ABC Leads the Pack in Wednesday Night Ratings

With its Wednesday schedule returning to originals for the first time in a month, ABC led the pack on the first Wednesday of 2012 by wide margins, beating out CBS by 1.2 million viewers and by 65% in Adults 18-49. In fact, ABC ran as the top-rated broadcaster in all 6 half-hours of the night among Adults 18-49. ABC scored its strongest Wednesday in 10 weeks with viewers and in 9 weeks with young adults - since 10/26/11 and 11/2/11, respectively.

· Modern Family finished as the definitive #1 TV series on Wednesday in viewers and young adults. In fact, ABC's Modern Family is on track to finish as the week's top-rated scripted show and as TV's #1 comedy in Adults 18-49, outdelivering CBS' original Two and a Half Men by 24% this past Monday.

· As the Network was up across its schedule from the same Wednesday last year (also a night of all originals), ABC surged year over year by 27% in viewers and by 22% in young adults.

· Despite facing championship college football on ESPN (Discover Orange Bowl), ABC grew by double digits over the last time its Wednesday lineup was in originals 4 weeks ago (on 12/7/11) in Total Viewers (+12%) and Adults 18-49 (+10%), with all 5 of its series posting gains.

At 8pm, ABC's The Middle beat out CBS' special I Get That A Lot in viewers and young adults.

· The Middle was up over its most recent original by 1.3 million viewers and by 7% in young adults, marking the series 3rd-highest numbers ever on both counts.

At 8:30pm like its lead-in, ABC's Suburgatory topped the second half-hour of CBS' I Get That A Lot in viewers and young adults.

· Rising over its most recent first-run in viewers (+9%) and young adults (+4%), Suburgatory drew its biggest audience in 10 weeks - since 10/26/11.

Gaining on its lead-in at 9pm, ABC's Modern Family registered as Wednesday's #1 TV series in Adults 18-49 for its 10th consecutive first-run telecast this season.

· Building on its last original by 15% in viewers and by 10% in young adults, Modern Family attracted the series' 3rd-largest audience ever and equaled a 9-week high among Adults 18-49 (since 11/2/11).

During the 9:30 p.m. half-hour, ABC's Happy Endings more than doubled the second half-hour of Fox's Mobbed premiere in Total Viewers (+133%) and Adults 18-49 (+154%).

· Surging over its most recent original with viewers (+20%) and young adults (+18%), Happy Endings generated its 2nd-most-watched-ever telecast and its 3rd-highest-ever Adult 18-49 number.

From 10-11pm, ABC freshman drama Revenge finished as the #1 entertainment show in its time period among Adults 18-49.

· ABC's Revenge was up over its last first-run telecast in viewers (+10%) and young adults (+4%), marking a 7-week high on both counts - since 11/16/11.