ABC's BLACK-ISH Is No. 1 in Its Slot and Equals a 2-Month High in Adults 18-49

ABC's Wednesday featured the return of its comedy block to all regular originals (first time in 3 weeks) and the mid-season premiere of DVR-darling "Nashville" (Wednesday's top gainer this season in L+7), which was up after a 3-month break. ABC ran a strong second on Wednesday night in Adults 18-49 (1.6/6) to CBS with its high-rated series debut of "Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders" at 10:00 p.m., while beating Fox's original lineup by 60% ("Rosewood"/"Hell's Kitchen" = 1.0/4). The Network ranked No. 1 on the night in Adults 18-34 (tie).

For its 6th consecutive first-run telecast, ABC's "Modern Family" (2.5/9) was Wednesday's No. 1 TV show in Adults 18-49. And trailing only "Survivor" (2.1/8), ABC's "The Goldbergs" (1.9/7) and "black-ish" (1.9/6) tied CBS' "Criminal Minds" (1.9/7) for the No. 3 position on the night.

"The Middle"/"The Goldbergs" (8:00-9:00 p.m. - 6.9 million and 1.8/7 in AD18-49):
From 8:00-9:00 p.m., ABC's "The Middle" and "The Goldbergs" ranked a strong second to CBS' "Survivor" in Adults 18-49 and doubled their scripted competition in the hour on FOX (+100% over "Rosewood" = 0.9/3).

"The Middle" was in line with its last original 3 weeks ago (1.7/7 vs. 1.9/7) and "The Goldbergs" was even with its most recent 8:30 p.m. airing (1.9/7 vs. 1.9/6 on 2/24/16).

"Modern Family"/"black-ish" (9:00-10:00 p.m. - 7.1 million and 2.2/7 in AD18-49):
ABC moved up to win the 9:00 p.m. hour in Adults 18-49 with "Modern Family" and "black-ish," leading by 16% over its closest competition (2.2/7 vs. 1.9/7 - CBS' "Criminal Minds").

At 9:00 p.m., "Modern Family" held steady with its last original two weeks ago in Adults 18-49 (2.5/9 vs. 2.6/9).

In the 9:30 p.m. half-hour, "black-ish" ranked No. 1 in Adults 18-49 (1.9/6-tie) and held even with its last original 3 weeks ago (on 2/24/16) to equal a 2-month high - since 1/6/16.

"Nashville" (10:00-11:00 p.m. - 4.3 million and 0.9/3 in AD18-49):
In the 10 o'clock hour, ABC's "Nashville" returned with Live + Same Day gains over its winter finale (on 12/9/15) in Total Viewers (+5% - 4.3 million vs. 4.1 million) and Adults 18-49 (+13% - 0.9/3 vs. 0.8/3).

TV Playback Gains: On average this season, "Nashville" spikes +64% among Adults 18-49 from Live + SD to Live + 3 (from a 1.1 rating to a 1.8 rating) and +82% from L+SD to L+7 (from a 1.1 to a 2.0). In fact, the ABC drama is the No. 1 broadcast gainer on Wednesday this season in Live + 7 Day.

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 48% 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 Ratings for 03/16/16.

Image courtesy of ABC

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