ABC's ONCE UPON A TIME Grows to 4-Week High in Adults 18-49

During the week of April 4, 2016, ABC aired 7 of the Top 20 TV shows in Adults 18-49, with "Modern Family" and "Grey's" finishing in the Top 10: "Modern Family" - No. 8, "Grey's Anatomy" - No. 10, "The Goldbergs" - No. 14, "Dancing with the Stars," "The Middle" and "Scandal" tied at No. 15 and "black-ish" - No. 19.

ABC grew week to week by 20% in Adults 18-49 (1.2/4 vs. 1.0/4) to a 3-week high - since w/o 3/14/16.

Monday Opposite the NCAA BASKETBALL Championship, ABC ranked as Monday's most watched broadcaster (10.0 million) and was a strong No. 2 in Adults 18-49 (1.5/5). In fact, ABC was the lead broadcaster in all 6 half-hours of the night with Total Viewers.

"Dancing with the Stars" (8:00-10:01 p.m. - 11.7 million and 1.7/6 in AD18-49):
From 8:00-10:01 p.m., ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" finished as Monday's most watched TV series for the 3rd week in a row, topping NBC's "The Voice" by a season-best 1.3 million viewers (11.7 million vs. 10.4 million). "DWTS" was the No. 2 series for the night in Adults 18-49, closing the gap by 3-tenths week to week with "The Voice." Despite facing the NCAA BASKETBALL Championship game, "DWTS" held even week to week in Adults 18-49 and increased 9% in Adults 18-34.

"Castle" (10:00-11:00 p.m. - 6.4 million and 1.1/3 in AD18-49):
During the 10:00 p.m. hour, ABC's "Castle" returned from the prior week's preemption with a steady performance in Total Viewers (6.5 million vs. 6.5 million) and Adults 18-49 (1.1/3 vs. 1.1/4). Head to head in the hour, ABC's "Castle" outdrew NBC's "Blindspot" for its 2nd consecutive original telecast in Total Viewers (+15% - 6.4 million vs. 5.5 million) and came in with its closest finish ever in Adults 18-49 (1.1/4 vs. 1.3/4).

"Castle" Live + 7 Season to Date: On average this season, "Castle" delivers a 2.0 rating among Adults 18-49 in the Live + 7 Day data, representing an +82% SPIKE over its L+SD average (1.1 rating).

Tuesday
"Fresh Off the Boat" (8:00-8:30 p.m. - 4.2 million and 1.1/4 in AD18-49):
At 8:00 p.m. opposite the start of Fox's "American Idol" and CBS' original "NCIS," ABC's "Fresh Off the Boat" was the No. 1 Tuesday comedy for the 5th week running, outperforming Fox's 90-minute "American Idol"-led "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" at 9:30 p.m. by 56% in Total Viewers (4.2 million vs. 2.7 million) and 22% in Adults 18-49 (1.1/4 vs. 0.9/3). "Fresh Off the Boat" has ranked as the most watched Tuesday night comedy on every original telecast of 2016.

"The Real O'Neals" (8:30-9:00 p.m. - 3.6 million and 1.0/4 in AD18-49):
Delivering its best-yet lead-in retention at 8:30 p.m. out of "Fresh Off the Boat" (86%/91%), ABC's "The Real O'Neals" held even week to week in Total Viewers (3.6 million) and Adults 18-49 (1.0/4) to finish as the night's No. 2 comedy, also outdelivering Fox's "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" out of "Idol" at 9:30 p.m. In addition, the new ABC comedy grew in Women 18-49 (+8%) and Women 25-54 (+6%) to tie its highest ratings on the night.

"Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." (9:00-10:00 p.m. - 2.8 million and 0.9/3 in AD18-49):
Facing increased competition week to week at 9:00 p.m., ABC's "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." held steady in Adults 18-49 (0.9/3 vs. 1.0/3). Most Recent L+3 and L+7 ratings: Last Tuesday (3/29/16), "S.H.I.E.L.D." surged +60% over its L+SD Adult 18-49 rating in L+3 (from a 1.0 to a 1.6). And in the most recent L+7 data, "S.H.I.E.L.D." shot up +90% in Adults 18-49 (1.0 to a 1.9), placing it among the Top 5 biggest gainers of the week (w/o 3/14/16).

Wednesday
With its 8:00-10:00 p.m. comedy block returning to originals against Fox's Wednesday "Idol" finale and "Empire," ABC ranked No. 2 on the night in Adults 18-49 (1.5/5-tie). Despite going head to head with "Empire" at 9:00 p.m., ABC's "Modern Family" topped the penultimate series telecast of "Idol" by 5% to finish as Wednesday's No. 2 TV show in Adults 18-49 (2.3/7).

"The Middle"/"The Goldbergs" (8:00-9:00 p.m. - 6.5 million and 1.8/8 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 157% ("Heartbeat" = 0.7/2).

"The Middle" held even with its last original two weeks ago among Adults 18-49 (1.7/7) 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" grew from its last original in Adults 18-34 (+7%) and Teens 12-17 (+7%). "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. - 4.0 million and 0.9/3 in AD18-49):
In the 10 o'clock hour, ABC's "Nashville" grew week to week in Total Viewers (+5% - 4.0 million vs. 3.8 million) and held even with Adults 18-49 (0.9/3). 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).

Thursday
ABC ranked No. 2 on Thursday in Adults 18-49 (1.6/6-tie) to FOX with the series finale of "American Idol." Despite facing the high-rated "Idol" finale during prime, ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" paced within 1-tenth week to week with Adults 18-49 (2.1/8 vs. 2.2/8), "Scandal" held even (1.7/6) and "The Catch" was up 10% at 10:00 p.m. (1.1/4 vs. 1.0/4).

"Grey's Anatomy" (8:00-9:00 p.m. - 7.4 million and 2.1/8 in AD18-49):
At 8:00 p.m., "Grey's" grew 12% week to week in Adults 18-34, hitting a 5-week high and tying its best rating since its mid-season return - since 3/3/16 and 2/11/16, respectively. In addition, the 12th-season ABC drama was up for the 4th-straight week in Women 18-34 to its best rating since November - since 11/5/15.

"Scandal" (9:00-10:00 p.m. - 5.9 million and 1.7/6 in AD18-49):
During the 9 o'clock hour, ABC's "Scandal" held even at a 6-week high (since 2/18/16) in Adults 18-49 and beat NBC's original "The Blacklist" by 42% (1.7/6 vs. 1.2/4).

"The Catch" (10:00-11:00 p.m. - 4.9 million and 1.1/4 in AD18-49):
At 10:00 p.m., ABC's "The Catch" ranked No. 1 in the hour among Adults 18-49, beating fellow freshman drama CBS' "Rush Hour" by 22% (1.1/4 vs. 0.9/3). In addition to growing in Adults 18-49 (+10%), "The Catch" was also up week to week with Adults 18-34 (+17%) and Women 18-34 (+11%). The new ABC drama improved its hour year to year by 11% in Total Viewers and by 22% in Adults 18-49 over an original "American Crime" on the year-ago night (4.4 million and 0.9/3 in AD18-49 on 4/9/15).

Live + 3 for Last Week: Based on the L+3 data for last Thursday (3/31/16), "The Catch" was the night's biggest gainer on the major nets with a +70% SPIKE over its L+SD rating (from a 1.0 to a 1.7), up from a +58% increase for show's premiere in the hour the prior week.

Friday
With its lineup returning to all originals for the first time in 3 weeks (since 3/18/16), ABC ranked No. 1 on Friday in Adults 18-49 (1.1/4-tied w/CBS).

"Last Man Standing" (8:00-8:31 p.m. - 6.4 million and 1.0/5 in AD18-49):
At 8:00 p.m., "Last Man Standing" was the most watched program in THE HALF HOUR (6.4 million).

"Dr. Ken" (8:31-9:00 p.m. - 4.7 million and 0.9/4 in AD18-49):
At 8:30 p.m., ABC's "Dr. Ken" was the No. 1 scripted program in the slot among Adults 18-49, beating Fox's finale of "Sleepy Hollow" by 29% (0.9/4 vs. 0.7/3).

• "Dr. Ken" was steady with its most recent original in Adults 18-49 (0.9/4 vs. 1.0/4).

"Shark Tank" (9:00-10:01 p.m. - 5.4 million and 1.2/5 in AD18-49):
ABC's "Shark Tank" was Friday's No. 1 TV show among Adults 18-49 (1.2/5-tie).

"20/20" (10:01-11:00 p.m. - 5.0 million and 1.1/4 in AD18-49):
ABC's "20/20" once again finished as the night's No. 1 newsmagazine, beating NBC's "Dateline" head to head in the 10:00 p.m. hour among Total Viewers (+11% - 5.0 million vs. 4.5 million), Adults 18-49 (+22% - 1.1/4 vs. 0.9/4) and Adults 25-54 (+15% - 1.5/5 vs. 1.3/4). "20/20" grew week to week in Total Viewers (+6%), Adults 18-49 (+10%) and Adults 25-54 (+7%), up for the 2nd consecutive week with young adults.

Sunday
"Once Upon a Time" (8:00-9:00 p.m. - 3.8 million and 1.2/4 in AD18-49):
Building 22% on its lead-in at 8:00 p.m. against a Masters Golf Tournament overrun boosted CBS and NBC with "Little Big Shots," ABC's "Once Upon a Time" was up 9% week to week in Adults 18-49 (1.2/4 vs. 1.1/4) to a 4-week high - since 3/13/16.

"The Family" (9:00-10:00 p.m. - 3.1 million and 0.8/2 in AD18-49):
At 9:00 p.m., ABC's "The Family" grew for the 2nd consecutive week in Adults 18-49 (+14% - 0.8/2 vs. 0.7/2), tying its highest rating on the night.

Live + 3 Day Ratings for Last Sunday (4/3/16): Last Sunday, "The Family" was the night's 2nd-biggest broadcast gainer in Adults 18-49 (behind only "Quantico") with a +71% jump from its L+SD to its L+3 rating (growing from a 0.7 to a 1.2).

"Quantico" (10:00-11:00 p.m. - 3.6 million and 1.1/4 in AD18-49):
Surging over its lead-in at 10:00 p.m., ABC's "Quantico" beat CBS' "Elementary" by 22% in the hour among Adults 18-49 (1.1/4 vs. 0.9/3). In addition, "Quantico" was up for the 2nd week in Adults 18-49 (+10% - 1.1/4 vs. 1.0/3) to tie its highest rating of 2016. The ABC freshman drama improved its hour year to year by 22% in Adults 18-49 ("Revenge" on 4/12/15 = 0.9/3).

Live + 3 Day Ratings for Last Sunday (4/3/16): "Quantico" was last Sunday's biggest broadcast gainer among Adults 18-49 with an +80% SPIKE over its L+SD rating (from a 1.0 to a 1.8 in L+3). The new ABC drama emerged as the night's No. 1 scripted broadcast program among young adults (1.8 rating) after 3 days of TV playback.

WEEK NO. 29: ADULTS 18-49 TOTAL VIEWERS
No.1 FOX 1.5 No.1 CBS 7,770,000
No.2 CBS 1.3 No.2 NBC 5,740,000
No.3 ABC 1.2 No.3 FOX 5,420,000
No.3 NBC 1.2 No.4 ABC 5,020,000
No.5 CW 0.4 No.5 CW 1,250,000

Source: The Nielsen Company, National, Live+ Same Day Program Ratings for week of 04/04/16.

Image courtesy of ABC

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