Hit Me Baby One More Time Scores Big Ratings  6/3/05

'HIT ME BABY' IS #1 WITH A BULLET IN 18-49

DEBUT OF 'HIT ME BABY ONE MORE TIME' SCORES THE HIGHEST 18-49 RATING FOR A NEW SUMMER UNSCRIPTED SERIES PREMIERE IN ALMOST TWO YEARS

'HIT ME BABY' IS A 'CROSS-OVER' HIT, RANKING #1 IN ADULTS, MEN AND WOMEN 18-49 AND ADULTS, MEN AND WOMEN 18-34

BURBANK, Calif. -- June 3, 2005 -- Last night's debut of "Hit Me Baby One More Time" hit the highest adult 18-49 rating for a new summer unscripted series premiere in nearly two years, winning its slot among all adult viewers under the age of 50, according to preliminary "fast affiliate-based" in-home viewing figures from Nielsen Media Research.

From 9-9:59 p.m. ET, the premiere of "Hit Me Baby One More Time" (4.5 rating, 12 share in 18-49, 8.6 million viewers overall) scored the highest debut rating for a new unscripted summer series since June 10, 2003 ("Last Comic Standing"). "Hit Me" improved the time period by 55 percent in adults 18-49 versus NBC's performance on the same night last year (4.5 vs. a 2.9 with comedy encores).

"Hit Me Baby One More Time" was #1 in adults, men and women 18-49 and adults, men and women 18-34, beating all competition including CBS' "CSI" rebroadcast and ABC's "Charlie's Angels" encore. "Hit Me" built on its 18-49 lead-in by 55 percent (4.5 vs. 2.9).