ABC's CMA AWARDS is Wednesday's Most-Watched TV Show

With its telecast of "The 49th Annual CMA Awards," ABC was the No. 1 network on Wednesday in Total Viewers (13.6 million) and Adults 18-49 (3.8/12), becoming the first net to beat FOX on the night with "Empire," since it debuted at the beginning of the year. "The CMA Awards" stood as Wednesday's most-watched TV show overall, topping "Empire" by 2.0 million viewers (13.6 million vs. 11.6 million).

During prime, ABC defeated FOX (8.3 million and 3.0/9) by 5.3 million viewers and by 27% in Adults 18-49. In fact the broad-appealing COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS show swept the evening, winning in Total Viewers, all key Adult demos (AD18-34/AD18-49/AD25-54) and Kids 2-11. It was ABC's 3rd straight year to rank No. 1 on the opening Wednesday of the November Sweep.

In viewers and young adults, ABC earned its strongest performance on any night with entertainment programming in more than 8 months - since THE ACADEMY AWARDS on 2/22/15.

Despite facing "Empire" in the middle hour of the night, ABC's "CMA Awards" outperformed CBS' April telecast of the "ACM Awards" by 6% among Adults 18-49 (3.6/11 on 4/19/15).

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 11/04/15.

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