ABC's GREY'S ANATOMY Finishes as Thursday's No. 1 TV Show in Adults 18-49

With its TGIT lineup, including the season finale of "How to Get Away with Murder," ABC ranked No. 1 on Thursday in Live + Same Day Adults 18-49 (1.7/6-tie).

Posting big playback lifts for its TGIT dramas in the Live + 3 Day numbers, ABC will straight out win Thursday for the 2nd week in a row in Adults 18-49 and finish as the night's top entertainment network for the 6th-consecutive week with Nielsen's release of that data on Tuesday. Last week, ABC's primetime Adult 18-49 rating jumped 1.2 points from L+SD to L+3, putting it 12% ahead of runner-up CBS and 26% ahead of Fox, after trailing each net by 1-tenth in the L+SD ratings. Airing its second season finale on the night, "How to Get Away with Murder" continues to deliver record-setting playback lifts, as the ABC sophomore drama just posted its biggest-ever L+7 increase among Adults 18-49 with a +107% jump over its L+SD rating (w/o 2/22/16). It was the series' 3rd straight week of triple-digit playback growth in L+7.

Please Note: With the combination of St. Patrick's Day and the first Thursday of Daylight Saving Time, overall Adult 18-49 TV usage was down -3% week to week during prime (28.0 vs. 28.9) with the biggest drop coming in the 8 o'clock hour (-6%).

Live + Same Day Results:

ABC delivered Thursday's Top 3 dramas for the 6th week running in Adults 18-49 with "Grey's" (2.1/7), "Scandal" (1.6/5) and "How to Get Away with Murder" (1.4/5). In addition, "Grey's" was the No. 1 TV show overall on Thursday in Adults 18-49.

"Grey's Anatomy" (8:00-9:00 p.m. - 7.9 million and 2.1/8 in AD18-49):
At 8:00 p.m., ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" built week to week in Total Viewers (+5% - 7.9 million vs. 7.5 million) and held even in Adults 18-49 (2.1/8 vs. 2.1/7), drawing its biggest audience since its mid-season return 5 weeks ago - since 2/11/16.

"Scandal" (9:00-10:00 p.m. - 6.5 million and 1.6/6 in AD18-49):
At 9:00 p.m., ABC's "Scandal" was up for its 2nd telecast in Total Viewers (+8% - 6.5 million vs. 6.0 million) and even with its week-ago Fast Affiliate Adult 18-49 rating (1.6/5), which adjusted up 1-tenth in the Nationals, pulling in its largest audience since its mid-season return - since 2/11/16.

"How to Get Away with Murder" (10:00-11:00 p.m. - 5.5 million and 1.4/5 in AD18-49):
In its second season finale at 10:00 p.m., ABC's "How to Get Away with Murder" grew for the 2nd week in Total Viewers (+15% - 5.5 million vs. 4.8 million) and was even in Adults 18-49 (1.4/5), earning its most watched telecast overall since its mid-season return - since 2/11/16. The No. 1 series on Thursday at 10:00 p.m. for the 6th week in a row in Adults 18-49, ABC's "Murder" beat out NBC's "Shades of Blue" in the hour by 40% (1.4/5 vs. 1.0/3). Editors please note: Next Thursday (on 3/24/16) ABC will debut "The Catch" in the 10 o'clock hour.

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 03/17/16, unless otherwise specified.

Image courtesy of ABC