ABC's 'HTGAWM' Wins Time Slot for 2nd Straight Week in Adults 18-49

It was another close 3-way race on Thursday in Live + Same Day Adults 18-49 between ABC (1.8/6), CBS (1.9/6) and FOX (2.0/7). ABC is projected to win the night by strong margins in Adults 18-49, once L+3 and L+7 TV playback is included in the averages. ABC took first place on the evening in L+SD Adults 18-34 and key Women (W18-34/W18-49).

ABC's "Grey's" (2.2/8), "Scandal" (1.7/6) and "How to Get Away with Murder" (1.4/5) ranked as Thursday's Top 3 dramas for the 2nd week in a row in Adults 18-49, leading the other 4 dramas on the night, including NBC's "You Me and the Apocalypse" (0.6/2), "The Blacklist" (1.3/4) and "Shades of Blue" (1.1/4), as well as CBS' "Elementary" (1.0/4). In addition, trailing only CBS' top-rated "Big Bang Theory," "Grey's" was the No. 2 TV show on Thursday in the key sales demo.

Live + 3 Day TV Playback for Last Thursday (2/11/16):
ABC's TGIT dramas ranked among last Thursday's Top 5 gainers in TV playback with Adults 18-49: "How to Get Away with Murder" (+1.4 to a 3.2 rating) - No. 2 (behind only "Big Bang"), "Scandal" (+1.2 to a 3.3 rating) - No. 3 and "Grey's Anatomy" (+1.0 to a 3.4 rating) - No. 5. As a result, ABC won Thursday by strong margins among Adults 18-49 (3.3 rating) in the L+3 numbers, moving out of a tie with FOX in L+SD to dominate by 32% (2.5 rating), while also increasing its lead over CBS (2.6 rating) to 27% versus 11% in L+SD.

"Grey's Anatomy" (8:00-9:00 p.m. - 7.8 million and 2.2/8 in AD18-49):
At 8:00 p.m. against CBS' "Big Bang Theory" and "Life in Pieces," ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" (2.2/8) outdelivered the first hour of Fox's 2-hour "Idol" in Adults 18-49 (+16% - 1.9/7) and nearly quadrupled the delivery of NBC's "You, Me and the Apocalypse" (+267% - 0.6/3).

"Scandal" (9:00-10:00 p.m. - 6.1 million and 1.7/6 in AD18-49):
At 9:00 p.m., ABC's "Scandal" took second in the hour among Adults 18-49 (1.7/6-tie), beating its drama competition in the slot by 31% (NBC's "The Blacklist" = 1.3/4).

"How to Get Away with Murder" (10:00-11:00 p.m. 4.8 million and 1.4/5 in AD18-49):
Winning the 10 o'clock hour for the 2nd week in a row with Adults 18-49, ABC's "How to Get Away with Murder" (1.4/5) defeated NBC's "Shades of Blue" by 27% (1.1/4) and CBS' "Elementary" by 40% (1.0/4).

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 02/18/16.

Image courtesy of ABC