"DWTS" Puts ABC Ahead of the Pack.

Source: Zap2it.com

Ratings: ABC Sees 'Stars' Monday
CBS gets a demo win; so-so start for 'Heroes'

Fast National ratings for Monday, Sept. 22, 2008

ABC got out of the blocks fastest on the first official night of the 2008-09 season, riding the premiere of "Dancing with the Stars" to a ratings win.

The return of "Heroes" to NBC after a nine-month layoff wasn't as impressive, drawing an audience no bigger than when it left the airwaves last December.

ABC led the night with a 10.9 rating/17 share, drawing about 4 million more viewers than second-place CBS, 8.2/13. NBC came in third with a 5.2/8. FOX, 3.7/5, was fourth, and The CW trailed with a 2.2/3.

CBS managed to capture the top spot among adults 18-49, drawing a 4.5 rating in the advertisers' favorite demographic. ABC, 4.3, finished a close second, followed by NBC at 4.1. FOX averaged 2.4 and The CW 1.5.

"Dancing with the Stars" opened its seventh cycle with a 13.2/20 at 8 p.m., dominating the hour. CBS finished a distant second with the season premieres of "The Big Bang Theory," 5.7/9, and "How I Met Your Mother," 5.9/9. A "Heroes" special/clip show drew a 3.8/6 for NBC, narrowly beating "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" on FOX (the two networks tied in households, but NBC had a slight lead in total viewers). "Gossip Girl" drew a 2.2/3 for The CW.

ABC held the lead at 9 p.m. as "Dancing with the Stars" rose slightly to 13.5/20. CBS got a 9.1/13 from "Two and a Half Men," followed by the series premiere of "Worst Week" (6.8/10), which held onto a little more 70 percent of its lead-in audience. "Heroes" scored a 6.1/9 for NBC. "Prison Break," 3.6/5, kept FOX in fourth, ahead of "One Tree Hill" on The CW.

The season premiere of "CSI: Miami," 11.0/18, put CBS on top at 10 p.m. ABC's "Boston Legal," 6.1/10, took second in households, but the second hour of "Heroes," 5.6/9, had a few more viewers.