CTV is crowing that its Private Practice, which airs out of simulcast Wednesdays at 8 pm, has delivered a strong season-to-date average of 1.4 million viewers (2+) since its premiere on Sept. 26, making the Grey’s Anatomy spin-off the top-rated new series on the Canadian commercial networks.

In comparison, Heroes, Global’s highly touted breakout hit of 2006, averaged 1.3 million viewers in its first season, about 22% less than Practice, which airs on ABC in the US.

‘Hats off to series creator and executive producer Shonda Rhimes for delivering yet another ratings winner,’ said CTV boss Susanne Boyce in a recent statement. The networks have been comparing ratings and demographics this season in a series of sometimes terse statements.

Heroes‘ second season has been poorly received by fans, though the supernatural drama is holding onto its audience, consistently nabbing 1.3 million viewers in the Monday 9 pm time slot since its premiere on Sept. 17. It airs in part opposite CTV reality juggernaut Dancing with the Stars, which racked up an average 1.9 million viewers for its fifth season.

Meanwhile, Global boasts the most-watched new Canuck program this fall as its five-part game show series Are You Smarter Than a Canadian 5th Grader? averaged a solid 1.2 million viewers in the competitive Thursday 9 pm time slot opposite Grey’s on CTV. The show’s cumulative reach stands at nearly seven million viewers over the course of its five-week run beginning Oct. 25, according to the broadcaster.

From Playback Daily