Overall: During the week of 12/10/12, ABC delivered 4 of the Top 20 scripted TV shows in Adults 18-49, including Modern Family (#2), Grey’s Anatomy (#9), Scandal (#14) and The Middle (#17). The Network surged by double-digit percentages over the same week last year in Adults 18-49 (+15% over w/o 12/12/11).
Monday: During the 8 o’clock hour, the first episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition was up over the prior week by 7% in Total Viewers and by 22% in Adults 18-49. The second installment of Home Edition built on its lead-in by 7% in Total Viewers and by 9% in Adults 18-49. ABC’s repeat Castle was up over its encore telecast on the same night last year (12/12/11) in Total Viewers (+24%) and Adults 18-49 (+22%).
Tuesday: ABC’s annual rebroadcast of Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town won the 8 o’clock hour in Kids 2-11, beating original programming on CBS (NCIS), NBC (The Voice) and Fox (Raising Hope/Ben & Kate), and qualified as Tuesday’s #1 broadcast show with Kids. The animated holiday special scored ABC’s 2nd-highest rating in the hour this season with Kids 2-11. Despite facing CBS’ original NCIS: Los Angeles in the 9pm half-hour this week, ABC’s Happy Endings held nearly all of its week-ago delivery in Total Viewers (94%) and Adults 18-49 (92%), while growing in Adults 25-54 (+7%). At 10 o’clock, ABC’s Private Practice grew week to week by 11% in Adults 18-34 and by 8% in Women 18-34 to match its highest-ratings since early October – since 10/9/12 and 10/2/12, respectively.
Wednesday: At 8pm, ABC’s The Middle defeated NBC’s Whitney in the half-hour by wide margins, leading by 92% in Total Viewers and by 50% in Adults 18-49. In addition, the ABC comedy ran as the 2nd-most-watched TV show in the slot, outdrawing Fox’s The X Factor, while outrunning the season’s penultimate episode of CBS’ Survivor: Philippines by 23% in Adults 18-34. At 8:30pm, ABC’s The Neighbors towered over its freshman comedy competition, outdelivering NBC’s replay Guys with Kids by 100% in Total Viewers and by 60% in Adults 18-49. The ABC family comedy stood as the #2 broadcast show in the half-hour with Teens 12-17. Coming off the prior week’s repeat at 9pm, ABC’s Modern Family shot to the top of its half-hour in Adults 18-49, beating CBS’ Criminal Minds by 40%, Fox’s The X Factor by 50% and NBC’s Take It All by 320%. Modern Family qualified as Wednesday’s #1 TV show for its 9th straight original telecast across all key Adult demos (AD18-34/AD18-49/AD25-54). From 9:31-11pm, ABC’s Barbara Walters Presents: The 10 Most Fascinating People of 2012 earned second place in its time period with Total Viewers and all key Adult demos (AD18-34/AD18-49/AD25-54). The ABC News special, highlighting some of the year’s most prominent names in entertainment, sports, politics and popular culture, beat out NBC’s Chicago Fire by 3.0 million viewers and by 50% in Adults 18-49 during the 10 o’clock hour. In addition, the program won the final hour of the night over CSI across all key Women demographics (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54). Gen. David Petraeus was named the most fascinating person of 2012. Gaining audience during each half-hour of its 90-minute broadcast, Barbara Walters Presents: The 10 Most Fascinating People of 2012 generated ABC’s biggest audience in the time period in 9 weeks (since 10/10/12), representing its 2nd-largest audience this season.
Thursday: Although its schedule was preempted in Philadelphia, ABC stood as the 2nd-most-watched TV network on Thursday night, outdrawing Fox with The X Factor and Glee (+5%) and doubling the audience of NBC’s first-run lineup (+100%). Nearly tripling its lead-in at 9pm (+190%), ABC’s winter finale of Grey’s Anatomy finished as Thursday’s #1 drama for its 9th consecutive telecast this season in Adults 18-49. In addition, the ABC drama continued to dominate its hour with Adults 18-34 and across all key Women demos (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54). Matching its best-ever young adult lead-in retention out of an original Grey’s (83%) in its winter finale, ABC’s Scandal defeated CBS’ Elementary for the 2nd straight week in Adults 18-49 (+4%) to qualify as the #1 series in the 10 o’clock hour for the 3rd straight week. Scandal continued to lead by double to triple-digit margins over Elementary with Adults 18-34 and across all key Women (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54), taking first place in the hour for its 5th straight broadcast with Women 18-49 and Women 25-54. Scandal equaled the series’ all-time highs set the prior week in Adults 18-34 and Adults 25-54, while posting its 2nd-best-ever Adult 18-49 number (pacing within 1-tenth of last week’s high).
Friday: From 8-9pm, ABC’s compatible comedy combo of Last Man Standing and Malibu Country delivered 100% audience retention from the first half-hour to the second half-hour in Adults 18-49 and Adults 18-34, while building from the first to second half-hour by 5% in Adults 25-54. In addition, the comedies made ABC the #1 network in the hour with Adults 18-34 and Women 18-34. ABC’s Last Man Standing stood as Friday’s most-watched TV show, growing its overall audience by 5% week to week to post its biggest audience in 4 weeks – since 11/16/12. In addition, the sophomore ABC sitcom held 100% of its week-ago Adult 18-49 number and grew by 50% in Adults 18-34 to mark a best-since premiere number on the latter measure – since 11/2/12. ABC’s Malibu Country increased week to week in Total Viewers (+7%) and Adults 18-49 (+7%), equaling a 5-week high with young adults – since 11/9/12. During the 9 o’clock hour, ABC’s repeat Shark Tank took second place among Adults 18-49 on the broadcast networks, beating NBC’s first-run Take It All by 9% and Fox’s first-run Fringe by 9%. Building over its lead-in during the 10 o’clock hour, ABC’s 20/20 earned second in its time period with viewers, Adults 18-49 and Adults 25-54. The ABC newsmagazine provided continuing coverage of the tragic shooting at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut. 20/20 delivered its largest audience since March – since 3/30/12. ABC’s 20/20 was up year over year in the key Adult 25-54 news demo (+83%) for its 8th consecutive broadcast.
Sunday: Opposite CBS with its NFL overrun-fueled lineup (Steelers-Cowboys) including the 3-hour season finale of Survivor: Philippines, and NBC with another big NFL game (New England-San Francisco), ABC outdrew Fox on the night by nearly 1.0 million viewers. During the 7 o’clock hour, ABC’s repeat America’s Funniest Home Videos more than doubled the audience of Fox’s animated comedies (The Cleveland Show/The Cleveland Show) and also led by 17% among Adults 18-49. In Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, the Christmas-themed AFHV marked the show’s strongest repeat performance in 1 year – since 12/18/11 and 12/11/11, respectively. Up against fierce competition in its 2-hour time period from NBC’s Sunday Night Football and CBS’ Survivor finale, ABC’s The Bachelorette: Ashley and J.P.’s Wedding saw its overall audience surge by 50% and spiked by 22% in Adults 18-49 from its first hour to its second hour. The special also built by double-digit percentages from its first to second hour across all key Women demographics: W18-34 (+20%), W18-49 (+23%) and W25-54 (+25%).
