 minutes |
| Top 10 TV Programs – Single Telecast | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RANK | Program | Network | Date Aired | % of Homes in U.S. (Rating) |
| 1 | Super Bowl XLIII | NBC | 2/1/2009 | 42 |
| 2 | Super Bowl Pre-Kick | NBC | 2/1/2009 | 35.2 |
| 3 | Super Bowl Kick-Off | NBC | 2/1/2009 | 29.6 |
| 4 | Super Bowl Post | NBC | 2/1/2009 | 25.7 |
| 5 | AFC Championship On CBS | CBS | 1/18/2009 | 22 |
| 6 | Fox NFC Championship | FOX | 1/18/2009 | 21.9 |
| 7 | Academy Awards | ABC | 2/22/2009 | 20.6 |
| 8 | AFC Divisional Playoff | CBS | 1/11/2009 | 19.6 |
| 9 | Fox NFC Playoff | FOX | 1/11/2009 | 18.7 |
| 10 | Fox NFC Wildcard Game | FOX | 1/4/2009 | 17.6 |
| Source: The Nielsen Company *Top Telecasts: Note Data from Jan 01, 2009- November 29, 2009. Household Ratings include Live and Same Day timeshifted viewing. Excludes telecasts under 5 minutes. |
| Top 10 “Timeshifted” Primetime TV Programs | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| RANK | Program | Network | % Increase in Viewership |
| 1 | Battlestar Galactica | SYFY | 59.4 |
| 2 | Mad Men | AMC | 57.7 |
| 3 | Damages | FX | 56.3 |
| 4 | Rescue Me | FX | 53.2 |
| 5 | True Blood | HBOM | 46.9 |
| 6 | Stargate Universe | SYFY | 46.9 |
| 7 | Sanctuary | SYFY | 45.9 |
| 8 | Heroes | NBC | 45.9 |
| 9 | Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles | FOX | 45.5 |
| 10 | 10 Things I Hate About You | FAM | 44.9 |
| 10 | Dollhouse | FOX | 44.9 |
| 10 | Melrose Place | CW | 44.9 |
| Source: The Nielsen Company *Primetime TSV%: Data from Jan 01, 2009- November 15, 2009, regularly scheduled programs. Percent increase in rating is based on absolute difference between Live Household Ratings and Live+7. A program must reach at least a 1.0 live+7 HH rating and have at least 4 telecasts. |
