ABC's Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Ranks No. 1 in its Slot with Adults 18-49

During the week of October 7, 2013, ABC finished in a 3-way tie for No. 1 in the non-sports Adult 18-49 averages with CBS and FOX (1.9 rating), while NBC ran behind the other nets (1.8 rating).

Rankings: ABC delivered 4 of the Top 15 non-sports TV programs in Adults 18-49, placing 2 of the Top 6: "Modern Family" - No. 4, "Scandal" - No. 6 (No. 1 broadcast drama-tie), "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." - No. 12, "Grey's Anatomy" - No. 14. In addition, ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" (No. 8), "Modern Family" (No. 15) and "Castle" (No. 18) each ranked among the Top 20 most-watched shows overall.

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: ABC (-1.4 years - 54.1 years vs. 55.5 years), CBS (+0.1 year - 57.9 years vs. 57.8 years), NBC (+2.8 years - 50.7 years vs. 47.9 years) and FOX (+2.9 years - 47.7 years vs. 44.8 years).

Monday
ABC ranked No. 2 on Monday in Total Viewers, topping FOX by 4.6 million viewers (7.6 million) and CBS by 5.9 million viewers (6.3 million). In addition, ABC beat CBS on the night by 5% in Adults 18-49 (2.0/56 vs. 1.9/5).

"Dancing with the Stars" (8:00-10:01 p.m. - 13.0 million and 2.0/5 in AD18-49)
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 (7.6 million) and CBS' comedies by 6.2 million viewers (6.8 million). Valerie Harper was the third celebrity dancer to be eliminated from the competition this season.

"Castle" (10:01-11:00 p.m. - 10.5 million and 1.9/5 in AD18-49)
During the 10 o'clock hour, ABC's "Castle" widened its advantages over "Hostages" (5.2 million and 1.2/3) week to week, beating the CBS drama by its largest margins yet of 102% in Total Viewers and 58% in Adults 18-49.

Tuesday
With its Tuesday night freshman lineup from 8:00-10:00 p.m. and a repeat "Scandal" at 10:00 p.m., ABC was up year to year on Tuesday for the 3rd straight week in Adults 18-49 (+6% over 1.7/5 with an all-original schedule on 10/9/12), standing as the only major net to grow. The Network (5.4 million and 1.8/5) outdelivered Fox's Tuesday all-original lineup (3.3 million and 1.6/5) by 2.1 million viewers and by 13% in Adults 18-49.

"Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." (8:00-9:00 p.m. - 7.9 million and 2.9/9 in AD18-49):
With strong week to week retention in viewers (91%) and young adults (88%), ABC's "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." ranked No. 1 in the 8:00 p.m. hour in Adults 18-49, tying NBC's "The Voice" (2.9/9) and beating CBS' "NCIS" (2.8/9). It was the No. 2 TV show on Tuesday in Adults 18-49, just 1-tenth shy of NBC's 2-hour "The Voice" for No. 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 No. 1 TV show on all 3 measures.

The season's No. 1 new TV show, "S.H.I.E.L.D.," more than doubled ABC's Adult 18-49 delivery (+123%) in The Hour from the year-ago night (vs. 1.3/4 for a "Dancing" special).

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 (based on a +48% increase in L3 last week). The show has also been adding 3.5 million viewers in L3.

"The Goldbergs" (9:00-9:30 p.m. - 5.8 million and 1.9/5 in AD18-49):
At 9:00 p.m., 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%).

"Trophy Wife" (9:30-10:00 p.m. - 4.8 million and 1.4/4 in AD18-49):
At 9:30 p.m., ABC's "Trophy Wife" drew 1.9 million more viewers than Fox's "The Mindy Project" (2.9 million and 1.4/4) 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 No. 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 No. 1 TV show of the night across all key Adult demos.

The Net posted its most consecutive No. 1 finishes on the night in nearly 3 years (since a streak from 12/29/10-1/12/11) and is delivering its most competitive Wednesday start to a season in 6 years - since 2007.

"The Middle" (8:00-8:30 p.m. - 8.2 million and 2.2/7 in AD18-49):
ABC's "The Middle" paced within 1-tenth of Adult 18-49 number (2.2/7) week to week, running neck-and-neck with "Survivor" (2.3/8) for the lead at 8:00 p.m. and beating Fox's "The X Factor" (2.0/7) and NBC's "Revolution" (1.5/5).

In Total Viewers, the ABC comedy was up week to week (+3%) and year to year (+4%).

"Back in the Game" (8:30-9:00 p.m. - 6.5 million and 1.8/5 in AD18-49):
In the 8:30 p.m. 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% (1.5/4).

"Back in the Game" improved its time period year to year for ABC in Total Viewers (+2%).

"Modern Family" (9:00-9:30 p.m. - 10.6 million and 3.9/11 in AD18-49):
At 9:00 p.m., ABC's "Modern Family" shot up 117% from its Adult 18-49 lead-in at 9:00 p.m. to dominate its half-hour, beating CBS' "Criminal Minds" by 56% (2.5/7), Fox's "The X Factor" by 70% (2.3/6) and NBC's "L&O: SVU" by 160% (1.5/4).

"Modern Family" held 95% of its audience week to week in Total Viewers and 93% in Adults 18-49.

"Super Fun Night" (9:30-10:00 p.m. - 6.6 million and 2.5/7 in AD18-49):
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 No. 2 in the 9:30 p.m. slot among Adults 18-49 (2.5/7), tying the final half-hour of Fox's "The X Factor" (2.5/7) and beating NBC's "L&O: SVU" (+47% - 1.7/5). In addition, the new show was the No. 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%).

"Nashville" (10:00-11:00 p.m. - 5.8 million and 1.6/5 in AD18-49):
At 10:00 p.m., ABC's "Nashville" beat NBC's "Ironside" (1.1/3) 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 No. 1 broadcast in its slot on both weeks this season.

Thursday
ABC earned second place on Thursday, beating FOX (6.9 million and 2.4/7) and NBC (3.4 million and 1.1/3). The Net was up 67% over the year-ago night in Adults 18-49 (1.5/4 on 10/11/12).

"Once Upon a Time in Wonderland" (8:00-9:00 p.m. - 5.8 million and 1.7/5 in AD18-49):
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" = 2.9 million and 1.0/3) in Total 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 (1.7/5 vs. 1.6/5 on 10/11/12).

"Grey's Anatomy" (9:00-10:00 p.m. - 8.8 million and 2.8/8 in AD18-49):
At 9:00 p.m. against "Glee's" Cory Montieth tribute episode, ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" beat CBS' comedies in The Hour by 17% in Adults 18-49 ("The Crazy Ones"/"Two and a Half Men" = 2.4/7) and more than doubled NBC's comedies (+155% over "Sean Saves the World"/"The Michael J FOX Show" = 1.1/3).

Opposite increased competition from the "Glee" tribute episode, "Grey's" retained 92% in Total Viewers and 90% in Adults 18-49 week to week.

"Scandal" (10:00-11:00 p.m. - 9.0 million and 3.1/9 in AD18-49):
Once again building on its "Grey's" Adult 18-49 lead-in (+11%), ABC's "Scandal" (3.1/9) towered over its 10:00 p.m. drama competition, beating CBS "Elementary" by 63% (1.9/6) and NBC's "Parenthood" by 158% (1.2/3). For the 2nd week in a row, ABC's "Scandal" was Thursday's No. 1 drama and also the No. 2 TV series 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 (3.4/10 vs. 2.0/6) 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 (1.3/5 vs. 1.4/5 - CBS). ABC beat both NBC (1.0/3) and FOX (1.0/4) by 30% each in Adults 18-49. For the 4th consecutive week, ABC's "Shark Tank" was the No. 1 TV show on Friday in Adults 18-49.

"Last Man Standing" (8:00-8:31 p.m. - 6.0 million and 1.2/5 in AD18-49):
In the 8:00 p.m. half-hour, ABC's "Last Man Standing" took second place with Total Viewers, beating the first half of Fox's "Masterchef Junior" by 58% (3.8 million).

"The Neighbors" (8:31-9:00 p.m. - 4.1 million and 0.9/3 in AD18-49):
At 8:30 p.m., ABC's "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.

"Shark Tank" (9:00-10:01 p.m. - 6.5 million and 1.7/6 in AD18-49):
Building on its lead-in by 89% among Adults 18-49 and gaining young adult audience from start to finish (+6% - 1.7/6 to 1.8/6), ABC's "Shark Tank" won the 9:00 p.m. hour by 13% over runner-up CBS' "Hawaii Five-0" (1.7/6 vs.1.5/5). "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 (5.4 million) and 94% of its young adult audience (1.5/4 vs. 1.6/4) week to week.

"Once Upon a Time" (8:00-9:00 p.m. - 7.5 million and 2.4/6 in AD18-49):
Doubling its lead-in at 8:00 p.m. (+100%), ABC's "Once Upon a Time" dominated its non-sports broadcast competition in the hour, outdelivering CBS' "Amazing Race" by 26% (2.4/6 vs. 1.9/5).

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 in L+7 (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%).

"Revenge" (9:00-10:01 p.m. - 6.0 million and 1.6/4 in AD18-49):
During the 9 o'clock hour, ABC's "Revenge" defeated CBS' "The Good Wife" by 33% in Adults 18-49 (1.6/4 vs. 1.2/3).

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%).

"Betrayal" (10:01-11:00 p.m. - 2.9 million and 0.8/2 in AD18-49):
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% (0.9/3 vs. 0.8/2).

WEEK NO. 03: ADULTS 18-49 TOTAL VIEWERS
No.1 NBC 2.7 No.1 CBS 9,220,000
No.2 FOX 2.4 No.2 NBC 8,440,000
No.3 CBS 1.9 No.3 FOX 7,490,000
No.4 ABC 1.8 No.4 ABC 6,980,000
No.5 CW 0.7 No.5 CW 1,690,000

Source: The Nielsen Company (National, Live+ Same Day Program Ratings), week of 10/07/13.