Primetime Ratings Report For the week of March 12, 2012 (Based on National Live + Same Day Program Ratings)

ABC Delivers 7 of the Top 20 TV Shows Among Adults 18-49, Placing 5 Programs in the Top 10, the Most for Any Network

Rising Year-to-Year in Viewers and Young Adults, ABC is Up Season to Date

ABC's "The Bachelor" Finale Achieves Season Highs in Viewers and Adults 18-49

Winning Monday's 10pm Hour, ABC's "The Bachelor: After the Final Rose" Scores ABC's Top Adult 18-34 and Adult 18-49 Ratings in the Hour in 1 Year

The Most-Watched Show in its Slot, ABC's "Body of Proof" Earns an 8-Week High

On Wednesday, ABC's "The Middle" and "Suburgatory" Continue to Dominate NBC's Comedies in Viewers and Adults 18-49, while Beating CBS' "Survivor" in Adults 18-34

ABC's "Modern Family" is Wednesday's No. 1 Scripted TV Show in Adults 18-49

Up by Double-Digits in Viewers and Young Adults, ABC's "Happy Endings" Surges Week to Week and Continues to Improve its Half-Hour Year to Year

For the 2nd Week in a Row, ABC's "Revenge for Real" Dominates its News Competition, Towering Over NBC's "Rock Center with Brian Williams" at 10pm

"Missing" Debuts with ABC's Biggest Audience in the Time Period in 14 Months and As TV's Most-Watched Drama Debut in the Opening Hour of Prime in 1-1/2 Years

ABC's "Grey's" Dominates Thursday at 9pm with its Biggest Audience in 5 Weeks

Up Over its Most-Recent Original, ABC's "Private Practice" is the Most-Watched TV Show in its Time Period with its 2nd-Biggest Audience in More Than 2 Months

More than Doubling its Lead-in at 8pm, ABC's "Once Upon a Time" Wins its Hour Among Adults 18-49 and Continues to Qualify as Sunday's No. 1 Broadcast Series

ABC's "Shark Tank" Shoots Up to Become Friday's Most-Watched TV Series, while "What Would You Do?" and "20/20" Each Post Strong Week-to-Week Increases

Growing its Overall Audience for its 4th Consecutive Broadcast, ABC's "Desperate Housewives" Generates its Most-Watched Telecast in 4 Months

"GCB" Finishes as the No. 1 Series in its Time Slot for the 2nd Straight Week In Adults 18-49 and Scores Huge Year-Over-Year Time-Period Gains for ABC

WEEK No. 26:

During the week of March 12, 2012, ABC qualified as the 2nd-most-watched network overall to CBS, outdrawing an "Idol"-led Fox (6.8 million vs. 6.6 million). In addition, the Network ranked No. 1 across all key Women demographics (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54). ABC beat out fourth-place NBC for the week by double-digit percentages in Total Viewers (+24% - 6.8 million vs. 5.5 million) and Adults 18-49 (+25% - 2.0/6 vs. 1.6/5).

· Surging week to week in viewers (+24%) and young adults (+25%), ABC was the biggest gainer among the broadcasters over the prior week. In fact, excluding the week of the "Academy Awards," the Net generated its largest audience in more than 2 months - since w/o 1/9/12

· For the 2nd straight frame, ABC grew over the same week last year in both Total Viewers (+8% - 6.8 million vs. 6.3 million) and Adults 18-49 (+5% - 2.0/6 vs. 1.9/6). In fact season to date (26 complete weeks), ABC is up in both viewers (+1% - 8.3 million vs. 8.2 million) and young adults (+4% - 2.5/7 vs. 2.4/7) over the same point last season. In Adults 18-49, the Net claims the season's No. 1 comedy ("Modern Family"), the No. 1 drama ("Grey's Anatomy") and the No. 1 freshman drama ("Once Upon a Time").

Rankings: ABC delivered 7 of the Top 20 TV shows for the week in Adults 18-49, placing 5 in the Top 10 (the most for any net): "Modern Family" - No. 5, "The Bachelor: After the Final Rose" - No. 6, "Grey's Anatomy" - No. 7, "The Bachelor" and "Once Upon a Time" (No. 1 freshman series) tied at No. 9, "Desperate Housewives" - No. 17 and "Happy Endings" - No. 18. In addition, ABC's "Missing" debut (No. 9) and "Modern Family" (No. 10) finished among the Top 10 most-watched TV shows overall, as "Missing" also opened as the week's biggest freshman series.

Monday

With the season finale of "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelor: After the Final Rose" special, ABC earned second place to a "The Voice"-led NBC on Monday in Total Viewers (9.4 million) and Adults 18-49 (3.0/8).

· In viewers and young adults, ABC scored its strongest Monday in nearly 4 months - since 11/21/11 and 11/14/11, respectively.

"The Bachelor" (8:00-10:01 p.m.)

Earning season highs, ABC's "The Bachelor" 16th-season finale finished a strong second in its time period to NBC's 2-hour "The Voice" with viewers (9.2 million) and young adults (2.9/8).

· Building young adult audience throughout its broadcast against "The Voice," "The Bachelor's" numbers jumped by 1.0 million viewers (9.1 million to 10.1 million) and by 22% Adults 18-49 (2.7/8 to 3.3/8) from its first half-hour to its final half-hour, as Ben Flajnik proposed to Courtney Robertson.

· "The Bachelor" finale produced ABC's top Adult 18-49 number in the slot since mid-November and marked its best Adult 18-34 (2.4/7) number since season-premiere Monday - since 11/14/11 and 9/19/11, respectively.

· Surging week to week by double digits in viewers (+12%) and young adults (+16%), The Bachelor marked a season-best performance across the board.

"The Bachelor: After the Final Rose" (10:01-11:00 p.m.)

Growing over its lead-in (+8%/+14%), ABC's "The Bachelor: After the Final Rose" towered over the 10 o'clock hour, dominating NBC's "The Voice"-driven "Smash" by 41% in Total Viewers (9.9 million vs. 7.1 million) and by 38% in Adults 18-49 (3.3/8 vs. 2.4/6).

· Among young adults (AD18-34/AD18-49), the special generated the Net's highest numbers in time period in 1 year - since 3/14/11.

Tuesday

"Last Man Standing" (8:00-8:31 p.m.)

At 8:00 p.m., ABC's repeat "Last Man Standing" drew a larger overall audience than Fox's original "Raising Hope" for the 2nd week in a row, dominating the Fox comedy by 23% in Total Viewers (5.3 million vs. 4.3 million).

· The encore "Last Man Standing" produced sharp year-to-year gains for ABC in the half-hour in viewers (+47%) and young adults (+44%) over repeat programming on the year-ago night.

"Cougar Town" (8:31-9:00 p.m.)

In the 8:30 p.m. half-hour, ABC's "Cougar Town" overshadowed its Fox comedy competition, outdrawing "I Hate My Teenage Daughter" by 17% in Total Viewers (4.2 million vs. 3.6 million).

· "Cougar Town" grew week to week by 10% in Adults 18-34 and surged by 67% with hard-to-reach Men 18-34 to equal its 2nd-best number this season.

"Body of Proof" (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

Leaping over its lead-in by 3.4 million viewers, ABC's "Body of Proof" stood as the most-watched program at 10 o'clock, outdrawing the debut of NBC's "Fashion Star" by 3.0 million viewers in the hour (7.5 million vs. 4.5 million). The ABC drama also ranked No. 1 in the time slot with Adults 25-54 (1.9/5).

· Building its overall audience for its 3rd straight original broadcast, "Body of Proof" generated its most-watched telecast in 8 weeks - since 1/17/12.

· The ABC sophomore drama improved its hour year to year by 1.9 million viewers (7.5 million vs. 5.6 million) and by 17% in Adults 18-49 (1.4/4 vs. 1.2/4), topping original drama programming on the same night last year ("Detroit 1-8-7" on 3/15/11).

Wednesday

Please Note: With the change to Daylight Savings time, overall Adult 18-49 TV usage during Wednesday's lead-off hour (8:00-9:00 p.m.) dropped a sharp -8% from the prior week (31.8 vs. 34.7).

"The Middle" (8:00-8:30 p.m.)

At 8:00 p.m., against CBS' "Survivor: One World" and the start of Fox's 2-hour "Idol," ABC's "The Middle" dominated its NBC comedy competition, outdrawing "Whitney" by 3.0 million viewers (6.9 million vs. 3.9 million) and by 50% in Adults 18-49 (2.1/7 vs. 1.4/5). In addition, the ABC comedy beat out "Survivor" for its 4th straight original telecast in Adults 18-34 and Women 18-34.

"Suburgatory" (8:30-9:00 p.m.)

Retaining 100% of its young adult lead-in at 8:30 p.m., ABC's "Suburgatory" crushed its freshman comedy competition in its slot, doubling the numbers for NBC's "Are You There, Chelsea?" to hold its biggest-ever advantages in Total Viewers (+114% - 6.2 million vs. 2.9 million) and Adults 18-49 (+91% - 2.1/6 vs. 1.1/3). For the 4th time in as many first-run telecasts, the ABC freshman comedy outran the second half of "Survivor: One World" by double digits with Adults 18-34 (+13% - 1.7/6 vs. 1.5/5) and Women 18-34 (+35% - 2.3/7 vs. 1.7/6).

"Modern Family" (9:00-9:31 p.m.)

Wednesday's dominant No. 1 scripted show in Adults 18-49 (4.5/12), ABC's "Modern Family" more than doubled its lead-in at 9:00 p.m. to beat out its nearest scripted competition by a resounding 67% (CBS' "Criminal Minds" = 2.7/8).

· "Modern Family" finished as Wednesday's No. 1 TV program overall in Adults 18-34 (4th time in 5 original telecasts).

"Happy Endings" (9:31-10:00 p.m.)

During the 9:30 p.m. half-hour, ABC's "Happy Endings" stood as the No. 1 scripted show in its slot across the 18-34 demographics, the scripted leader for its 17th straight first-run broadcast with Adults 18-34 (2.1/7) and Women 18-34 (2.6/8).

· The ABC sophomore comedy surged by double-digit percentages week to week in Total Viewers (+18% - 5.3 million vs. 4.5 million) and Adults 18-49 (+20% - 2.4/6 vs. 2.0/5).

· Continuing to improve its time slot year to year in viewers (+18%) and young adults (+33%), ABC's "Happy Endings" paced well ahead of the year-ago performance by "Mr. Sunshine" (4.5 million and 1.8/5) in the half-hour.

"Revenge for Real: The Governor's Son" (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

During the 10 o'clock hour, ABC's "Revenge for Real" dominated its NBC News competition for the 2nd week in a row. The limited series from ABC News towered over NBC News' "Rock Center with Brian Williams," increasing its lead to 69% in Total Viewers (4.4 million vs. 2.6 million), 113% in Adults 25-54 (1.7/4 vs. 0.8/2) and 100% in Adults 18-49 (1.2/3 vs. 0.6/2).

· ABC's "Revenge for Real" grew Wednesday's 10 o'clock hour year to year in Total Viewers (+5%) and Adults 25-54 (+6%), topping first-run programming on the same night last year ("Off the Map" = 4.2 million and 1.6/4).

Thursday

With the series debut of "Missing," plus "Grey's Anatomy" and "Private Practice," ABC earned second place on Thursday night to an "Idol"-led Fox in Total Viewers (9.1 million) and Adults 18-49 (2.4/7). The Network won the night with Women 18-34.

· ABC marked its most-watched Thursday in 11 weeks and equaled its top Adult 18-49 number on the night since early February - since 1/5/12 and 2/9/12.

"Missing" (8:00-9:00 p.m.)

From 8:00-9:00 p.m., opposite Fox's "American Idol," ABC's "Missing" opened a strong No. 2, more than doubling the audience (+141% - 10.6 million vs. 4.4 million) of NBC's original comedy block ("Community" return/"30 Rock" slot premiere), while registering as Thursday's most-watched scripted program. The ABC drama premiere also ranked No. 2 in the hour with Adults 18-49 (tie), Adults 25-54 and key Women (W18-49/W25-54). The show gained audience from its first half-hour to its second half-hour (10.5 million to 10.7 million).

· Despite airing on the first Thursday after the change to Daylight Savings time, as overall TV usage levels declined, "Missing" delivered ABC's biggest audience in the time period in 14 months - since 1/13/11. In fact it was TV's most-watched drama debut during the opening hour of primetime on any night in 1-1/2 years - since 9/28/10.

· "Missing" represented a big improvement for ABC in the hour, boosting its time period by 4.7 million viewers (10.6 million vs. 5.9 million) and by 31% in Adults 18-49 (2.1/6 vs. 1.6/4) over the Net's season average with regular original programming.

"Grey's Anatomy" (9:00-10:02 p.m.)

ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" moved up to a dominant No. 1 in the 9 o'clock hour, leading its nearest competition (Fox) by 1.0 million viewers (9.6 million vs. 8.6 million) and by 36% in Adults 18-49 (3.0/8 vs. 2.2/6).

· Up by 5% in viewers over its last original telecast, "Grey's" generated its biggest audience in 5 weeks - since 2/9/12.

"Private Practice" (10:02-11:00 p.m.)

ABC's "Private Practice" finished as the most-watched TV show in the 10 o'clock hour, defeating NBC's "Awake" by 35% in Total Viewers (6.9 million vs. 5.1 million) and by 31% in Adults 18-49 (2.1/6 vs. 1.6/4).

· Gaining 10% in Total Viewers over its last original three weeks ago, "Private Practice" drew its 2nd-largest audience in more than 2 months - since 1/5/12.

Friday

ABC finished a solid second on Friday to CBS with NCAA Basketball coverage in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, leading NBC and Fox by wide margins.

· The Net's numbers jumped by double digits week to week in viewers (+27% - 5.7 million vs. 4.5 million) and young adults (+15% - 1.5/5 vs. 1.3/4), turning in its biggest Friday audience in 1 month - since 2/17/12.

"Shark Tank" (8:00-9:01 p.m.)

ABC's "Shark Tank" was the top draw in the 8 o'clock hour and qualified as Friday's most-watched TV series (6.0 million). "Shark Tank" also ranked No. 1 in the hour in Adults 18-49 (1.7/6), tying CBS' NCAA Basketball coverage.

· Surging over the prior week by nearly 1.0 million viewers and by 21% in Adults 18-49, "Shark Tank" delivered its most-watched telecast in 2 months (since 1/20/12) to mark the series' 2nd-biggest audience ever for a regular telecast.

"Primetime: What Would You Do?" (9:01-10:00 p.m.)

From 9:00-10:00 p.m., ABC's "Primetime: What Would You Do?" stood as the No. 1 non-sports program in viewers (5.5 million) and young adults (1.5/5).

· The ABC newsmagazine spiked week to week by 1.5 million viewers and by 25% in Adults 18-49, generating its largest audience since its season premiere - since 1/20/12.

"20/20" (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

ABC's "20/20" ranked as the most-watched TV show during the 10 o'clock hour and beat out its NBC newsmagazine competition by wide margins. ABC's "20/20" dominated NBC's "Dateline" by 22% in Total Viewers (5.6 million vs. 4.5 million), by 46% in Adults 25-54 (1.9/5 vs. 1.3/4) and by 40% in Adults 18-49 (1.4/4 vs. 1.0/3). On ABC's "20/20," Elizabeth Vargas took viewers inside the gavel-to-gavel coverage of the Dunwoody Day Care trial, including all of the dramatic moments, for a compelling look at all sides.

· Building over the prior week by 1.1 million viewers, by 6% in Adults 25-54 and by 8% in Adults 18-49, ABC's "20/20" produced its most-watched telecast in 4 weeks - since 2/17/12.

Saturday

Opposite CBS' coverage of the NCAA Basketball tournament this week, ABC's "My Extreme Affliction: A Special Edition of 20/20" spiked week to week by 12% in Total Viewers (4.6 million vs. 4.1 million), by 15% in Adults 25-54 (1.5/4 vs. 1.3/4) and by 10% in Adults 18-49 (1.1/4 vs. 1.0/3).

Sunday

ABC ran in a virtual-tie for No. 1 on Sunday in Adults 18-49 with an NCAA Basketball overrun-boosted CBS (2.2/6 vs. 2.3/6 - pacing within 1-tenth of a rating point and tied in audience share). The NCAA Basketball tournament ran 44 minutes into primetime. In addition, the Net won the night across all key Women demographics (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54).

"Once Upon a Time" (8:00-9:01 p.m.)

More than doubling its lead-in at 8:00 p.m. (+123%), ABC's "Once Upon a Time" posted a strong first-place finish in its hour among Adults 18-49, leading runner-up CBS' "60 Minutes"/"Amazing Race XX" by 21% (2.9/8 vs. 2.4/7). The Disney-owned drama was once again Sunday's No. 1 broadcast series in the key young adult sales demo.

· Continuing to grow its time period year to year, "Once Upon a Time" boosted its slot by 16% in Adults 18-49 over the same night last year ("Secret Millionaire" on 3/20/11 = 2.5/7).

"Desperate Housewives" (9:01-10:01 p.m.)

ABC's "Desperate Housewives" (2.6/6) led the pack in the 9 o'clock hour in Adults 18-49, beating out Fox's comedies by 4% ("Family Guy"/"American Dad" = 2.5/6), CBS' "Amazing Race"/"The Good Wife" by 4% (2.5/65) and the first hour of NBC's "Celebrity Apprentice" by 63% (1.6/4).

· Growing its overall audience for its 4th consecutive airing, ABC's "Housewives" marked its most-watched broadcast in over 4 months (9.0 million) and hit an 8-week high in Adults 18-34 - since 11/13/11 and 1/22/12, respectively.

"GCB" (10:01-11:00 p.m.)

For the 2nd week in a row, ABC's "GCB" (2.0/5) ranked as the No. 1 series in the 10:00 p.m. hour in Adults 18-49, tying the second hour of NBC's 2-hour "Celebrity Apprentice" and beating CBS' "The Good Wife"/"CSI: Miami" by 5% (1.9/5). In addition for the 3rd week running, the new ABC drama held the No. 1 broadcast position in its time period in Adults 18-34 & key Women (W18-34/W18-49).

· "GCB" was up dramatically for ABC in the hour year to year among viewers (+30% - 6.1 million vs. 4.7 million) and young adults (+82% - 2.0/5 vs. 1.1/3), over season finale drama programming on the year-ago night ("Detroit 1-8-7" finale).

Source: The Nielsen Company, National, Live+ Same Day Program Ratings, week of 03/12/12.