ABC's NASHVILLE Grows 11% to Deliver a Near 5-Month High With Adults 18-49

With its 8:00-10:00 p.m. comedy block returning to originals against Fox's Wednesday "Idol" finale and "Empire," ABC earned 2nd place on the night in Adults 18-49 (1.5/5). Despite going head to head with "Empire" at 9:00 p.m., ABC's "Modern Family" tied the penultimate series telecast of "Idol" as 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):
From 8:00-9:00 p.m., ABC's "The Middle" and "The Goldbergs" nearly tied CBS' "Survivor" in the hour among Adults 18-49 (1.7/6 vs. 1.9/7) and beat out their scripted competition on NBC by 143% ("Heartbeat" = 0.7/3).

"The Middle" held even with its last original two weeks ago among Adults 18-49 (1.7/6) and was up 10% with Teens 12-17. "The Goldbergs" surged 18% among Teens 12-17 over its last original to equal an 11-week high - since 1/20/16.

"Modern Family"/"black-ish" (9:00-10:00 p.m. - 6.5 million and 1.9/6 in AD18-49):
Opposite "Empire" in the 9:00 p.m. hour, ABC moved up to 2nd in Adults 18-49 with "Modern Family" and "black-ish" holding a 58% advantage over 3rd-place CBS (1.9/6 vs. 1.2/4 - CBS' "Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders").

Despite facing "Empire" for the first time since its mid-season return, "Modern Family" held exactly even with its last original across the 18-34 demos (A/M/W18-34) and gained 7% with Teens 12-17. "black-ish" built from its most recent first-run airing by 22% in Teens 12-17 to a 6-week high - since 2/24/16.

"Nashville" (10:00-11:00 p.m. - 4.2 million and 1.0/3 in AD18-49) In the 10 o'clock hour, ABC's "Nashville" grew by double digits week to week in Total Viewers (+11% - 4.2 million vs. 3.8 million) and Adults 18-49 (+11% - 1.0/3 vs. 0.9/3), scoring a near 5-month high with young adults - since 11/18/15. L+7 Ratings for Mid-Season Return (3/16/16): Based on the recently released L+7 data for the ABC drama's mid-season return, "Nashville" spiked +89% over its L+SD Adult 18-49 rating (0.9 rating to 1.7 rating) placing it among the week's Top 10 broadcast gainers (No. 6).

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 04/06/16.

Photo credit: ABC/ Mark Levine*

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