Ratings: ABC's 'Dancing with the Stars' ranks as the week's top show

Last week's second episode of ABC's Dancing with the Stars scored a clean sweep in the weekly ratings rankings, placing as the top ranked television program of the week among both total viewers and the Adults 18-49 and Adults 25-54 age demographics.


Building on its already impressive premiere episode numbers, Dancing with the Stars' June 8 second episode drew 15.1 million viewers, a 4.8/14 rating/share in Adults 18-49, and 5.8 rating in Adults 25-54.

In addition to dominating its Wednesday 9PM time period, Dancing with the Stars' first elimination episode also ranked as the top television show of the night across the board, winning the night in total viewers, Adults 25-54, Adults 18-49, Adults 18-34, Teens 12-17 and Kids 2-11.

Compared to its premiere, the ballroom dancing competition's second episode was up 1.6 million in viewers and 12% in Adults 18-49, with its numbers representing ABC's best summer figures in the time period in ten years and six years respectively.

Although its perhaps unfair to compare any series to the top ranked show on television, its worth noting that Dancing with the Stars's early ratings numbers are blowing away those of television's last big smash-hit summer reality talent competition show -- Fox's American Idol.


When it debuted in Summer 2002, American Idol drew 9.9 million viewers to its premiere, a then impressive performance, but a figure that Dancing with the Stars' 13.5 million debut figure blew away. Idol's ratings continued to grow strongly throughout the summer, climaxing with the 22.8 million viewers that it averaged during its September 2002 first season finale.