Once again scoring year-over-year growth on the night, ABC grew over the same Wednesday last year in Viewers (+10%) and Adults 18-49 (+5%). In fact season to date, ABC’s Wednesday delivery is up by 15% in viewers and by 22% in young adults over last season, delivering its strongest performance on the night in 5 years – since the 2006-07 television season.
Leading off the night at 8pm against the start of Fox’s 2-hour Idol, ABC’s The Middle was the #1 scripted show and paced well ahead of NBC’s Off their Rockers in Viewers (+27%) and Adults 18-49 (+36%).
Showing strong lead-in retention at 8:30pm (95%), ABC’s season finale of Suburgatory also stood as the top-rated scripted show in its half-hour, while outdelivering a second episode of NBC’s Off their Rockers by 20% in Adults 18-49.
On average during its freshman season, Suburgatory improved its half-hour for ABC by 16% in Total Viewers and by 25% in Adults 18-49. In viewers and young adults, Suburgatory qualifies as the Net’s top comedy in the slot in 8 years – since the 2003-04 season. Since 2003-04, there have been 8 regularly scheduled comedies to air in the time period for ABC.
The highest-rated scripted TV series for the 2nd consecutive season with Adults 18-49, ABC’s Modern Family more than doubled its lead-in at 9pm to qualify as Wednesday’s #1 scripted program, outperforming runner-up CBS’ 2-hour season finale of Criminal Minds by 11%. Beating Idol on the night in Adults 18-34, Modern Family ranked as Wednesday’s #1 series overall for its 4th straight original airing.
During the 9:30pm half-hour against the conclusion of Idol, Don’t Trust the B— in Apartment 23 has improved its time period for ABC by 8% in viewers and by 4% in young adults on average.
From 10-11pm, ABC freshman Revenge ran #2 to the second hour of CBS’ 2-hour Criminal Minds finale, while continuing to beat out NBC’s veteran Law & Order: SVU in the hour by wide margins with Total Viewers (+24%), Adults 18-49 (+18%) and Adults 25-54 (+24%).
The Disney-owned drama produced sizeable year-to-year gains in the hour, bettering original programming on the same night last year in Viewers (+100%), Adults 25-54 (+53%) and Adults 18-49 (+43%). On average, Revenge is ABC’s most-watched series in the hour in 5 seasons – since Lost during in the 2006-07 season.
(source: ABC)
