ABC's MODERN FAMILY Is Wednesday's No. 1 Show for 2nd Week

With its 8:00-10:00 p.m. comedy block and the return of "Nashville," ABC won Wednesday's primetime in Adults 18-49, beating runner-up FOX with a 2-hour "American Idol" by 12% (1.9/7 vs. 1.7/6). For the 2nd week in a row, "Modern Family" was Wednesday's No. 1 TV show in Adults 18-49, while "black-ish" came in as the No. 2 program of the night. The Net was up from the same night last year by nearly 1.0 million viewers and steady with young adults (6.1 million and 1.9/6 on 4/2/14).

The Net delivered its most-watched Wednesday in 1 month (since 3/4/15), with all 4 of its comedies gaining viewers week to week. In addition, with April Fools' programming for its comedies, ABC scored a Wednesday season high with series programming among Teens 12-17.

"The Middle" (8:00-8:30 p.m. - 7.6 million and 1.7/7 in AD18-49):
At 8:00 p.m. against CBS' "Survivor," ABC's "The Middle" beat Fox's "Idol" for the 2nd week in a row in the half-hour among Adults 18-49 (+6% - 1.7/7 vs. 1.6/6) and led its scripted competition by 70% (NBC's "The Mysteries of Laura" = 1.0/4). The ABC comedy was up week to week in viewers (+4%) and Teens 12-17 (+36%), matching a season high on the latter measure.

"The Goldbergs" (8:30-9:00 p.m. - 7.2 million and 1.9/7 in AD18-49):
Building on its Adult 18-49 lead-in by 12% at 8:30 p.m., "The Goldbergs" beat "Idol" for its 3rd straight original (+12% - 1.9/7 vs. 1.7/6). The ABC sophomore comedy continued to trend well ahead of its year-ago benchmarks in Adults 18-49, boosting its half-hour over the same night last year by 12% ("Suburgatory" = 1.7/5) and besting its year-ago Tuesday 9:00 p.m. telecast by 27% (1.5/4 on 4/1/14).

"The Goldbergs" grew week to week in Total Viewers (+6%) and Teens 12-17 (+13%), matching a series high with Teens.

"Modern Family" (9:00-9:30 p.m. - 9.3 million and 2.9/10 in AD18-49):
At 9:00 p.m., Wednesday's highest-rated show in Adults 18-49, "Modern Family" jumped over its lead-in to dominate its slot by 61% over runner-up "American Idol" (2.9/10 vs. 1.8/6). It was also the most-watched TV show overall in the slot (9.3 million).

"Modern Family" gained over the prior week in Total Viewers (+7%) and Teens 12-17 (+25%), tying its 2nd-best rating this season with Teens. The show was steady week to week with young adults.

"black-ish" (9:30-10:00 p.m. - 7.4 million and 2.4/8 in AD18-49):
ABC's "black-ish" ranked No. 1 in the 9:30 p.m. half-hour for the 2nd straight week in Adults 18-49 (2.4/8). Versus the same night last year with an original comedy in the half-hour (4.3 million and 1.6/4 for "Mixology" on 4/2/14), "black-ish" delivered sharp year-over-year improvement for ABC in Total Viewers (+72%) and Adults 18-49 (+50%).

The ABC freshman comedy built week to week in Total Viewers (+16%) and Adults 18-49 (+14%), scoring its best numbers in nearly 5 months - since 11/19/14. In addition, the show spiked 45% in Teens 12-17 to equal a series high.

"Nashville" (10:00-11:00 p.m. - 5.1 million and 1.3/4 in AD18-49):
On its first telecast since the beginning of March (3/4/15), ABC's "Nashville" took second in the 10:00 p.m. hour, beating the final hour CBS' "Dovekeepers" 2-night mini-series by 63% in Adults 18-49 (1.3/4 vs. 0.8/3).

"Nashville" returned from its 1-month break on par with its last telecast in Total Viewers (5.1 million vs. 5.3 million) and Adults 18-49 (1.3/4 vs. 1.4/5).

Projections Rationale:
Lifts vs. L+SD are based on the 2014-15 season for premiere telecast or an average 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 49% 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 04/01/15.

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