Opposite an Idol-fueled Fox on Wednesday night, ABC once again beat out CBS (+24%) and NBC (+75%) by wide margins with Adults 18-34.
Up over the prior week in viewers (+5%) and young adults (+10%), ABC equaled a 13-week Wednesday high among Adults 18-49 – since 2/9/11. The Net also posted its top Adult 18-34 number on the night in more than 3 months (2/9/11).
Rising over the same night last May Sweep with viewers and young adults, ABC built its overall Wednesday audience year to year for the 18th time in the last 21 weeks.
Up against the first half-hour of Fox’s American Idol and CBS’ Survivor: Redemption Island at 8pm, ABC’s The Middle more than doubled the performance of NBC’s Minute To Win It among Total Viewers (+132%) and Adults 18-49 (+163%). In addition, The Middle beat out Survivor for the 2nd week in a row with Women 18-34, leading the CBS unscripted series by 11%.
Up for the 2nd straight week in viewers and young adults, The Middle scored its best numbers since the beginning of March – since 3/2/11.
Season to date, ABC’s The Middle is TV’s 2nd-biggest year-to-year gainer (behind only Modern Family) among returning broadcast series, jumping by 23% in Total Viewers over its performance in the 8:30pm half-hour at the same point last season.
At 8:30pm opposite the second half-hours of Idol and Survivor, ABC’s freshman season finale of Better with You doubled the numbers for the second half-hour of NBC’s Minute To Win It in viewers (+100%) and young adults (+111% – best ever).
Like its lead-in, the ABC freshman comedy finished #2 in its time period to Idol with Women 18-34. In addition, Better With You exhibited impressive lead-in retention among Adults 18-49 (90%) and Adults 18-34 (94%).
Delivering its 2nd week of growth and surging week to week by 11% in Viewers and by 19% in Adults 18-49, ABC’s Better with You produced its highest numbers on the evening in more than 3 months – since 2/9/11.
Surging over its lead-in against the third half-hour of Idol at 9pm, ABC’s Modern Family was the dominant scripted show in its slot among Adults 18-49, beating runner-up CBS’ Criminal Minds by 35%. TV’s #1 comedy this season (also the top-rated scripted show), ABC’s Modern Family registered as Wednesday’s #1 scripted show for its 22nd straight first-run airing this season in the key young adult sales demographic.
Building week to week in viewers and young adults, Modern Family turned in its strongest results since March – since 3/23/11. In addition, jumping over the prior week by 14%, the show hit its top Adult 18-34 number since the beginning of February – since 2/9/11.
Season to date, ABC’s Modern Family is the fastest-growing television show on the broadcast nets, up over the same point last year by 27% in Total Viewers and by 26% in Adults 18-49.
In the 9:30pm half-hour, ABC’s Cougar Town ranked #2 in its slot among Adults 18-49, while finishing #1 with Adults 18-34 and Women 18-34.
Gaining for the 2nd week running, Cougar Town posted strong week to week gains in Total Viewers (+11%), Adults 18-49 (+9%) and Adults 18-34 (+16%). In fact the show marked its highest Adults 18-49 number since the start of February and its top Adult 18-34 number since the start of January – since 2/2/11 and 1/5/11, respectively.
From 10-11pm, back-to-back episodes of Happy Endings generated enormous year-to-year improvement for ABC in Wednesday’s 10 o’clock hour, jumping over original drama programming on the same night last year by 33% in Adults 18-49 and by 100% in Adults 18-34.
With Happy Endings, ABC grew week to week in the hour by 8% in Total Viewers and by 7% in Adults 18-49.
(source; ABC)
