ABC tops in non-sports

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During the week of 10/7/03, ABC finished in a 3-way tie for #1 in the non-sports Adult 18-49 averages with CBS and Fox, while NBC ran behind the other nets.  The Net delivered 4 of the Top 15 non-sports TV programs in Adults 18-49, placing 2 of the Top 6: Modern Family – #4, Scandal – #6 (tied as the #1 broadcast drama), Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – #12, Grey’s Anatomy – #14. In addition, ABC’s Dancing with the Stars (#8), Modern Family (#15) and Castle (#18) each ranked among the Top 20 most-watched shows overall.


Median Age: ABC’s Median Age is nearly 1-1/2 years lower than the same point last season, making it the only major net to get younger year to year.  ABC (-1.4 years), CBS (+0.1 year), NBC (+2.8 years) and Fox (+2.9 years).

Monday: ABC ranked #2 on Monday in Total Viewers, topping Fox by 4.6 million viewers and CBS by 5.9 million viewers.  In addition, ABC beat CBS on the night by 5% in Adults 18-49.  ABC’s Dancing with the Stars finished as the 2nd-most-watched telecast of the night to NBC’s The Voice, outdrawing Fox’s dramas in the 2-hour time period by 5.4 million viewers and CBS’ comedies by 6.2 million viewers.  Valerie Harper was the third celebrity dancer to be eliminated from the competition this season. During the 10 o’clock hour, ABC’s Castle widened its advantages over Hostages week to week, beating the CBS drama by its largest margins yet of 108% in Total Viewers and 58% in Adults 18-49.

Tuesday: With its Tuesday night freshman lineup from 8-10pm and a repeat Scandal at 10pm, ABC was up year to year on Tuesday for the 3rd straight week in Adults 18-49 (+6%), standing as the only major net to grow. The Net outdelivered Fox’s Tuesday first-run comedy lineup by 2.1 million viewers and by 13% in Adults 18-49.  Delivering strong retention week to week in viewers (91%) and young adults (88%), ABC’s Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. ranked #1 in the 8pm hour in Adults 18-49, tying NBC’s The Voice and beating CBS’ NCIS. It was the #2 TV show on Tuesday in Adults 18-49, just 1-tenth shy of NBC’s 2-hour The Voice for # 1. For the 3rd week in a row, the ABC drama dominated its hour across all key Men demos (M18-34/M18-49/M25-54) to rank as Tuesday’s #1 TV show on all 3 measures.  The season’s #1 new TV show, S.H.I.E.L.D. more than doubled ABC’s Adult 18-49 performance in the hour from the year-ago night (+123%).  Delivering increasing gains in early TV playback (+48% in Week 2 vs. +38% in Week 1), S.H.I.E.L.D.’s 2.8 Live + Same Day number is projected to go up to a 4.1-4.2 Adult 18-49 rating in the Live + 3 Day data. The ABC drama has also been adding 3.5 million viewers in L3.  At 9pm, ABC’s The Goldbergs was Tuesday’s most-watched comedy for the 3rd week in a row. The Goldbergs delivered better than 90% audience retention week to week in Total Viewers (95%) and Adults 25-54 (100%). At 9:30pm, ABC’s Trophy Wife drew 1.9 million more viewers than Fox’s The Mindy Project and tied the Fox comedy in Adults 18-49. It was the night’s 2nd-most-watched comedy, behind only The Goldbergs and outdrawing all 4 of Fox’s sitcoms for the 3rd consecutive Tuesday. Trophy Wife was up week to week by 12% in Total Viewers and held 100% of its Adult 18-49 delivery.

Wednesday: ABC ranked #1 on Wednesday in Adults 18-49 (tie) for the 3rd straight week. Also for the 3rd week running, ABC’s Modern Family was the definitive #1 TV show of the night across all key Adult demos. The Net posted its most consecutive #1 finishes on the night in nearly 3 years (since a streak from 12/29/10-1/12/11) and as a result is delivering its most competitive Wednesday start to a season in 6 years – since 2007. ABC’s The Middle paced within 1-tenth of its Adult 18-49 number week to week, running neck-and-neck with Survivor for the lead at 8pm and beating Fox’s The X Factor and NBC’s Revolution. In Total Viewers, the ABC comedy was up week to week (+3%) and year to year (+4%). In the 8:30pm half-hour, ABC’s Back in the Game paced within 1-tenth of last week’s Adult 18-49 rating to beat NBC’s Revolution in the half-hour by 20%. Back in the Game improved its time period year to year for ABC in Total Viewers (+2%). At 9pm, ABC’s Modern Family shot up 117% from its Adult 18-49 lead-in at 9pm to dominate its half-hour, beating CBS’ Criminal Minds by 56%, Fox’s The X Factor by 70% and NBC’s L&O: SVU by 160%.  Modern Family held 95% of its audience week to week in Total Viewers and 93% in Adults 18-49. Continuing to deliver improved Adult 18-49 lead-in retention out of Modern Family (64% – outside of last week, the best retention for any comedy telecast in the slot since early April – since 4/10/13), ABC’s Super Fun Night ranked #2 in the 9:30pm slot among Adults 18-49, tying the final half-hour of Fox’s The X Factor and defeating NBC’s L&O: SVU by 47%.  In addition, the new show was the #1 series in its time period with Men 18-49.  ABC’s second telecast of Super Fun Night had better young adult retention of its debut (78%) than CBS’ The Crazy Ones (74%), NBC’s Michael J Fox Show (77%) and Fox’s Brooklyn Nine-Nine (69%). At 10pm, ABC’s Nashville beat NBC’s Ironside by 45% Adults 18-49 and won the hour over its broadcast drama competition with Adults 18-34 and Women 18-34.  Live + 3 Day Adult 18-49 Ratings: With increasing TV playback gains (+53% in Week 2 vs. +45% in for the premiere), Nashville grew by 1.0 rating point last week in L3 (2.9 rating vs. 1.9 L+SD rating) and has finished as the #1 broadcast in its slot on both weeks this season.

Thursday: ABC earned second place on Thursday, beating Fox and NBC.  The Net was up 67% over the year-ago night in Adults 18-49.  During the 8 o’clock hour, ABC’s debut of Once Upon a Time in Wonderland topped NBC’s comedies by wide margins (Parks and Recreation/Welcome to the Family) in Viewers (+100%) and Adults 18-49 (+70%). Given the strong TV playback gains for Once Upon a Time, the ABC drama spinoff will likely see a substantial increase in the L+3 and L+7 numbers.  Once Upon a Time in Wonderland improved its time period over the year-ago night with Last Resort by 6% in Adults 18-49.  At 9pm against Glee’s Cory Montieth tribute episode, ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy defeated CBS’ comedies in the hour by 17% in Adults 18-49 (The Crazy Ones/Two and a Half Men) and more than doubled NBC’s comedies (+155% over Sean Saves the World/The Michael J Fox Show).  Opposite increased competition from the Glee tribute, Grey’s retained 92% in Total Viewers and 90% in Adults 18-49 week to week.  Once again building on its Grey’s Adult 18-49 lead-in (+11%), ABC’s Scandal towered over its 10pm drama competition, beating CBS Elementary by 63% and NBC’s Parenthood by 158%. For the 2nd week in a row, ABC’s Scandal was Thursday’s #1 drama and also the #2 TV show of the night in Adults 18-49, behind only CBS’ The Big Bang Theory. On average in Adults 18-49, Scandal is up 70% over its first two telecasts last year making the ABC drama the fastest growing returning series this season.

Friday: ABC took second place on Friday in viewers and young adults, pacing within 1-tenth of the night’s lead in Adults 18-49 (CBS). ABC beat both NBC and Fox by 30% each in Adults 18-49. For the 4th consecutive week, ABC’s Shark Tank was the #1 TV show on Friday in Adults 18-49. In the 8pm half-hour, ABC’s Last Man Standing took second place with Total Viewers, beating the first half of Fox’s Masterchef Junior by 58%. At 8:30pm, The Neighbors took second in its slot with Total Viewers, retaining 100% of its overall audience week to week and coming within 1-tenth of its Adult 18-49 delivery. Building on its lead-in by 89% among Adults 18-49 and gaining young adult audience from start to finish (+6%), ABC’s Shark Tank won the 9pm hour by 13% over runner-up CBS’ Hawaii Five-0. Shark Tank grew its overall audience from the prior week (+2%).

Sunday: Opposite NFL and MLB competition from NBC’s Sunday Night Football and Fox with an NFL overrun and MLB Baseball Playoffs coverage, ABC’s Once Upon a Time and Revenge were Sunday’s Top 2 broadcast dramas in Adults 18-49 for the 3rd straight week, outdelivering CBS’ The Good Wife and The Mentalist.  Although facing increased competition, ABC held 100% of its Total Viewers and 94% of its young adult audience week to week.

Doubling its lead-in at 8pm (+100%), ABC’s Once Upon a Time dominated its non-sports broadcast competition in the hour, outdelivering CBS’ Amazing Race by 26%. Live + 7 Day Ratings: In the first round of L7 for its season premiere, Once Upon a Time shot up 46% over its Live + Same Day number to grow to a 3.8 rating in Adults 18-49 (versus 2.6 in L+SD). This year’s Adult 18-49 build in TV playback was bigger than last year’s premiere build (+46% vs. +36%).

During the 9 o’clock hour, ABC’s Revenge defeated CBS’ The Good Wife by 33% in Adults 18-49.  Live + 7 Day Ratings: The season premiere of Revenge grew by more than 50% over its L+SD rating, going from a 2.3 to a 3.5 in L+7 (+1.2 rating points). Revenge’s L+7 increase with Adults 18-49 was much higher for this year’s premiere than for last year’s opener increase (+52% vs. +34%).

During the 10 o’clock hour, ABC’s Betrayal continued to outdeliver its CBS drama competition in Women 18-34, leading The Mentalist by 13%.