The 2008-2009 television season is the 63rd network season in United States television history. It began on Monday, September 22, 2008 and ended on Sunday, May 31, 2009. The effective start date of the 2008-09 season for the purposes of audience measurement was Saturday, September 27, 2008 through Friday, September 25, 2009.
Top 10 ranking of designated market areas by number of television homes for the 2008-2009 TV season. See the complete 2008-2009 Nielsen DMA ranking.
| Rank | Market | TV Homes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | 7,433,820 | 6.495% |
| 2 | Los Angeles | 5,654,260 | 4.940% |
| 3 | Chicago | 3,492,850 | 3.052% |
| 4 | Philadelphia | 2,950,220 | 2.578% |
| 5 | Dallas-Fort Worth | 2,489,970 | 2.176% |
| 6 | San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose | 2,476,450 | 2.164% |
| 7 | Boston-Manchester | 2,409,080 | 2.105% |
| 8 | Atlanta | 2,369,780 | 2.071% |
| 9 | Washington-Hagerstown | 2,321,610 | 2.028% |
| 10 | Houston | 2,106,210 | 1.840% |
Universe estimates used to calculate a program or network's rating within that particular demographic for the 2008-09 TV season. See the extended 2008-2009 universe estimates.
| Demographic | Population | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Households | 114,456,650 | |
| Persons 2+ | 289,950,000 | |
| Persons 2-11 | 40,760,000 | 14.1% |
| Persons 12-17 | 24,710,000 | 8.52% |
| Persons 18+ | 224,480,000 | 77.4% |
| Persons 18-24 | 28,790,000 | 9.93% |
| Persons 18-34 | 68,170,000 | 23.5% |
| Persons 18-49 | 131,970,000 | 45.5% |
| Persons 25-54 | 124,340,000 | 42.9% |
| Persons 35-64 | 119,070,000 | 41.1% |