ABC's DOWNTON ABBEY Special Takes Saturday Night

By: Dec. 27, 2013
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ABC ranked No. 2 on Thursday and was up over the year-ago night (12/27/12) by 42% in Total Viewers (5.1 million vs. 3.6 million) and by 22% in Adults 18-49 (1.1/3 vs. 0.9/3).

"Shark Tank" (8:00-9:00 p.m. - 5.6 million and 1.3/4 in AD18-49):

At 8:00 p.m., ABC's repeat "Shark Tank" took second in its hour to CBS' comedies ("The Big Bang Theory"/"The Millers") in Total Viewers (5.6 million) and Adults 18-49 (1.3/4), more than doubling NBC's comedies ("Parks and Rec"/"Parks and Rec" = 2.1 million and 0.6/2) and more than tripling Fox's "Glee" (1.6 million and 0.4/1). In Total Viewers and Adults 18-49 (tie), it was "Shark Tank's" strongest repeat performance this season.

"Shark Tank" improved its time period year to year in Total Viewers (+22% - 5.6 million vs. 4.6 million) and Adults 18-49 (+8% - 1.3/4 vs. 1.2/4).

"Mysteries of the Castle: Beyond Downtown Abbey" (9:00-11:00 p.m. - 4.8 million and 1.0/3 in AD18-49):

From 9:00-11:00 p.m., ABC's "Mysteries of the Castle: Beyond Downtown Abbey" on a special "20/20" outdrew NBC's competing "Women of SNL" special by 20% in Total Viewers (4.8 million vs. 4.0 million) and ranked No. 1 across key Women against its CBS and NBC competition. In addition, the show made ABC the most-watched TV network from 9:00-10:00 p.m. (5.2 million).

The special "20/20" improved the 2-hour time period for ABC year to year by wide margins in Total Viewers (+55% - 4.8 million vs. 3.1 million), Adults 18-49 (+43% - 1.0/3 vs. 0.7/2) and Adults 25-54 (+30% - 1.3/3 vs. 1.0/3).

A note about increasing DVR penetration and year-to-year rating comparisons: Year-to-year rating comparisons based on the Live + Same Day data stream are distorted by the level of DVR penetration in the Nielsen sample, which has jumped up to 49% currently, from 47% at the same point in 2012. More viewers are watching shows on their own timetables, which may not be reflected in the overnight next-day numbers. The only truly valid year-to-year comparison would be one based on the Live + 7 Day metric, once those stats are released by Nielsen.

Source: The Nielsen Company, Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Ratings, 12/26/13.



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