During season premiere week (w/o 9/23/13), ABC (2.3/7) took second place in Adults 18-49 (moving up from 4th place a year ago), leading both FOX (2.2/7) and CBS (2.2/7) by 5%. In fact, the Net delivered the No. 1 TV show on 4 of 7 nights during premiere week (Tues/Wed/Fri/Sat). ABC was up over premiere week last year by 5% in Adults 18-49 (2.3/7 vs. 2.2/6), while FOX was down -15% (2.2/7 vs. 2.6/8) and CBS was down -8% (2.2/7 vs. 2.4/7).
· In viewers and young adults,
ABC marked its highest in-season numbers in 7 months - since it carried the "Oscars" on w/o 2/18/13.
Rankings:
ABC aired 4 of the week's Top 15 non-sports TV programs in Adults 18-49, including the No. 1 new series with "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.:" "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." - No. 5 (No. 1 freshman series), "Modern Family"- No. 7 (No. 2 regular comedy), "Grey's Anatomy" - No. 12 and "The Goldbergs" - No. 13. (No. 2 new comedy). Continuing to trend ahead of last year, ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" finished among the Top 10 most-watched TV shows overall in premiere week.
Premiere Week Social Activity:
ABC aired 4 of the Top 10 most social broadcast series of premiere week: "Grey's Anatomy" - No. 4 (225k tweets), "Once Upon a Time" - No. 6 (137k tweets), "S.H.I.E.L.D." - No. 7 (126k tweets) and "DWTS" - No. 10 (84k tweets).
Monday
On season premiere Monday,
ABC (12.7 million) finished as the 2nd-most-watched broadcast network, leading
CBS by 4.5 million viewers (8.4 million) and
FOX by 5.2 million viewers (7.7 million).
"Dancing with the Stars" (8:00-10:01 p.m.)
Growing year to year for the 2nd week in a row, ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" was up over its second telecast last fall (10/1/12) by 1.2 million viewers (13.6 million vs. 12.4 million) and by 10% in Adults 18-49 (2.3/6 vs. 2.1/5). Former NFL player Keyshawn Johnson was the first celebrity dancer to be eliminated from the competition this season.
"Castle" (10:01-11:00 p.m.)
During the 10:00 p.m. hour, ABC's season premiere of "Castle" beat CBS' debut of "Hostages" by 4.1 million viewers (11.5 million vs. 7.4 million), by 22% in Adults 18-49 (2.2/6 vs. 1.8/5) and by 21% in Adults 25-54 (2.9/7 vs. 2.5/6). "Castle" grew over its year-ago season premiere by 10% in Total Viewers and by 5% in Adults 18-49 (10.5 million and 2.1/6 on 9/24/12). In addition, the show was up over last season's finale (11.2 million and 2.1/6) in viewers (+3%) and young adults (+5%) to deliver its best numbers since April - since 4/22/13. A big gainer via TV playback, "Castle's" numbers shot up last season by 3.6 million viewers and by 50% in Adults 18-49 from Live + Same Day to Live + 7 Day.
· "Castle" was the No. 1 most-social series at 10:00 p.m. with 60,122 tweets, beating the debuts of NBC's "The Blacklist" (31,086 tweets) and CBS' "Hostages" (10,879 tweets) head-to-head in the hour. This year's premiere of "Castle," which had the cast live tweeting during the episode, was up 104% over last season's premiere (29,475 tweets).
Tuesday
With its Tuesday debuts,
ABC was up by 45% in Adults 18-49 over the year-ago night (2.9/8 vs. 2.0/6) to deliver its strongest performance on the opening Tuesday of a season in 3 years - since 9/21/10.
"Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." (8:00-9:01 p.m.)
In the 8:00 p.m. hour, ABC's series debut of "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." opened a strong No. 1 in the time period with Adults 18-49 (4.7/14), defeating NBC's Tuesday premiere of "The Voice" by 15% (4.1/12) and CBS' season premiere of "NCIS" by 31% (3.6/10), to qualify as TV's highest rated drama debut in nearly 4 years - since 11/3/09. It was also Tuesday's No. 1 TV show in Adults 18-49 (tie) and across all key Men demographics (M18-34/M18-49/M25-54). And despite the strong competition, the self-starting
ABC drama gained young adults from its first half-hour to its second half-hour.
"The Goldbergs" (9:01-9:30 p.m.)
The season's No. 1 new comedy in Adults 18-49 and the top-rated comedy of the night, ABC's series premiere of "The Goldbergs" (3.1/) at 9:00 p.m. beat Fox's "New Girl" by 48% (2.1/6) and topped last fall's premiere of "Happy Endings" in the half-hour hour by 72% (1.8/5 on 10/23/12). It ranked as TV's top-rated comedy debut in over 1 year and ABC's highest-rated in 2 years - since 9/11/12 and 10/11/11, respectively. In addition, "The Goldbergs" posted ABC's highest rating in the half-hour with entertainment programming since Fall 2011 - since 11/22/11.
"Trophy Wife" (9:31-10:00 p.m.)
At 9:30 p.m. among Adults 18-49, the debut of ABC's "Trophy Wife" (2.3/6) defeated Fox's "The Mindy Project" by 53% (1.5/4) and outdelivered the year-ago fall premiere of "Don't Trust the B---- in Apt 23" by 35% (1.7/4 on 10/23/12).
"Lucky 7" (10:00-11:00 p.m.)
During the 10 o'clock hour, ABC's debut of "Lucky 7" was up over the Net's most-recent drama premiere in the time period by 8% in Adults 18-49 (1.3/4 vs. 1.2/3 for "Body of Proof" on 2/19/13).
Wednesday
ABC won the opening Wednesday of the season in Adults 18-49 (2.9/8), leading by double digits over
FOX by 16% (2.5/7),
NBC by 21% (2.4/7) and
CBS by 21% (2.4/7). ABC's "Modern Family" was the dominant No. 1 TV show of the night across all key Adult demos. In viewers (8.9 million) and young adults (2.9/8),
ABC marked its strongest Wednesday since last October - since 10/10/12.
"The Middle" (8:00-8:30 p.m.)
Ranking No. 1 at 8:00 p.m. in Adults 18-49 (2.5/8-tie), the season opener of "The Middle" was up from its season finale in May by 25% (2.0/7 on 5/22/13). "The Middle" (8.9 million and 2.5/8) delivered its biggest audience and matched its best young adult number since November - since 11/07/12 and 11/14/12, respectively.
"Back in the Game" (8:30-9:00 p.m.)
Delivering strong Adult 18-49 lead-in retention in the 8:30 p.m. half-hour (88%), ABC's debut of "Back in the Game" was up over the year-ago premiere of "The Neighbors" (10/3/12) in the slot by 27% in viewers (8.0 million vs. 6.3 million) and by 16% in Adults 18-49 (2.2/7 vs. 1.9/5) to deliver ABC's best series performance in the half-hour in 1 year - since the 1-hour season premiere of "The Middle" on 9/26/12.
"Modern Family" (9:00-10:00 p.m.)
The season premiere of ABC's "Modern Family" (4.2/12) nearly doubled its Adult 18-49 lead-in and dominated the 9 o'clock hour over the season premiere of CBS' "Criminal Minds" (+50% - 2.8/8), Fox's "The X Factor" (+62% - 2.6/7) and NBC's season premiere of "L&O: SVU" (+68% - 2.5/7). "Modern Family" (11.7 million and 4.2/12) grew over its May finale in viewers (+17%) and young adults (+14%), drawing its largest audience and tying its highest Adult 18-49 ratings since January - since 01/09/13 and 01/16/13, respectively. DVR: "Modern Family" was TV's most recorded and played-back show last season, gaining +4.5 million viewers and +2.2 Adult 18-49 rating points (+52%) from its first-reported Live + Same Day numbers to the finalized Live +7 numbers.
"Nashville" (10:00-11:00 p.m.)
During the 10 o'clock hour, ABC's "Nashville" tied CBS' "CSI" season premiere in Adults 18-49 (2.0/6). "Nashville" (6.5 million and 2.0/6) was up over its May finale in Total Viewers (+8%) and Adults 18-49 (+5%), earning its most-watched telecast and its highest young adult number since January 16, 2013. DVR: "Nashville" delivers huge gains via TV playback. During its freshman season, the show added +2.6 million additional viewers and +1.1 rating Adult 18-49 rating points (+61%) from L+SD to its final Live + 7 Day numbers, making it one of the top 15 biggest percentage gainers with young adults.
Thursday
With an encore of "S.H.I.E.L.D." and the "Grey's" premiere,
ABC (7.7 million and 2.6/8) finished No. 2 on season-premiere Thursday in viewers and young adults, defeating
FOX (5.8 million and 2.0/6) and
NBC (5.3 million and 1.7/5). The 10th season 2-hour premiere of "Grey's Anatomy" was Thursday's dominant No. 1 drama in Adults 18-49 (3.4/9), outdelivering Fox's "Glee" (+70% - 2.0/5), CBS' "Elementary" (+62% - 2.1/6) and NBC's "Parenthood" (+113% - 1.6/5). "Grey's" opened ahead of its May finale in viewers and young adults.
·
ABC equaled its highest rated Thursday with series programming in 1 year - since 9/27/12.
"Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." Encore (8:00-9:00 p.m. - 4.7 million and 1.2/4 in AD18-49):
Gaining additional exposure with its Thursday replay, through 2 telecasts ABC's debut episode of "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." has delivered a combined 16.8 million viewers and a 5.9/18 in Adults 18-49. The
ABC repeat drama drew 1.4 million more viewers in
The Hour than NBC's "Parks and Recreation" premiere (3.3 million and 1.3/4).
"Grey's Anatomy" Season 10 Premiere (9:00-11:00 p.m. - 9.3 million and 3.4/9 in AD18-49):
Building sharply on its lead-in at 9:00 p.m., the season premiere of "Grey's" was up over its May finale (9.0 million and 3.1/9 on 5/16/13) by 3% in Total Viewers and by 10% in Adults 18-49, with its largest audience since March (3/21/13) and its highest young adult number since October (10/4/12). The
ABC drama won its 2-hour time period by 21% over runner-up
CBS (3.4/9 vs. 2.8/8).
DVR: Based on last season, "Grey's Anatomy" ranked among the biggest gainers in TV playback, adding +3.4 million viewers (9.1 million to 12.5 million) and +1.6 Adult 18-49 rating points (+52% - 3.1 rating to a 4.7 rating) from the Live + Same Day numbers to the Live +7 numbers.
Friday
ABC took second place on Friday in Adults 18-49 (1.4/5) and was up over the year-ago night by 8% (1.3/4 on 9/28/12). For the 2nd week in a row,
ABC delivered the No. 1 TV show on Friday with "Shark Tank." On the night, "Shark Tank" outdelivered season premieres on
CBS ("Undercover Boss"/"Hawaii Five-0"/"Blue Bloods"),
NBC ("Dateline") and
FOX ("Masterchef Junior").
"Shark Tank" (9:00-10:00 p.m. - 6.9 million and 2.0/7 in AD18-49)
At 9:00 p.m., "Shark Tank" doubled its lead-in (+100%) in Adults 18-49 to win the hour, beating runner-up CBS' season premiere of "Hawaii Five-0" by 25% (1.6/5). Among Adults 18-49, "Shark Tank" was up from its week-ago season premiere (+11% - 1.8/6) and grew 33% over its telecast on the same night last year (1.5/6 on 9/28/12).
Saturday
With
College Football coverage (Wisconsin at Ohio State),
ABC dominated Saturday in Total Viewers (6.5 million) and Adults 18-49 (2.1/8), towering over
FOX with
College Football coverage (1.9 million and 0.5/2). Winning Saturday night for the 3rd week in a row,
ABC beat the other major networks (CBS, NBC, and Fox) combined by 5% in Adults 18-49 (2.1/8 vs. 2.0/7).
ABC was up over the year-ago night (4.0 million and 1.2/4 on 9/29/12) by 63% in Total Viewers and by 75% in Adults 18-49.
· Airing from 8:06-11:43 p.m., ABC's "Saturday Night Football" easily qualified as the night's No. 1 program in Total Viewers (6.8 million) and Adults 18-49 (2.2/8), standing as the evening's top-rated program among young adults on all 4 games so far this season.
· "Saturday Night Football" grew over the prior week's game for the 2nd straight week in Total Viewers (+19%) and Adults 18-49 (+29%) to score its best performance in 1 month - since 8/31/13.
· ABC's Saturday night game soared over the Net's year-ago match-up (Wisconsin and Nebraska on 9/29/12 = 4.3 million and 1.3/4) by 51% in Total Viewers and by 62% in Adults 18-49.
Sunday
Opposite NBC's
Sunday Night Football and NFL overrun-boosted
FOX and CBS,
ABC beat
CBS on Sunday night by 25% in Adults 18-49 (2.0/5 vs. 1.6/4). ABC's season premieres of "Once Upon a Time" (2.6/7) and "Revenge" (2.4/6) opened as Sunday's top-rated broadcast dramas in Adults 18-49, leading by strong margins over CBS' season openers of "The Good Wife" (1.5/3) and "The Mentalist" (1.6/4).
"Once Upon a Time" (8:00-9:00 p.m. - 8.5 million and 2.6/7 in AD18-49)
Building sharply on its lead-in at 8:00 p.m., ABC's season opener of "Once Upon a Time" was the No. 1 entertainment program in the 8 o'clock hour in Adults 18-49, leading season premieres of CBS' "Amazing Race" (+30% - 2.0/6) and Fox's NFL-led comedies (+4% - 2.5/7 for "The Simpsons"/"Bob's Burgers"). The
ABC drama was the No. 1 most social broadcast series of the evening with 136,627 tweets, the highest number ever for the show.
· Topping its May finale (+13% - 2.3/7), "Once Upon a Time" was also up 13% from its Jan-May average for originals in Adults 18-49 (Jan 6-May 12 L+SD originals = 2.3/6). In Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, "Once Upon a Time" earned its highest numbers since January - since 1/6/13 and 1/13/13, respectively.
"Revenge" (9:00-10:00 p.m. - 8.1 million and 2.3/6 in AD18-49)
Retaining 88% of its lead-in at 9:00 p.m. (2nd-best-ever), ABC's "Revenge" opener beat out CBS' "The Good Wife" opener in
The Hour by 53% in Adults 18-49 (2.3/6 vs. 1.5/4).
· Like its lead-in, "Revenge" outdelivered its May finale (+35% - 1.7/5) and was up 28% over its Jan-May average for originals (Jan 6-May 12 L+SD originals = 1.8/4). The
ABC drama drew its biggest audience since October and its best young adult rating since January - since 10/28/12 and 01/06/12, respectively.
"Betrayal" (10:00-11:00 p.m. - 5.2 million and 1.5/4 in AD18-49)
In Adults 18-49, the series debut of "Betrayal" was up over ABC's most-recent drama debut in
The Hour (+7% - 1.4/4 for "Red Widow" from 10:00-11:00 p.m. on 3/3/13) and topped the drama's original average during its run by 36% (1.1/3 - L+SD March 3-May 5). In the 10 o'clock hour, the new
ABC drama ran neck-and-neck with CBS' season premiere of "The Mentalist" in Adults 18-49 (1.5/4 vs. 1.6/4) and led with Adults 18-34 and key Women (W18-34/W18-49).
WEEK NO. 01: ADULTS 18-49
TOTAL VIEWERS
No.1
NBC 3.1 No.1
CBS 10,380,000
No.2
ABC 2.3 No.2
NBC 9,710,000
No.3
CBS 2.2 No.3
ABC 7,990,000
No.3
FOX 2.2 No.4
FOX 6,010,000
No.5 CW 0.3 No.5 CW 780,000
Source: The Nielsen Company (National, Live+ Same Day Program Ratings), week of 09/23/13.
