Overall: During the week of 2/25/13, ABC aired 6 of the Top 20 broadcast shows in Adults 18-49, including #1 Modern Family, which tied Fox’s Idol-Wed for the first time ever: Modern Family – #1, The Bachelor – #7, Celebrity Wife Swap – #16 (premiering at a series-high rating), Castle – #17 (matching a season-high rating), while Suburgatory and Once Upon a Time tied at #20. During the week, ABC outdelivered NBC by strong margins in viewers (+49%) and Adults 8-49 (+33%), leading for the 5th week in a row and 6th time in 7 weeks.
Monday: For the 2nd Monday in a row, ABC ranked #1 in both Total Viewers and Adults 18-49. The Net earned its most-watched Monday with regular programming since November (11/19/12) and its 2nd highest Adult 18-49 number this season. Nearly tying last week’s season highs for its 2nd best numbers this season, The Bachelor made ABC the most-watched network in its 2-hour time period and once again dominated NBC’s The Biggest Loser 14 in Total Viewers (+59%) and Adults 18-49 (+32%). Continuing to improve its numbers year to year, The Bachelor grew from the same night last year by 1.1 million viewers and by 12% in Adults 18-49. On average, The Bachelor is up over last season in both viewers (+2%) and young adults (+3%). ABC’s Castle won the 10 o’clock hour for the 2nd straight week Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, and finished as Monday’s most-watched TV show. With the second part of a 2-part episode, Castle marked its most-watched telecast since October (10/29/12) and matched last week’s season high in Adults 18-49. The ABC drama was also up over its year-ago telecast in both Total Viewers (+19%) and Adults 18-49 (+10%). Castle is delivering the series’ most-watched season ever.
Tuesday: ABC ranked #2 on Tuesday to CBS in viewers and young adults. For the 2nd Tuesday in a row, ABC was up over the year-ago night (also an all-original lineup) in Viewers (+4%) and Adults 18-49 (+6%). Opening at series highs against CBS’ top-rated NCIS from 8-9pm, ABC’s season premiere of Celebrity Wife Swap led by wide margins in Adults 18-49 over Fox (+60% – Raising Hope/Raising Hope) and NBC (+85% – Off their Rockers/Off their Rockers). The ABC unscripted series won the hour in Women 18-34, beating runner-up NCIS by 9%. Boosting the hour week to week in Adults 18-49 (+50%), Celebrity Wife Swap posted ABC’s top series number in the time period in more than 1 year – 2/7/12. The show grew from last season’s Tuesday premiere (on 1/3/12) by 18% in Total Viewers and by 14% in Adults 18-49 to deliver its best numbers ever on both counts. Moving to its new 9pm time period, ABC’s The Taste came into the hour and beat out NBC’s comedies (Go On/New Normal) by 1.2 million viewers and 27% in Adults 18-49. The Taste improved its new time period by 21% in Total Viewers and by 8% in Adults 18-49, over the Net’s averages this season with regular programming. At 10pm opposite CBS’ series debut of Golden Boy, ABC’s Body of Proof more than doubled the audience (113%) of NBC’s Smash and outdelivered the NBC drama by 33% in Adults 18-49. Although facing increased competition from the CBS debut, Body of Proof retained 100% of its week-ago premiere in Adults 18-49 and was up in Adults 18-34 (+14%) and Women 18-34 (+22%).
Wednesday: ABC’s Modern Family finished as Wednesday’s #1 TV show in Adults 18-49, tying Fox’s American Idol in rating for the first time ever, while holding the advantage in actual number of young adults. ABC was up week to week on Wednesday (+5%) to match a 5-week high on the night – since 1/23/13. Opposite the opening half-hours of Idol and CBS’ Survivor at 8pm, ABC’s The Middle outdelivered NBC’s Whitney by 4.6 million viewers and nearly a full rating point in Adults 18-49. The ABC comedy beat out Survivor for the 3rd week in a row in Adults 18-34 (+17%) and Women 18-34 (+21%). Like its lead-in at 8:30pm, ABC’s The Neighbors dominated its comedy competition, defeating NBC’s season finale of Guys With Kids by 3.0 million viewers and by 55% in Adults 18-49. More than doubling its Adult 18-49 lead-in at 9pm (+129%), ABC’s Modern Family ranked #1 in its half-hour with a 50% advantage over its nearest scripted competition (CBS’ Criminal Minds). At 9:30pm, ABC’s Suburgatory defeated NBC’s Law & Order in the half-hour among Total Viewers (+5%) and Adults 18-49 (+28%). The sophomore ABC sitcom grew week to week in viewers (+7%) and young adults (+10%) to its largest audience since January 9, 2013 and its biggest this season against Idol. In addition, it hit its best Adult 18-49 number since January 23rd. Improving its slot year to year for the 3rd straight week, Suburgatory drew more viewers for ABC to the half-hour this year (+3%). Returning after the prior week’s preemption for an Oscars special, ABC’s Nashville came back to rank as the #1 scripted show in the 10 o’clock hour with Adults 18-34 and, for its 6th straight broadcast, in Women 18-34. Jumping 71% over its L+SD rating in the most recent week of L+7 data (w/o 2/4/13), ABC’s Nashville stood as the biggest percentage gainer of any freshman series during the week, building to a 2.9 Adult 18-49 rating in the final playback numbers.
Friday: With strong numbers across the night, ABC was Friday’s most-watched network overall and once again beat its network rivals in Adults 18-49. Shark Tank was Friday’s #1 TV show with young adults. In addition, 20/20 stood as Friday’s top-rated newsmagazine in Adults 18-49 and Adults 25-54 (3rd week in a row). At 8pm, Last Man Standing spiked 15% over the prior week to match its highest rating since November – since 11/30/12. With strong lead-in retention at 8:30pm, Malibu Country surged week to week by 22% in Total Viewers and by 27% in Adults 18-49 to deliver its best results since November – since 11/30/12. At 9pm, ABC’s Shark Tank built on its lead (+36%) in Adults 18-49 to rank #1 in its hour beating NBC’s Dateline by 27%. The ABC unscripted series was also the most-watched TV show in its time period. Continuing to deliver its best season ever, Shark Tank increased over the same night last year by 1.0 million viewers and by 19% in Adults 18-49. Friday’s #1 newsmagazine, ABC’s 20/20 won the 10 o’clock hour by wide margins in Adults 18-49 and Adults 25-54. Head to head from 10-11pm, 20/20 once again held strong advantages over NBC’s Rock Center with Brian Williams in Total Viewers (+24%), Adults 25-54 (+43%) and Adults 18-49 (+40%). 20/20 reported on South African Olympian Oscar Pistorius and the alleged murder of his model girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp.
Sunday: With AFHV, Once Upon a Time and the debut of Red Widow, ABC earned its biggest Sunday audience with regular programming since the beginning of November – since 11/4/12. At 7pm, ABC’s America’s Funniest Home Videos won the hour by 6% over its nearest competition (60 Minutes) and was up 13% in Adults 18-49 over its most recent telecast two weeks ago. Returning after a preemption for The Oscars the prior week, ABC’s Once Upon a Time built on its lead-in (+29%) to rank as the #2 series in the 8 o’clock hour with viewers and young adults, while leading the slot to finish as Sunday’s top-rated broadcast series with key Women (W18-34/W18-49). Head to head from 9-11pm, ABC’s series debut of Red Widow drew 37% more viewers than NBC’s Celebrity Apprentice premiere. Red Widow pulled in ABC’s largest series audience in the 2-hour slot since season-premiere Sunday 5 months ago – since 9/30/12.
