In a challenging broadcast environment, ABC improved its primetime performance as the fall season began. This was due to the strength of such audience favorites as The Drew Carey Show, Home Improvement, Dharma & Greg, TGIF programs and Monday Night Football, plus such newcomers as the critically acclaimed Sports Night and The Hughleys, one of the top three new series on television among young adults. TGIF was also bolstered by the return of the Olsen twins in Two of a Kind.

As the season began, ABC received eight prime-time Emmys, more than any other network, including honors for outstanding drama series (The Practice) and three acting awards. Two of ABC's Emmys went to The Wonderful World of Disney, which is now the number-two primetime program among kids 2 to 11, second only to ABC's Sabrina, The Teenage Witch.

The network's unique Saturday morning programming block for children, Disney's One Saturday Morning, was top-rated among kids 2 to 11 last season. With three of the top five programs among young viewers, ABC's overall Saturday morning programming enjoyed a strong 21 percent increase in ratings from the prior year.

More Americans get their news from ABC — on television, radio and the Internet — than from any other source. Increasing its reach, ABC News consolidated its news-magazines and launched 20/20 Sunday, which joined the Wednesday and Friday editions of the program.

ABC Daytime continues to hold its 21-year leadership position among women 18 to 49. The View, launched late in 1997, has sharply improved ratings in the key 11 a.m.-to-noon time period.

ABC Sports maintains its prominence. Monday Night Football continues to be the highest-rated regularly scheduled sports pro-gram on network television. In addition, through 2002, ABC will carry games of the College Football Alliance that will determine a national champion each year for the first time. Also beginning in 1999, ABC will own exclusive network rights to the National Hockey League, broadcasting its all-star game and key contests through the Stanley Cup finals.

    The TV stations group consists of 10 outlets reaching almost 24 percent of the nation's households. The group recently renewed the syndicated Rosie O'Donnell Show for four years on eight of its stations. In addition, seven stations will broadcast The Oprah Winfrey Show through the 2001–2002 season. The group continues to operate top-rated local news programs in New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Houston.

In 1999, the owned TV stations group will take an important step toward going digital. The process began late last year, with stations in Los Angeles, Philadelphia and San Francisco broadcasting selected network programs in HDTV.

Scream 2 and Good Will Hunting were among the top three pay-per-view movies of the year,continuing the success of 1997, in which BVTV had the top four titles. Breaking new ground in pay-per-view, last fall BVTV offered a concert featuring country singing star Trisha Yearwood.