Overall: During the week of 5/7/12, for the 4th week in a row, ABC qualified as the 2nd-most-watched television network to CBS, outdrawing Fox by 8% and NBC by 41%. In addition, ABC beat NBC in Adults 18-49 for the 9th week running (+24%) and finished #1 for the 3rd straight week with key Women (W18-49/W25-54). ABC aired 5 of the week’s Top 20 TV shows in Adults 18-49, delivering 3 of the Top 10 and claiming the #1 comedy/scripted show with Modern Family, the #1 drama with Grey’s Anatomy and the #1 freshman series with Once Upon a Time: Modern Family – #2, Grey’s Anatomy – #8, Once Upon a Time – #9, Desperate Housewives – #11 and DWTS – #20. Additionally, ABC’s Don’t Trust the B— in Apartment 23 qualified as the top-rated new midseason series for the 3rd straight week with young adults. The Net placed 3 of the Top 10 most-watched programs overall, with Dancing (#3), DWTS Results Show (#7) and Castle (#10). ABC’s 20/20 and Primetime: What Would You Do? tied as the week’s #1 newsmagazine with Adults 25-54. Growing week to week in viewers (+3%) and young adults (+5%), the Net equaled its strongest non-Oscar week in 4 months with Adults 18-49 – since w/o 1/9/12.
Season-to-date Update (34 Complete Weeks): ABC claims TV’s #1 comedy/scripted series (Modern Family), the #1 drama (Grey’s Anatomy) and the #1 new drama (Once Upon a Time) in Adults 18-49. Led by Emmy-winning Modern Family, ABC’s 2-hour Wednesday night comedy block continues to connect with audiences, posting its 2nd straight year of growth with viewers (+3%) and young adults (+6%). In addition, ABC is the only network up during the 10 o’clock hour on Monday-Friday as lead-in to affiliates’ late-local newscasts with Total Viewers (+8%) and Adults 25-54 (+7%).
Monday: Featuring DWTS and Castle against all-original competition, ABC qualified as Monday’s most-watched TV net for the 8th week in a row, outdrawing CBS by 5.4 million viewers (8-10 pm comedies/Hawaii Five-0), NBC by 6.0 million viewers (The Voice Monday finale/Smash) and Fox by 8.5 million viewers (Bones/House). Among Adults 18-49, ABC defeated Fox’s drama lineup on the night by 30%. The most-watched TV show on Monday, ABC’s Dancing with the Stars jumped to the top its 2-hour slot for the 8th straight week, beating runner-up NBC’s The Voice finale in head-to-head competition by a resounding 5.6 million viewers. In addition, the broad-appealing dance competition dominated Fox’s dramas in the slot among Adults 18-49 (+35%) and made ABC the No. 2 among the broadcast networks with Teens 12-17 and Kids 2-11. On its 4th season finale, ABC’s Castle won the 10 o’clock hour in Total Viewers, Adults 18-49 and Adults 25-54, registering as the most-watched TV series in the time period for its 6th consecutive broadcast, leading CBS’ Hawaii Five-0 by solid margins (by +3.4 million viewer advantage). Also in the hour, Castle outdelivered NBC’s Smash by its biggest-ever advantages with Total Viewers (+118%), Adults 18-49 (+33%) and Adults 25-54 (+52%). In addition, the ABC drama marked its 5th time in 6 telecasts to stand as Monday’s most-watched scripted series. Building week to week Total Viewers (+12%), Adults 18-49 (+4%) and Adults 25-54 (+9%), ABC’s Castle closed out its season with its strongest performance in more than 6 months – since 10/31/11. Growing its overall audience (+9%) for its 2nd straight season, Castle produced the series’ most-watched season ever.
Tuesday: At 8pm, opposite CBS’ NCIS, ABC’s season finale of Last Man Standing stood as the 2nd-most-watched TV show, outdrawing the opening half-hour of Fox’s Glee by 2% and NBC’s Fashion Star by 61%. Additionally, self-starter Last Man Standing qualified as Tuesday’s most-watched sit-com, topping the season finale of Fox’s New Girl by 1.0 million viewers in the 9pm half-hour. ABC’s Last Man Standing surged by double digits week to week in Adults 18-49 (+13%). During its first season, Last Man Standing delivered huge time-period gains for ABC in Total Viewers (+39%) and Adults 18-49 (+42%) over last season. In the 8:30pm half-hour, ABC’s Cougar Town spiked over the prior week in Adults 18-49 (+15%) and Adults 18-34 (+38%), equaling a 7-week high and a 10-week high – since 3/20/12 and 2/28/12, respectively. In addition, the show built on its lead-in by 10% in Adults 18-34. Jumping over its lead-in at 9pm, ABC’s DWTS Results Show beat out the opening hour of NBC’s The Voice finale by 2.5 million viewers. In a double elimination, Disney Channel star Roshon Fegan and actress Melissa Gilbert were the next celebrities to leave the dance competition this season. Despite facing The Voice finale, ABC’s DWTS Results Show retained 100% of its week-ago Adult 18-49 rating. Building week to week, the ABC unscripted series posted best-since premiere numbers with Adults 18-34 and key Men (M18-34/M18-49) – since 3/27/12. During the 10 o’clock hour against the conclusion of The Voice finale, ABC’s Private Practice dominated its CBS drama competition for the 4th week running in Adults 18-34 and Women 18-34, leading CBS’ season finale of Unforgettable by 38% and 10%, respectively.
Wednesday: Continuing to post year-to-year gains on the evening, ABC topped the same Wednesday last year in Viewers (+16%) and Adults 18-49 (+9%). In fact for the 2nd week in a row, ABC was the only major net to increase its Adult 18-49 rating year to year. Rising week to week in Adults 18-49 (+4%), the Network achieved a 10-week high on Wednesday – since 2/29/12. Leading off the night at 8pm, opposite the penultimate episode of CBS’ Survivor: One World and the start of Fox’s 2-hour Idol, ABC’s The Middle paced well ahead of NBC’s Off their Rockers in Viewers (+27%) and Adults 18-49 (+27%). In addition, the ABC comedy beat Survivor for its 7th straight original among Adults 18-34 (+7%) and Women 18-34 (+6%). Surging 11% over its lead-in at 8:30pm with young adults, ABC’s Suburgatory beat out its NBC freshman competition by double digits in its half-hour, besting a second episode of NBC’s Off their Rockers by 18% in Total Viewers and by 50% in Adults 18-49. For the 8th straight original telecast, the ABC freshman comedy outdelivered the second half of Survivor: One World with Adults 18-34 (+13%) and Women 18-34 (+29%). The ABC freshman comedy improved its slot year to year among Adults 18-49 (+5%) over original comedy programming on the year-ago. Building week to week in viewers (+2%) and young adults (+5%), Suburgatory equaled its best Adult 18-49 rating since February – since 2/29/12. TV’s #1 scripted series for the 2nd season in a row with Adults 18-49, ABC’s Modern Family more than doubled its lead-in at 9pm to finish as Wednesday’s definitive #1 scripted program, outperforming runner-up CBS’ Criminal Minds by 52%. Posting its most-competitive finish ever, Modern Family nearly tied American Idol as the #1 TV show of the night in Adults 18-49 (pacing within 1-tenth of a rating point). Beating Idol by wide margins on the night in Adults 18-34 (+24%) and Women 18-34 (+15%), Modern Family was Wednesday’s highest-rated show overall for its 3rd straight original airing on both counts. Modern Family scored its best numbers in 2 months, up over the prior week in both viewers (+5%) and young adults (+7%) – since 3/14/12. Featuring a visit to Disneyland, the ABC comedy spiked 27% in Teens 12-17 week to week to deliver its top-rated telecast in more than 4 months –since 1/4/12. During the 9:30pm half-hour against the end of Idol, ABC’s Don’t Trust the B— in Apartment 23 stood as the #1 scripted series in its slot for the 4th time in its 5 telecasts with Adults 18-34 and Women 18-34. ABC’s Don’t Trust the B— in Apartment 23 posted a best-since debut number with Women 18-34. From 10-11pm, ABC’s Revenge finished a strong #2 in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49 (running within 2-tenths of a rating point of the CSI season finale), while once again delivering the #1 position in the hour across all key Women demos. The ABC freshman drama dominated NBC’s veteran Law & Order: SVU in the hour with Total Viewers (+19%), Adults 18-49 (+22%) and Adults 25-54 (+17%). Building week to week in Adults 18-49 (+5%) and Adults 18-34 (+13%), Revenge marked its highest rating in 3 months on the latter measure – since 2/15/12. The Disney-owned drama generated huge year-to-year gains in the hour, outdelivering original programming on the same night last year in Viewers (+84%), Adults 25-54 (+42%) and Adults 18-49 (+38%).
Thursday: Gaining week to week in the 8 o’clock hour, against the season’s penultimate episode of Fox’s American Idol-Thurs and CBS’ comedies (season finale of The Big Bang Theory/Rules of Engagement), ABC’s Missing more than doubled the audience of NBC’s comedy block (+113% over Community/30 Rock). The new ABC drama also defeated the established NBC comedies with Adults 25-54 (+7%) and Women 18-49 (+14%). ABC’s Missing improved its hour year to year by 19% in viewers over original programming on the year-ago evening. Vaulting over its lead-in at 9pm in Adults 18-49 (+218%), ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy stood as the top-rated series in its hour for the 5th week running and continued to qualify as Thursday’s #1 drama. Dominating the 9 o’clock hour, ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy outdelivered CBS’ Person of Interest by 35%, Fox’s Idol-driven Touch by a best-ever 84% and NBC’s comedy finales by 75% (The Office/Parks and Recreation). Additionally, Grey’s registered as Thursday’s highest-rated TV series with Women 18-49 (2nd straight week) and Women 18-34 (6th straight week). Rising in viewers (+7%) and young adults (+6%) over the prior week, ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy achieved a 13-week high in Adults 18-49 – since 2/09/12. Grey’s was up over its year-ago telecast in Total Viewers (+2%), Adults 18-49 (+9%), Adults 18-34 (+4%) and across all key Women demos: W18-34 (+10%), W18-49 (+8%) and W25-54 (+5%). During the 10pm hour, ABC freshman Scandal finished as the #2 series to CBS’ veteran The Mentalist in Total Viewers and key Adults (AD18-49/AD25-54). Also in its time period, ABC’s Scandal continued to overshadow its freshman drama competition, more than doubling the results for NBC’s Awake in Viewers (+156%), Adults 25-54 (+150%) and Adults 18-49 (+111%). Additionally, Scandal took full control of The Mentalist with Adults 18-34 (+27%) and finished #1 in its slot for the 6th consecutive week with Women 18-49. Scandal matched a series best in Adults 18-34, while growing week to week with Women 18-34 (+11%) and Women 18-49 (+4%) to also equal series highs.
Friday: ABC dominated its rivals for the 2nd week in a row among Adults 18-49, beating CBS’ season finales by 25%, Fox’s season finales by 36% and NBC’s all-original lineup by 36%. ABC claimed Friday’s Top 3 TV shows on the major networks with Shark Tank, Primetime: What Would You Do and 20/20, respectively. The Net was up by double digits over the year-ago May Sweep Friday in Total Viewers (+14%) and Adults 18-49 (+15%). ABC’s Shark Tank took full control of the 8 o’clock hour in Adults 18-49, increasing its winning advantage over CBS’ Undercover Boss finale to 55% (up from a 20% advantage the prior week), while beating Fox’s The Finder finale by 55% and nearly doubling the delivery of NBC’s Who Do You Think You Are? (+89%). Continuing to pace well ahead of last year to mark its best season ever, Shark Tank topped its year-ago telecast by 12% in Total Viewers and by 31% in Adults 18-49. ABC’s Primetime: What Would You Do? beat out original drama programming by wide margins in the 9 o’clock hour among Adults 18-49, defeating NBC’s Grimm by 25%, CBS’ season finale of CSI: NY by 25% and Fox season finale of Fringe by 50%. The ABC newsmagazine also took first place in the slot with Adults 25-54. Up for the 2nd straight week in Adults 18-49 (+7%) and Adults 25-54 (+6%), What Would You Do? hit 5-week highs on both measures – since 4/6/12. Additionally, WWYD was up over the same Friday last year for the 2nd consecutive week in Adults 18-49 (+24%) and Adults 25-54 (+25%). From 10-11pm, ABC’s 20/20 beat out the season finale of CBS’ Blue Bloods by 8% in Adults 18-49. Also in the hour, 20/20 defeated NBC’s Dateline by double-digit percentages for the 3rd straight week, winning the newsmagazine race by 19% in Adults 25-54 and by 17% in Adults 18-49. Anchored by Chris Cuomo and featuring reports from Cuomo, Brian Ross, Deborah Roberts, Dan Harris and Nick Watt, ABC’s 20/20 took a revealing look at the big business of weight-loss with “Losing It: The Big Fat Money Trap.” ABC’s 20/20 grew over its year-ago broadcast in Total Viewers (+7%), Adults 25-54 (+19%) and Adults 18-49 (+17%).
Sunday: ABC ranked #1 for the 4th consecutive Sunday in Adults 18-49, dominating CBS (with the 3-hours of Survivor: One World finale coverage) by 17%, Fox by 65% and NBC by 115%. In fact, the Net led all 8 half-hours of the evening in the key young adult sales demo. ABC was also Sunday’s most-watched network overall. ABC’s finales of Once Upon a Time and Desperate Housewives stood as the night’s Top 2 TV shows in Adults 18-49, while the series ender of Desperate Housewives also registered a Sunday’s most-watched program overall. Building for the 2nd week in a row with viewers (+26%) and up for the 4th straight Sunday in young adults (+17%), ABC turned in its top-rated Sunday with regular programming in more than 1-1/2 years in Adults 18-49 – since 10/3/10. Additionally, the Net was up over the same Sunday last year for the 2nd consecutive week in Adults 18-49 (+12%). Airing Part 1 of its two-part season finale, ABC’s America’s Funniest Home Videos won the 7 o’clock hour for the 3rd week in a row in Adults 18-49, outdelivering CBS’ 60 Minutes by 33%, Fox’s animated comedies by 45% and NBC’s Dateline by 129%. TV’s #1 new drama for the 2011-12 season, ABC’s season finale of Once Upon a Time dominated the 8 o’clock hour in Adults 18-49, finishing #1 in its slot for its 10th straight first-run telecast. In its time period, ABC’s Once Upon a Time defeated the opening hour of CBS’ Survivor finale by a strong 18%, Fox’s animated comedies (The Simpsons/Bob’s Burgers) by 83%, and more than tripled the delivery of NBC’s Harry’s Law (+230%). The Disney-owned drama capped out its initial season as Sunday’s #1 TV show for the 4th week running in Adults 18-49. During its freshman season run, Once Upon a Time generated impressive time-slot gains for ABC year to year, up by 27% in Total Viewers and by 67% in Adults 18-49 to register as the Net’s most-watched series in the hour in 4 years – since 2007-08. Up week to week in Total Viewers (+8%) and Adults 18-49 (+10%), Once Upon a Time marked a 10-week high on both measures – since 3/4/12. In addition, the show grew to its highest Teen 12-17 number since January – since 1/29/12. Finishing out the night from 9-11pm, the series finale of ABC’s Desperate Housewives posted a definitive victory in its 2-hour time period among Adults 18-49, beating out the conclusion of Survivor and its Reunion Show by 19% and NBC’s 2-hour Celebrity Apprentice by 78%. Building audience in each half-hour of its finale, Housewives stood as Sunday’s most-watched TV show overall, easily topping CBS’ Survivor finale. Spiking week to week in viewers (+21%) and young adults (+19%), Desperate Housewives hit season highs to mark its best performance in well over 1 year – since 3/6/11. In viewers and young adults, Housewives turned in ABC’s best performance in the time period since Fall 2010 with regular programming – since 10/3/10 and 11/7/10, respectively.
(source: ABC)
