Overall: During the week of 3/12/12, ABC qualified as the 2nd-most-watched network overall to CBS, outdrawing an Idol-led Fox. In addition, the Network ranked #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%) and Adults 18-49 (+25%). 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 – #5, The Bachelor: After the Final Rose – #6, Grey’s Anatomy – #7, The Bachelor and Once Upon a Time (#1 freshman series) tied at #9, Desperate Housewives – #17 and Happy Endings – #18. In addition, ABC’s Missing debut and Modern Family finished among the Top 10 most-watched TV shows overall, as Missing also opened as the week’s biggest freshman series. 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%) and Adults 18-49 (+5%). In fact season to date, ABC is up in both viewers (+1%) and young adults (+4%) over the same point last season. In Adults 18-49, the Net claims the season’s #1 comedy (Modern Family), the #1 drama (Grey’s Anatomy) and the #1 freshman drama (Once Upon a Time).
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 and Adults 18-49. In viewers and young adults, ABC scored its strongest Monday in nearly 4 months – since 11/21/11 and 11/14/11, respectively. 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 and young adults. Building young adult audience throughout its broadcast against The Voice, The Bachelor’s numbers jumped by 1.0 million viewers and by 22% Adults 18-49 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 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. 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 and by 38% in Adults 18-49. 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: At 8pm, 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. 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. In the 8:30pm half-hour, ABC’s Cougar Town overshadowed its Fox comedy competition, outdrawing I Hate My Teenage Daughter by 17% in Total Viewers. 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. 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. The ABC drama also ranked #1 in the time slot with Adults 25-54. 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 and by 17% in Adults 18-49, 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 (8-9pm) dropped a sharp -8% from the prior week (31.8 vs. 34.7). At 8pm, 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 and by 50% in Adults 18-49. In addition, the ABC comedy beat out Survivor for its 4th straight original telecast in Adults 18-34 and Women 18-34. Retaining 100% of its young adult lead-in at 8:30pm, 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%) and Adults 18-49 (+91%). 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%) and Women 18-34 (+35%). Wednesday’s dominant #1 scripted TV show in Adults 18-49, ABC’s Modern Family more than doubled its lead-in at 9pm to beat out its nearest scripted competition by a resounding 67% (CBS’ Criminal Minds). Modern Family finished as Wednesday’s #1 TV program overall in Adults 18-34 (4th time in 5 original telecasts). During the 9:30pm half-hour, ABC’s Happy Endings stood as the #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 and Women 18-34. The ABC sophomore comedy surged by double-digit percentages week to week in Total Viewers (+18%) and Adults 18-49 (+20%). 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 in the half-hour. 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, 113% in Adults 25-54 and 100% in Adults 18-49. 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.
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 and Adults 18-49. ABC won the night with Women 18-34. The Net 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. From 8-9pm, opposite Fox’s American Idol, ABC’s Missing opened a strong #2, more than doubling the audience (+141%) of NBC’s original comedy block (Community return/30 Rock slot premiere), while registering as Thursday’s most-watched scripted program overall. The ABC drama premiere also ranked #2 in the hour to Idol with Adults 18-49, Adults 25-54 and key Women (W18-49/W25-54). The show gained audience from its first half-hour to its second half-hour. 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 and by 31% in Adults 18-49 over the Net’s season average with regular original programming. ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy moved up to a dominant #1 in the 9 o’clock hour, leading its nearest competition (Fox) by 1.0 million viewers and by 36% in Adults 18-49. Up by 5% in viewers over its last original telecast, Grey’s generated its biggest audience in 5 weeks – since 2/9/12. 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 and by 31% in Adults 18-49. 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%) and young adults (+15%), turning in its biggest Friday audience in 1 month – since 2/17/12. ABC’s Shark Tank was the top draw in the 8 o’clock hour and qualified as Friday’s most-watched TV series overall. Shark Tank also ranked #1 in the hour in Adults 18-49, 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. From 9-10pm, ABC’s Primetime: What Would You Do? stood as the #1 non-sports program in viewers and young adults. 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. 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, by 46% in Adults 25-54 and by 40% in Adults 18-49. 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, by 15% in Adults 25-54 and by 10% in Adults 18-49.
Sunday: ABC ran in a virtual-tie for #1 on Sunday in Adults 18-49 with an NCAA Basketball overrun-boosted CBS (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). More than doubling its lead-in at 8pm (+123%), ABC’s Once Upon a Time posted a strong first-place finish in its hour with Adults 18-49, leading runner-up CBS’ 60 Minutes/Amazing Race XX by 21%. The Disney-owned drama was once again Sunday’s #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. ABC’s Desperate Housewives led the pack in the 9 o’clock hour in Adults 18-49, beating out Fox’s comedies by 4%, CBS’ Amazing Race/The Good Wife by 4% and the first hour of NBC’s Celebrity Apprentice by 63%. Growing its overall audience for its 4th consecutive airing, ABC’s Housewives marked its most-watched broadcast in over 4 months and hit an 8-week high in Adults 18-34 – since 11/13/11 and 1/22/12, respectively. For the 2nd week in a row, ABC’s GCB ranked as the #1 series in the 10pm 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%. In addition for the 3rd week running, the new ABC drama held the #1 broadcast position in its time period with Adults 18-34, and among key Women (W18-34/W18-49). GCB was up dramatically for ABC in the hour year to year among viewers (+30%) and young adults (+82%), over season finale drama programming on the year-ago night.
(Source: ABC)
