ABC Gains Viewers this Season and is the Only Major Net Up in Adults 18-49
The Net Airs 7 of the Season's Top 20 Broadcast Entertainment Series
In Adults 18-49, Placing 4 of the Top 10 Shows and 3 of the Top 5 Dramas
The Network Leads in Upscale Adults 18-49 with 7 of the Top 15 TV Series
ABC's Primetime Numbers Surge via TV Playback, Gaining
28% in Viewers and 39% in Adults 18-49 from L+SD to L+7
ABC Primetime 2014-15 (09/22/14-05/03/15)
Based on Nielsen's non-sports ratings (to account for the inflated averages from sports coverage), ABC ranks No. 1 this season in Adults 18-49: ABC (2.2/7), CBS (2.1/7), NBC (2.0/6) and Fox (1.8/6). Also excluding sports, ABC is the No. 1 network among Adults 18-34 and across all key Women (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54).
· Strong Competitive Momentum Heading into the Season's Homestretch (L+SD): Winning the most recent two weeks in Adults 18-49 (w/o 4/20/15 and 4/27/15), ABC has finished No. 1 (5 times) or No. 2 (7 times) in the key young adult sales demo on 12 of the past 14 weeks - starting with the final week in January. ABC leads the 2015 May Sweep in Adults 18-49, winning each of the first two weeks.
· ABC Gains Overall Viewers and is the Only Major Net Up this Season in Adults 18-49: Season to date based on all programming, ABC is gaining Total Viewers (+5%) and is the only major net up in Adults 18-49 (+5%). In the key young adult sales demo, CBS (-4%), NBC (-11%) and Fox (-20%) are each down for the season. ABC has also improved its competitive position year to year - now pacing within 1-tenth of 2nd-place CBS, up from 4th place a year ago. In addition, ABC is the only major net up year to year in Nielsen's non-sports Adult 18-49 ratings (+5%).
· Season's Highest-Rated TV Series: The Net delivers 7 of the Top 20 entertainment series on broadcast TV this season in Adults 18-49, placing 4 of the Top 10 and claiming 3 of the Top 5 dramas: "Modern Family" (4.4 rating) and "Scandal" (4.4 rating) tie at No. 4, "How to Get Away with Murder" (3.8 rating) - No. 9, "Grey's Anatomy" (3.6 rating) - No. 10, "Once Upon a Time" (3.3 rating) - No. 12, while "black-ish" (3.0 rating - No. 1 new comedy) and "The Bachelor" (3.0 rating) tie at No. 18.
· ABC Leads with Upscale Young Adults: Among Adults 18-49 in homes with $100K+ Annual Income in the non-sports numbers, ABC (2.72 rating) ranks No. 1 this season, leading NBC by 15% (2.37 rating), CBS by 16% (2.35 rating) and Fox by 58% (1.72 rating). ABC airs 7 of the Top 15 highest-rated broadcast entertainment series (the most for any net) among high-income young adults, including the No. 1 series overall with "Modern Family," the No. 1 drama with "Scandal" and the No. 1 new show with "Murder:" "Modern Family" (7.18 rating) - No. 1, "Scandal" (5.68) - No. 3, "The Bachelor" (4.79) - No. 6, "Grey's Anatomy" (4.72) - No. 7, "HTGAWM" (4.45 - No. 1 new drama) - No. 9, "black-ish" (3.94 - No. 1 new comedy) - No. 12 and "Once Upon a Time" (3.78) - No. 13.
· Returning Shows Up and Programs Improving Time Periods: In Adults 18-49, ABC's "The Middle" (+4%), "The Goldbergs" (+17%), "Scandal" (+5%), "Last Man Standing" (+6%), "20/20" (+6%) and "Saturday Night Football" (+12%) are each up over their performance at the same point last season. In addition, ABC's "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." (+47%), "Marvel's Agent Carter" (+44%), "Forever" (+70%), "The Goldbergs" (+50%), "black-ish" (+43%), "Grey's" (+157%), "HTGAWM" (+19%), "Galavant" (+12%) and "Revenge" (+13%) have each improved their respective time periods with young adults.
· Gaining on Thursday to 5-Year Highs in Viewers and Young Adults: Despite facing CBS' Thursday Night Football on the first 5 weeks of the season, ABC is up by double digits on the night versus the same point last year in Total Viewers (+19%) and Adults 18-49 (+15%), marking 5-year highs on both counts - since the 2009-10 season.
· Up on Friday in Viewers for the 4th Straight Year to a 9-Year High: Building for the 4th straight year on Friday in Total Viewers (+6%) and holding steady in Adults 18-49, ABC is delivering its most-watched Friday overall in 9 years - since the comparable weeks of the 2005-06 season. The Net ranks No. 1 on the night with "Shark Tank" as Friday's No. 1 TV show in Adults 18-49.
· ABC's 2-Hour Comedy Block is Up to its Biggest-Ever Audience and a 3-Year High in AD18-49: On average, ABC's 2-hour Wednesday comedy block is growing year to year in viewers (+17%) and young adults (+19%), drawing its biggest audience ever and a 3-year high in Adults 18-49. The 8:00-10:00 p.m. block started with the 2009-10 season.
· ABC Series Among Most Popularly Recorded and Played Back: On average during primetime, ABC's numbers for original programming jump from the first-reported Live + Same Day averages to the finalized Live + 7 Day ratings by 28% in Total Viewers (6.9 million to 8.8 million) and by 39% in Adults 18-49 (1.8/6 to 2.5/8), making it the biggest percentage gainer among the major nets on both counts. With a rise in DVR penetration year to year, ABC's series remain among the most popularly recorded and played back TV shows again this season, as it delivers 3 of the Top 10 biggest broadcast gainers in Total Viewers, including the season's No. 1 biggest freshman gainer ("HTGAWM"). A total of 13 ABC series add 2.5 million viewers or more from their initially reported totals via time-shifted viewing: "HTGAWM" (+5.1 million), "Modern Family" (+4.8 million), "Castle" (+4.2 million), "Scandal" (+3.8 million), "Grey's" (+3.4 million), "Forever" (+3.3 million), "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." (+3.1 million), "Once Upon a Time" (+2.7 million), "Revenge" (+2.6 million), "Marvel's Agent Carter" (+2.6 million), "Nashville" (+2.6 million), "black-ish" (+2.5 million) and "Secrets and Lies" (+2.5 million). Among Adults 18-49, 9 of ABC's series register substantial ratings increases of at least 1.0 rating points: "Modern Family" (+2.2 rating), "HTGAWM" (+2.0 rating), "Scandal" (+1.6 rating), "Grey's" (+1.5 rating), "S.H.I.E.L.D." (+1.3 rating), "Once Upon a Time" (+1.1 rating), "black-ish" (+1.1 rating), "Castle" (+1.1 rating) and "The Goldbergs" (+1.0 rating).
Source: The Nielsen Company, (National, Most Current Program Ratings), 09/22/14-05/03/15, or as dated. Upscale data based on regular non-sports programming with 2+ telecasts, 09/22/14-05/03/15. DVR/VOD Playback based on regular, original telecasts only for programs with 2+ telecasts in Live + 7 Day ratings for 09/22/14-04/19/15.
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