Night 1 of ABC's 500 QUESTIONS Dominates Its Thursday Unscripted Competition

"500 Questions" (8:00-10:00 p.m. - 5.0 million and 0.9/3 in AD18-49): From 8:00-10:00 p.m. night 1 of ABC's "500 Questions" beat out its established unscripted competition on Thursday by wide margins in Total Viewers (5.0 million) and Adults 18-49 (0.9/3), outdelivering NBC's "Strong" (2.6 million and 0.7/3 from 8:00-9:00 p.m.) by 92% and 29%, respectively, and Fox's "American Grit" (1.8 million and 0.5/2 from 9:00-10:00 p.m.) by 178% and 80%, respectively.

In addition, the ABC unscripted program topped Fox's original "Bones" (4.5 million and 0.8/3 from 8:00-9:00 p.m.) on the night by 11% in Total Viewers and by 13% in Adults 18-49. "500 Questions" ranked No. 1 in its 2-hour time period with Adults 18-34 (tie) and Women 18-34 (tie).

The multi-night event ABC quiz show grew 13% from its first hour to second hour among Adults 18-49.

Projections Rationale:
Lifts vs. L+SD are based on 2015-16 season averages for originals (excluding the premiere).
Returning shows: Profile based on same show (either premiere or averages for originals).
New Series: Based on similar series.

A note about DVR penetration: DVR penetration in the Nielsen sample is currently at 49% in U.S. TV Homes. More viewers are watching shows on their own timetables, which are increasingly not reflected in the overnight Live + Same Day numbers. As a result, the Live + 7 Day ratings are the most accurate Nielsen measure to gauge the size of the TV audience.

Source: The Nielsen Company, Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Program for 5/26/16, unless otherwise specified.

Photo credit: ABC/ Adam Taylor*