ABC's Wednesday lineup held exactly even week to week in Adults 18-49 and beat NBC with "The Voice" and the 2-hour series debut of "Strong" by 25% (1.5/5 vs. 1.2/4). Closing the gap with "Empire" week to week by 4-tenths at 9:00 p.m., ABC's "Modern Family" was Wednesday's No. 2 TV show in Adults 18-49 (2.2/7).
"The Middle"/"The Goldbergs" (8:00-9:00 p.m. - 6.5 million and 1.7/6 in AD18-49):
Pacing within 2-tenths of CBS' "Survivor" (1.9/7) from 8:00-9:00 p.m., ABC's "The Middle" (1.7/6) and "The Goldbergs" (1.8/6) beat NBC's special "The Voice" by 6% in each half-hour among Adults 18-49 (1.6/6 and 1.7/6) and dominated their scripted competition in the hour by 42% over Fox's "Rosewood" (1.2/4).
Despite increased competition from "The Voice" in the hour, "The Middle" (1.7/6) and "The Goldbergs" (1.8/6) held even week to week in Adults 18-49.
"Modern Family"/"black-ish" (9:00-10:00 p.m. - 6.6 million and 1.9/6 in AD18-49):
Opposite "Empire" in the 9:00 p.m. hour,
ABC took 2nd place in Adults 18-49 (1.9/6) with "Modern Family" and "black-ish" holding a 12% advantage over 3rd-place
CBS (1.7/6 for "Criminal Minds") and beating 4th-place
NBC by 90% with the first hour of "Strong" (1.0/3).
"Modern Family" (2.2/7) and "black-ish" (1.6/5) held steady week to week in Adults 18-49 while "black-ish" gained Total Viewers (+4% - 5.7 million vs. 5.5 million).
"Nashville" (10:00-11:00 p.m. - 4.2 million and 1.0/3 in AD18-49):
At 10:00 p.m., ABC's "Nashville" beat the final hour of NBC's "Strong" debut in Total Viewers (+35% - 4.2 million vs. 3.1 million) and Adults 18-49 (+11% - 1.0/3 vs. 0.9/3). The
ABC drama was up for the 2nd week in Total Viewers (+5% - 4.2 million vs. 4.0 million) and gained 11% in Adults 18-49 (1.0/3 vs. 0.9/3), earning a 5-month high with young adults - since 11/18/15.
Live + 3 Day Ratings for Last Wednesday (4/6/16): "Nashville" was last Wednesday's biggest broadcast gainer among Adults 18-49 with a +67% jump over its L+SD rating (from a 0.9 to a 1.5 in L+3).
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 04/13/16.
Photo credit: ABC/ Mark Levine*