ABC Hits New Season High in Adults 18-49

During the week of November 5, 2012, ABC hit a new season high in Adults 18-49 (2.3/6) and finished No. 2 to NBC, tying an NFL-boosted Fox.

Building week to week to achieve a season high with Adults 18-49, ABC scored its top-rated week in 5 months – since w/o 6/11/12 with coverage of the 2012 NBA Finals.

Season-to-Date Updates – Upscale and Non-Sports Averages: Season to date among Adults 18-49 in homes with $100K+ Annual Income in the non-sports numbers, ABC leads the competition by double-digit percentages (3.65 rating), outdelivering CBS by 19% (3.07 rating), NBC by 21% (3.02 rating) and Fox by 34% (2.72 rating). In fact, ABC ranks No. 1 for the season in the non-sports Adult 18-49 averages across Nielsen’s data streams, including Program Ratings for Most Current, Live + 7 Day and Live + Same Day, as well as the Commercial + 3 Day Ratings.

Rankings: ABC claimed 5 of the Top 15 scripted TV shows during the week Adults 18-49, including the No. 1 broadcast drama for the 3rd straight week, with “Grey’s Anatomy”: “Modern Family” – No. 3, “Grey’s Anatomy” – No. 5, “Suburgatory” – No. 9, while “The Middle” and “Once Upon a Time” tied at No. 14. ABC’s “DWTS: All-Stars” (No. 5) and the “Modern Family” (No. 7) placed among the week’s Top 10 most-watched TV programs overall, as “Dancing” was the most-watched unscripted series for the 5th week in a row. ABC’s “20/20” on Friday ranked as the week’s No. 1 newsmagazine in Adults 18-49 (tie).

Monday
With “DWTS: All Stars” and “Castle,” ABC led the pack for the 7th straight Monday this season in Total Viewers (12.4 million), outdrawing runner-up NBC by 2.0 million viewers (10.4 million – “The Voice”/”Revolution”), CBS by 4.8 million viewers (7.6 million – “HIMYM”/”Partners”/”2 Broke Girls”/”Mike & Molly”/”Hawaii Five-0”) and Fox by 7.0 million viewers (5.4 million – “Bones”/”The Mob Doctor”). In addition among Adults 18-49, ABC beat out Fox on the night by 33% (2.0/5 vs. 1.5/4).

“Dancing with the Stars: All-Stars” (8:00-10:01 p.m.)
Gaining audience from its first hour to its second hour, ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars: All-Stars” (13.5 million) won its time period and finished as Monday’s most-watched TV series for the 5th week running, besting NBC’s “The Voice” (11.9 million) in head-to-head competition by 1.6 million viewers.  Among Adults 18-49, ABC’s “Dancing” beat out Fox’s dramas in the 2-hour time period by 40% (2.1/5 vs. 1.5/4). 

“Castle” (10:01-11:00 p.m.)
Monday’s most-watched scripted TV program in its 6th telecast in a row, ABC’s “Castle” (10.0 million) won the 10 o’clock hour by wide margins, topping NBC’s “Revolution” of 2.6 million viewers (7.4 million) and CBS’ “Hawaii Five-0” by a season-best 2.5 million viewers (7.5 million).  In addition, the ABC drama ranked as the No. 2 series in the hour with Adults 25-54 (2.7/6) and key Women demographics (W18-49/W25-54).

Tuesday
With ABC News’ “Your Voice, Your Vote: Election 2012,” ABC beat CBS in prime by 33% in Total Viewers (10.4 million vs. 7.8 million), by 44% in Adults 25-54 (3.9/8 vs. 2.7/6) and by 36% in Adults 18-49 (3.4/8 vs. 2.5/6).

Anchored by Diane Sawyer and George Stephanopoulos, “Your Voice, Your Vote: Election 2012” scored ABC’s strongest non-sports performance on the night in almost 1 year with both Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49 – since 11/22/11.

Wednesday
Despite facing increased competition week to week from a special 2-hour “The Voice” on NBC, ABC posted across-the-board increases with its Wednesday line up.  Jumping 12% over the prior week, the Net earned second place on the night among Adults 18-49 (2.8/7), beating CBS by 4% (“Survivor”/”Criminal Minds”/”CSI” = 2.7/7) and Fox by 8% (2-hour “The X Factor” = 2.6/7).

In viewers and young adults, ABC’s “Modern Family” stood as Wednesday’s No. 1 TV show, leading the night among Adults 18-49 for its 6th consecutive telecast this season.

“The Middle” (8:00-8:30 p.m.)
At 8:00 p.m., ABC’s “The Middle” took second in Adults 18-49 (2.7/8) to “The Voice,” tying CBS’ “Survivor: Philippines” for the first time this season (2.7/8) and beat out Fox’s “The X Factor” by 13% (2.4/7).  In addition, the ABC comedy defeated “The Voice” in Teens 12-17 to finish as the No. 1 TV show in the half-hour.

“The Middle” returned up after its preemption the prior week, growing its numbers for its 4th straight telecast in viewers (+2%) and young adults (+4%) to mark best-since-premiere numbers on both measures. 

“The Neighbors” (8:30-9:00 p.m.)
At 8:30 p.m., ABC’s “The Neighbors” beat the second half-hour of CBS’ “Survivor” by an impressive 18% with Women 18-34 (2.0/6 vs. 1.7/5). 

Surging week to week in viewers (+19% - 6.9 million vs. 5.8 million) and young adults (+11% - 2.1/5 vs. 1.9/6), “The Neighbors” achieved new season highs in the half-hour on both counts.  In addition, the ABC family comedy shot up 56% week to week with Teens 12-17.

“Modern Family” (9:00-9:31 p.m.)
Jumping over its lead-in to win the 9:00 p.m. half-hour, ABC’s “Modern Family” (12.4 million and 4.8/12) beat out its nearest competition in the slot by 4% in Total Viewers (“Criminal Minds” = 11.9 million) and by 20% in Adults 18-49 (“The Voice” = 4.0/10).  In addition to finishing as Wednesday’s No. 1 TV show in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, “Modern Family” was also the night’s highest-rated program with Adults 18-34 and Adults 25-54 for its 4th consecutive telecast.

“Modern Family” was up over the prior week by double digits in viewers (+17%) and young adults (+14%), while jumping by triple digits with Teens 12-17 (+155%) to match its highest rating since the beginning of January – since 1/4/12.

“Suburgatory” (9:31-10:00 p.m.)
In the 9:30 p.m. half-hour against the conclusion of “The Voice” and “The X Factor,” ABC’s “Suburgatory” spiked week to week in Total Viewers (+21% - 7.6 million vs. 6.3 million) and Adults 18-49 (+21% - 2.9/7 vs. 2.4/6).  In fact, the ABC sophomore comedy beat out “The X Factor” in Total Viewers (+9% - 7.6 million vs. 7.0 million) and Adults 18-49 (+7% - 2.9/7 vs. 2.7/7).

Hitting season highs, “Suburgatory” drew its biggest audience since January and tied its top young adult number in over 1 year – since 1/11/12 and 11/2/11, respectively.

“Nashville” (10:00-11:00 p.m.)
During the 10 o’clock hour, ABC’s “Nashville” ranked No. 1 in its time period, defeating its drama competition on CBS (“CSI”) and NBC (“The Voice”-driven “Chicago Fire”) in Adults 18-34 (1.7/5) and across the key Women demos (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54).

Equaling the series’ 2nd highest Adult 18-49 number, “Nashville” rose week to week by 7% in viewers (6.1 million vs. 5.7 million) and by 11% in young adults (2.0/6 vs. 1.8/5).

Continuing to see big increases in the Live + 7 Day ratings, “Nashville” spikes over its Live + Same Day numbers by 54% in Adults 18-49 (+1.3 rating) and by 42% in Total Viewers (+3.3 million), averaging 11.1 million viewers and a 3.7 rating with young adults in the final numbers.

Thursday

“Last Resort” (8:00-9:00 p.m.)
Up against big competition during the 8 o’clock hour from NBC’s special “The Voice,” CBS’ top-rated comedies (“The Big Bang Theory”/”Two and a Half Men”) and Fox’s premiere of “The X Factor Results Show,” ABC freshman “Last Resort” returned after its preemption the prior week with gains of 8% in Adults 18-49 (1.4/4 vs. 1.3/4) and 25% in Adults 18-34 (1.0/3 vs. 0.8/3) from two weeks ago.  The new show also spiked 25% with Men 18-34 over its last telecast to equal its best number since early October – since 10/11/12.

One of the biggest percentage gainers via DVR playback for any 8:00 p.m. show this season, ABC’s “Last Resort” adds on 2.3 million viewers and shoots up by an impressive 56% (+1.0 rating) in Adults 18-49 from the next-day L+SD numbers to the final L+7 numbers.

The ABC freshman drama continued to deliver double-digit year-over-year growth in its time period. In fact on average “Last Resort” is boosting its hour for ABC by 29% in Total Viewers and by 47% in Adults 18-49 over the same point last season with original drama programming.  

“Grey’s Anatomy” (9:00-10:02 p.m.)
More than doubling its lead-in among Adults 18-49 (+136%) at 9:00 p.m., ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy” won its hour and registered as Thursday’s No. 1 drama for its 5th straight telecast this season. Leading the 9 o’clock hour by double-digit percentages among Adults 18-49, “Grey’s” (3.3/8) beat out CBS’ “Person of Interest” by 14% (2.9/8), Fox’s “Glee” by 38% (2.4/6) and NBC’s “The Voice”-fueled comedies (“The Office”/”Parks and Recreation”) by 57% (2.1/5).  Jumping in DVR Playback this season, “Grey’s” builds by 3.5 million viewers and by 1.7 Adult 18-49 rating points from its next-day numbers to its L+7 finals.

“Grey’s” grew over its most recent airing two weeks ago by 6% in Total Viewers (9.3 million vs. 8.8 million) and by 10% in Adults 18-49 (3.3/8 vs. 3.0/8).

Season to date “Grey’s Anatomy” is up over the same point last year in both viewers (+6%) and young adults (+2%). 

“Scandal” (10:02-11:00 p.m.)
ABC’s “Scandal” once again posted a close 2nd-place finish to CBS’ “Elementary” in the 10 o’clock hour in Adults 18-49, while running way ahead of NBC’s “Rock Center with BrIan Williams” in Total Viewers (+56% - 6.1 million vs. 3.9 million) and Adults 18-49 (+90% - 1.9/5 vs. 1.0/3).  Additionally, “Scandal” continued to beat out “Elementary” to stand as the No. 1 scripted TV show in its slot in Adults 18-34 and Women 18-34, while winning outright with key Women (W18-49/W25-54). 

Posting large increases from DVR playback, on average this season the ABC 10 o’clock drama surges by 2.4 million viewers and by 40% in Adults 18-49 over its first-reported L+SD numbers to its Live + 7 Day results. 

Up for the 2nd telecast in a row, “Scandal” posted its top Women 18-34 number since the beginning of October – since 10/4/12.

 
Friday
With its comedies (“Last Man Standing”/”Malibu Country”), “Shark Tank” and “20/20,” ABC won Friday in Adults 18-49 for the 2nd week in a row (1.8/6), leading by double-digit percentages over CBS (+13% - 1.6/5), NBC (+50% - 1.2/4) and Fox (+64% - 1.1/3).

ABC’s “Shark Tank” qualified as Friday’s No. 1 TV show for the 2nd straight week among young adults.

The Net was up over the same night last November by 21% in Total Viewers and by 64% in Adults 18-49 (5.2 million and 1.1/3 on 11/11/11).

“Last Man Standing” (8:00-8:31 p.m.)
At 8:00 p.m., ABC’s “Last Man Standing” ran in a virtual tie for first in its half-hour to CBS’ “Undercover Boss” in Adults 18-49 (pacing within 1-tenth of a rating point and tied in audience share – 1.6/6 vs. 1.7/6), while finishing a close second in Total Viewers (7.4 million). The ABC comedy beat out Undercover Boss by 33% among Adults 18-34 and was the broadcast leader with Teens 12-17.

“Last Man Standing” greatly improved its time period over the year ago night with original programming, surging by 3.1 million viewers and by 100% in Adults 18-49 (4.3 million and 0.8/3 on 11/11/11).  

“Malibu Country” (8:31-9:00 p.m.)
Building on its lead-in among Adults 18-49 (+6%) at 8:30 p.m., ABC’s “Malibu Country” delivered a strong second-place finish in its slot among the major networks with Total Viewers (7.3 million) and Adults 18-49 (1.7/5), towering over Fox’s “Kitchen Nightmares.” The ABC comedy beat its network rivals to win its half-hour among Women 18-34.

Like its lead-in, “Malibu Country” generated huge year-over-year time-period improvement for ABC, growing its half-hour by 3.4 million viewers and by 143% in Adults 18-49 from the same night last year (3.9 million and 0.7/2).

“Shark Tank” (9:00-10:01 p.m.)
Spiking over its lead-in by 24% in Adults 18-49 to emerge as the night’s highest-rated show, ABC’s “Shark Tank” dominated the 9 o’clock hour (2.1/5), outdelivering NBC’s “Grimm” by 24% (1.7/5), CBS’ “CSI: NY” by 50% (1.4/4) and Fox’s “Fringe” by 133% (0.9/3).

“Shark Tank” scored the series’ 2nd highest Adult 18-49 rating ever, just behind last week’s series high.
 
“20/20” (10:01-11:00 p.m.)
ABC’s “20/20” ran No. 1 during the 10 o’clock hour in Adults 18-49 (1.6/5), beating CBS’ “Blue Bloods” by 7% (1.5/5) and NBC’s “Dateline” by 23% (1.3/4). In addition, the ABC newsmagazine bested “Dateline” by 4% in Total Viewers (4.9 million vs. 4.7 million) and by 24% in the key Adult 25-54 news demo (2.1/6 vs. 1.7/5). Anchored by Elizabeth Vargas, “20/20” reported on wild tales from the workplace, offering tips and secrets on how to survive the corporate jungle from such business successes as MARK CUBAN, star of ‘Shark Tank” and the billionaire owner of the Dallas Mavericks, and Donald Trump.

Building for the 2nd straight week (+7%), “20/20” marked an 8-week-high among Adults 18-49 – since 9/14/12.

Continuing to show year-to-year gains, ABC’s “20/20” topped its year-ago broadcast (2.0/5 and 1.5/5, respectively) in both Adults 18-49 (+7%) and Adults 25-54 (+5%).

Saturday
With “Saturday Night Football” (Notre Dame at Boston College), ABC easily won the night, dominating Fox with its college football coverage (from 8:00-10:00 p.m.) by 125% (1.8/6 vs. 0.8/3). In addition, ABC stood as the most-watched network on Saturday night, more than doubling the overall audience of Fox (+103% - 5.9 million vs. 2.9 million).

Airing from 8:06-11:30 p.m., “Saturday Night Football” was the definitive No. 1 program of the night in Adults 18-49 (1.8/6).

The “Saturday Night Football” game was up over the prior week’s match-up by 100% in Total Viewers (5.8 million vs. 2.9 million) and by 157% in Adults 18-49 (1.8/6 vs. 0.7/2).

Sunday
Opposite NFL-driven Sunday competition from NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” (Chicago Bears-Houston Texans) and Fox’s huge overrun during the first hour of primetime (St. Louis Rams-San Francisco 49rs), ABC defeated CBS on the night by 5% in Adults 18-49 (2.0/5 vs. 1.9/5).

“Once Upon a Time” (8:00-9:00 p.m.)
Shooting up from its Adult 18-49 lead-in (+93%) at 8:00 p.m. and growing from start to finish, ABC’s “Once Upon a Time” beat out CBS’ “The Amazing Race XXI” during the hour by 8% (2.7/7 vs. 2.5/6). In addition, the ABC drama stood as the No. 1 non-sports program in the hour across all key Women demos (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54).   

ABC’s “Once Upon a Time” is generating big gains in DVR playback in the Live + 7 Day ratings, spiking over its preliminary Live + Same Day numbers by 3.0 million viewers and by 1.4 Adult 18-49 rating points. 

“Revenge” (9:00-10:01 p.m.)
In the 9:00 p.m. hour, ABC’s “Revenge” dominated CBS’ competing drama “The Good Wife” by 41% in Adults 18-49 (2.5/6 vs. 1.7/4).  For the 2nd week in a row, “Revenge” beat out its non-sports competition on CBS (“The Good Wife”) and Fox (1-hour “Family Guy’s” 200th episode) by wide margins in Adults 25-54 and across the key Women demographics.

Surging in DVR playback, on average this season “Revenge” jumps from its L+SD to L+7 numbers by 2.9 million viewers and by 1.2 Adult 18-49 rating points (+43%). 

“666 Park Avenue” (10:01-11:00 p.m.)
During the 10 o’clock hour, ABC freshman “666 Park Avenue” retained 100% of its week-ago number in Adults 25-54 (1.5/3), while growing 5% with Women 25-54 (2.1/5 vs. 2.0/5). 

Continuing to rank among the biggest freshman series this season in DVR playback, on average “666 Park Avenue” sees its Live + 7 Day Adult 18-49 rating jump by 53% (+0.9 rating) and adds another 2.0 million viewers over its Live + Same Day numbers. 

WEEK NO. 7: ADULTS 18-49 TOTAL VIEWERS
No.1 NBC 3.1 No.1 CBS 9,340,000
No.2 ABC 2.3 No.2 NBC 8,830,000
No.2 FOX 2.3 No.3 ABC 8,000,000
No.4 CBS 2.2 No.4 FOX 6,340,000
No.5 CW 0.7 No.5 CW 1,710,000

Source: The Nielsen Company (National, Live+ Same Day Program Ratings), week of 11/05/12.

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