ABC's DANCING WITH THE STARS Grows to Its Most Competitive Finish This Season With 'The Voice'

During the week of April 25, 2016, ABC finished No. 1 in Adults 18-49 for the 2nd time in 3 weeks (1.2/4 - tied w/ CBS). The Net aired 5 of the week's Top 15 broadcast series in Adults 18-49: "Grey's Anatomy" - No. 4, "DWTS" - No. 7, "The Middle" - No. 9, while "The Goldbergs" and "Scandal" tied at No. 14. "20/20" was the No. 1 newsmagazine for the 2nd week in a row with key Adults (AD18-49/AD25-54). "Dancing with the Stars" continued its run as TV's most watched unscripted series. Please note: ABC's "Modern Family" aired a repeat during the week.

ABC grew week to week in Total Viewers (+9% - 5.1 million vs. 4.7 million) and Adults 18-49 (+9% - 1.2/4 vs. 1.1/4), equaling a 6-week high with young adults - since w/o 3/14/16.

Monday
For the 4th consecutive week, ABC was Monday's most watched TV network (9.9 million) while ranking a strong second in Adults 18-49 (1.6/5). "Dancing" was Monday's No. 1 TV show in Total Viewers and ranked No. 2 on the evening in Adults 18-49, delivering its closest finish this season with NBC's "The Voice."

"Dancing with the Stars" (8:00-10:01 p.m. - 11.8 million and 1.8/6 in AD18-49):
From 8:00-10:01 p.m., ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" was Monday's most watched TV series for the 6th week running, topping NBC's "The Voice" by a season-best 2.5 million viewers (11.8 million vs. 9.5 million). "Dancing" finished a strong second in the 2-hour slot with Adults 18-49, posting a best-of-season 2-tenths margin with NBC's "The Voice" (1.8/6 vs. 2.0/7). In addition, the ABC unscripted series matched "The Voice" in Adults 18-34 and won the slot among the broadcast nets in Women 18-34. "Dancing" was up week to week in Total Viewers (+7%) and Adults 18-49 (+13%).

"Castle" (10:00-11:00 p.m. - 6.2 million and 1.1/4 in AD18-49):
During the 10:00 p.m. hour, ABC's "Castle" topped NBC's "Blindspot" for its 5th straight telecast among Total Viewers (+11% - 6.2 million vs. 5.6 million). "Castle" built over the prior week in Total Viewers (+5%) and Adults 18-49 (+10%).

Live + 7 Day Ratings (season to date): On average this season, originals of "Castle" jump +82% from L+SD to deliver a 2.0 rating in Live + 7 Day Adults 18-49. The ABC drama also adds 3.7 million viewers on average over 7 days of playback for an average audience of 10.0 million this season.

Tuesday
"The Real O'Neals" (8:30-9:00 p.m. - 3.0 million and 0.8/3 in AD18-49):
Coming out of a repeat "Fresh Off the Boat" at 8:30 p.m., ABC's "The Real O'Neals" outdrew Fox's "New Girl" head-to-head in the half-hour by 1.2 million viewers (3.0 million vs. 1.8 million) and matched the newly renewed FOX comedy in Adults 18-49 (0.8/3). In fact the ABC freshman comedy drew more viewers than all 3 of Fox's comedies on the night, including 1.0 million more than the finale of "Brooklyn 9-9" (2.0 million at 9:00 p.m.).

"Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." (9:00-10:00 p.m. - 2.8 million and 0.9/3 in AD18-49):
Growing from its lead-in at 9:00 p.m. (+13%), ABC's "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." held steady in Adults 18-49 (0.9/3 vs. 1.0/3) and was up week to week in Adults 18-34 (+20%), Men 18-34 (+20%) and Teens 12-17 (+20%).

Most Recent L+7 ratings (for Tuesday, 3/29/16): In the most recent Live + 7 Day data released this past Monday, "S.H.I.E.L.D." nearly doubled its L+SD Adult 18-49 number, soaring +90% to a 1.9 rating in L+7 (from a 1.0 in L+SD).

Wednesday
With a repeat "Modern Family" and a bloopers clip-show "The Goldbergs," ABC's "The Middle" and "black-ish" returned steady with their most recent originals two weeks ago, while "Nashville held even with the prior week in Adults 18-49.

"The Middle" (8:00-8:30 p.m. - 6.7 million and 1.7/6 in AD18-49):
At 8:00 p.m., ABC's "The Middle" earned a strong second in its half-hour among Adults 18-49 (1.7/6) to CBS' "Survivor," outdelivering its scripted competition on FOX by 42% (1.2/5 for "Rosewood") and NBC by 113% (0.8/3 for "Heartbeat"). "The Middle" returned even with its last first run airing in Adults 18-49 (on 4/13/16).

"black-ish" (9:31-10:00 p.m. - 5.0 million and 1.5/5 in AD18-49):
Building 15% on the "Modern Family" encore in the 9:30 p.m. half-hour, ABC's "black-ish" took second to Fox's "Empire" in the slot among Adults 18-49 (1.5/5). And despite coming out of a repeat, "black-ish" held even with its last original airing (on 4/13/16) in Adults 18-49.

"Nashville" (10:00-11:00 p.m. - 3.8 million and 0.8/3 in AD18-49):
At 10:00 p.m., ABC's "Nashville" grew week to week in Total Viewers (+3% - 3.8 million vs. 3.7 million) and held even with Adults 18-49 (0.8/3). Live + 3 Day Ratings for last Wednesday (4/20/16): "Nashville" was last Wednesday's biggest broadcast gainer among Adults 18-49 with a +63% jump over its L+SD rating.

Thursday
ABC ran a strong second in Live + Same Day Adults 18-49 (1.5/5) on Thursday among the broadcasters to a "Big Bang"-led CBS (1.7/6), dominating original programming on NBC by 67% (0.9/3) and FOX by 88% (0.8/3). Please note: ESPN aired the high-rated 2016 NFL DRAFT on Thursday night.

ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" stood Thursday's No. 2 TV series in Adults 18-49, behind only CBS' "The Big Bang Theory." In addition, "Grey's" and "Scandal" ran as Thursday's Top 2 dramas while "The Catch" beat its CBS and NBC drama competition in the 10:00 p.m. hour.

"Grey's Anatomy" (8:00-9:00 p.m. - 7.9 million and 2.0/7 in AD18-49):
From 8:00-9:00 p.m., ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" overshadowed its drama competition among Adults 18-49 (2.0/7), continuing to more than double Fox's "Bones" (+150% - 0.8/3). The ABC drama moved up into the No. 1 series position at 8:30 p.m. and beat out CBS' "Big Bang"-driven "The Odd Couple" by 18% (2.0/7 vs. 1.7/6). "Grey's" was even week to week in Total Viewers in Adults 18-49.

"Scandal" (9:00-10:00 p.m. - 6.3 million and 1.6/5 in AD18-49):
In the 9 o'clock hour, ABC's "Scandal" increased its winning advantage week to week over NBC's "The Blacklist" to 33% in Adults 18-49 (1.6/5 vs. 1.2/4) and outdelivered Fox's "American Grit" by 129% (0.7/2). The ABC drama was the No. 1 series in the hour with Adults 18-34 and all key Women (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54). "Scandal" was up week to week in Total Viewers (+5%) and Adults 18-49 (+7%), marking its most watched telecast overall in 6 weeks - since 3/17/16.

"The Catch" (10:00-11:00 p.m. - 4.6 million and 1.0/3 in AD18-49):
At 10:00 p.m., ABC's "The Catch" ranked No. 1 in Adults 18-49 (1.0/3) over its drama competition on CBS (+11% over "Rush Hour" = 0.9/3) and NBC (best-yet +67% over "Game of Silence" = 0.6/2). The ABC freshman drama built week to week by 11% in Adults 18-49.

Live + 3 Day Ratings for Last Thursday (4/21/16): With a 56% spike, "The Catch" was the biggest gainer at 10:00 p.m. on broadcast in Adults 18-49, posting much larger lifts from L+SD to L+3 than CBS' "Rush Hour" (+10%) and NBC's "Game of Silence" (+43%).

Friday
Leading off the night with a repeat "Shark Tank at 8:00 p.m., ABC won Friday in Adults 18-49 (1.2/5), beating original lineups on CBS and NBC to rank as the No. 1 broadcaster on the evening for the 4th week in a row.

ABC's "Shark Tank" grew to a 10-week high and stood as Friday's top-rated TV program with young adults (1.5/6). ABC's "20/20" continued its run as Friday's highest-rated newsmagazine and was the night's No. 2 show to "Shark Tank" in Adults 18-49 (1.2/4-tie).

"Shark Tank" (9:00-10:00 p.m. - 5.8 million and 1.5/6 in AD18-49):
Spiking 88% over its lead-in at 9:00 p.m. and gaining audience from start to finish, ABC's "Shark Tank" won it hour by 36% over runner-up CBS' "Hawaii Five-0" in Adults 18-49 (1.5/6 vs. 1.1/4). "Shark Tank" built week to week in Total Viewers (+7%) and Adults 18-49 (+25%) setting a 10-week high with young adults - since 2/19/16.

"20/20" (10:00-11:00 p.m. - 5.6 million and 1.2/5 in AD18-49):
At 10:00 p.m., ABC's "20/20" ranked as the No. 1 series in the time period with Adults 18-49 (1.2/4 - tied w/ CBS "Blue Bloods"). Head to head in the hour, "20/20" once again outdelivered NBC's "Dateline" by strong margins in Total Viewers (+33% - 5.6 million vs. 4.2 million), Adults 18-49 (+20% - 1.2/5 vs. 1.0/4) and Adults 25-54 (+21% - 1.7/5 vs. 1.4/4), delivering a larger audience than the NBC newsmagazine for the 5th consecutie week. "20/20" held even with last week's telecast in Adults 18-49, equaling a 10-week high - since 2/19/16. "20/20" featured Dan Harris' exclusive interview with Ron Miscavige, father of the Church of Scientology leader David Miscavige, about his new memoir, "RUTHLESS: Scientology, My Son David Miscavige, and Me."

Sunday
ABC was Sunday's No. 1 broadcaster for the 2nd week in a row among Adults 18-49 (1.1/4 - tied w/ NBC) with "Once Upon a Time" as the top drama. The Net was up 10% week to week to a 7-week high on the night in young adults - since 3/13/16.

"America's Funniest Home Videos" (7:00-8:00 p.m. - 5.7 million and 1.3/5 in AD18-49):
At 7:00 p.m., ABC's "America's Funniest Home Videos" won its hour among Adults 18-49 (1.3/5). "AFV" was up week to week in Total Viewers (+14%) and built for the 3rd straight week in Adults 18-49 (+8%) to its highest rating since February - since 2/21/16.

"Once Upon a Time" (8:00-9:00 p.m. - 3.8 million and 1.2/4 in AD18-49):
At 8:00 p.m. against NBC's "Little Big Shots," ABC's "Once Upon a Time" held even week to week and beat its CBS drama competition by 20% in Adults 18-49 (1.2/4 vs. 1.0/3 - "Madam Secretary").

"The Family" (9:00-10:00 p.m. - 2.8 million and 0.8/3 in AD18-49):
Facing HBO's "Game of Thrones" in the 9:00 p.m. hour, ABC's "The Family" held even with the prior week in Adults 18-49 (0.8/3) to match its best Sunday rating. Live + 3 Day Ratings for Last Sunday (4/24/16): "The Family" jumped +63% over its L+SD Adult 18-49 rating to deliver a 1.3 rating after 3 days of TV playback, matching its highest L+3 rating on the night.

"Quantico" (10:00-11:00 p.m. - 3.4 million and 1.0/3 in AD18-49):
Growing from its lead-in at 10:00 p.m. (+25%), ABC's "Quantico" ranked No. 1 in the hour among the major nets in Adults 18-49 (1.0/3-tie), beating its drama competition on CBS by 25% (0.8/2 - "Elementary"). "Quantico" remained even week to week in Adults 18-49. Live + 3 Day Ratings Season to Date: "Quantico" is the season's biggest percentage gainer among broadcast series from L+SD to L+3, spiking 69% in Total Viewers (to an average 7.7 million viewers) and 85% in Adults 18-49 (to an average 2.4 rating).

WEEK NO. 32: ADULTS 18-49 TOTAL VIEWERS
No.1 ABC 1.2 No.1 CBS 7,530,000
No.1 CBS 1.2 No.2 NBC 5,420,000
No.3 NBC 1.1 No.3 ABC 5,130,000
No.4 FOX 1.0 No.4 FOX 3,210,000
No.5 CW 0.6 No.5 CW 1,580,000

Source: The Nielsen Company, National Live+ Same Day Program Ratings for week of 04/25/16.