ABC's ONCE UPON A TIME is No. 1 in Slot for 6th Straight Telecast in Adults 18-49

During the week of April 6, 2015, ABC claimed 5 of the Top 20 TV programs in Adults 18-49: "Grey's Anatomy" - No. 11, "DWTS" and "The Goldbergs" tied at No. 15, while "The Middle" and "black-ish" tied at No. 19. In Total Viewers, ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" registered as TV's most-watched unscripted series for the 4th week in a row and was a Top 5 show overall. Please Note: "Modern Family" was in repeat on Wednesday and "Scandal" was preempted on Thursday.

Monday
"Dancing with the Stars" (8:00-10:01 p.m. - 13.8 million and 2.0/6 in AD18-49):
From 8:00-10:01 p.m., ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" outdrew NBC's "The Voice" by a season-best 2.8 million viewers (13.8 million vs. 11.0 million) and took 2nd against its regular competition with young adults (2.0/6). Despite facing CBS' high-rated NCAA March Madness Finals, "Dancing" essentially held even with its week-ago deliveries in Total Viewers (13.8 million vs. 13.8 million) and Adults 18-49 (2.0/6 vs. 2.1/6). In addition, the ABC unscripted series grew 8% in Adults 18-34 (1.4/5 vs. 1.3/5), while retaining 100% week to week in in all key Women demos (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54). Opposite "Dancing," NBC's "The Voice" fell to new season lows (11.0 million and 2.9/9 in Adults 18-49).

ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" Monday's most-watched TV series overall for the 4th consecutive week.

For the 2nd week in a row, "DWTS" was up by double digits from its comparable telecast last season (12.3 million and 1.8/5 on 10/6/14) in Total Viewers (+12%) and Adults 18-49 (+11%).

Tuesday
"Fresh Off the Boat" (8:00-8:30 p.m. - 4.9 million and 1.4/5 in AD18-49):
At 8:00 p.m. against the start of NBC's 2-hour "The Voice" and CBS' original "NCIS," ABC freshman comedy "Fresh Off the Boat" defeated Fox's "Hell's Kitchen" for its 5th consecutive original telecast, leading in the half-hour by 1.3 million viewers (4.9 million vs. 3.6 million) and by 8% in Adults 18-49 (1.4/5 vs. 1.3/5). "Fresh Off the Boat" gained 8% week to week in Adults 18-49 (1.4/5 vs. 1.3/5) and 10% in Women 18-34, hitting a 4-week high on the latter measure - since 3/10/15.

Despite its 8:00 p.m. time period without a network lead-in, ABC's "Fresh Off the Boat" was the night's top comedy by wide margins over Fox's "New Girl" (2.1 million and 0.9/3 at 9:00 p.m.) and "Weird Loners" (1.7 million and 0.7/2 at 9:30 p.m.). In fact based on the Live + 3 Day ratings, "Fresh Off the Boat" emerged as Tuesday's No. 1 comedy in Adults 18-49 on each of its last 7 original telecasts.

"Fresh Off the Boat-R" (8:30-9:00 p.m. - 3.6 million and 1.0/3 in AD18-49):
At 8:30 p.m., ABC's repeat "Fresh Off the Boat" outdrew the second half-hour of Fox's "Hell's Kitchen" by 6% in Total Viewers (3.6 million vs. 3.4 million).

"Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." (9:00-10:00 p.m. - 4.2 million and 1.5/5 in AD18-49):
Surging 50% over its lead-in at 9:00 p.m., ABC's "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." nearly caught CBS' "NCIS: New Orleans" for the scripted Adult 18-49 lead in the hour (1.5/5 vs. 1.7/5) and with playback is projected to move ahead of the CBS drama in the L3 and L7 data. "S.H.I.E.L.D." was up week to week by 7% in Adults 18-49 (1.5/5 vs. 1.4/4), while spiking 38% with Teens 12-17 to match a best-since-premiere number - since 9/23/14.

The ABC drama grew its hour from the year-ago night (+36% - 1.1/3 for original comedies on 4/8/14) and on average season to date, "S.H.I.E.L.D." is improving the slot by 40% in Adults 18-49 (2.8/8 vs. 2.0/5) over the comparable weeks last season.

"Forever" (10:00-11:00 p.m. - 4.0 million and 0.9/3 in AD18-49):
On average during its freshman season, "Forever" is boosting Tuesday's 10 o'clock hour for ABC by 73% in Total Viewers (6.9 million vs. 4.0 million) and by 70% in Adults 18-49 (1.7/5 vs. 1.0/3) over the same point last season.

Wednesday
Despite airing a repeat "Modern Family" at 9:00 p.m. against all-original Wednesday lineups on NBC (with "The Voice" at 8:00 p.m.), FOX and CBS, ABC beat out FOX with a 2-hour "American Idol" by 14% (1.6/5 vs. 1.4/5).

"The Middle" (8:00-8:30 p.m. - 7.3 million and 1.9/7 in AD18-49):
At 8:00 p.m. against "Survivor" and NBC's special "The Voice," ABC's "The Middle" outdelivered "Idol" for the 3rd week in a row in the half-hour by a best-yet 27% among Adults 18-49 (1.9/7 vs. 1.5/5). The ABC comedy held even week to week in Adults 18-49 (+6%), Adults 18-34 (+10%) and Men 18-34 (+25%) to tie a season best on the latter measure.

Season to date, the ABC comedy is up in both Total Viewers (+1%) and Adults 18-49 (+4%).

"The Goldbergs" (8:30-9:00 p.m. - 6.5 million and 2.0/7 in AD18-49):
Building on its Adult 18-49 lead-in at 8:30 p.m. (+5%), ABC's "The Goldbergs" beat "Idol" for its 4th straight original and led by its biggest margin yet (+67% - 2.0/7 vs. 1.2/4). "The Goldbergs" held steady with its week-ago Adult 18-49 rating, while gaining with Women 18-34 (+8%) and Men 18-34 (+11%).

Season to date, the ABC sophomore comedy is pacing well ahead of its year-ago benchmarks in Adults 18-49, boosting its half-hour year to year by 50% and up over its own performance last year on Tuesday at 9:00 p.m. by 17%.

"Modern Family" (9:00-9:31 p.m. - 5.9 million and 1.7/5 in AD18-49):
At 9:00 p.m., ABC's repeat "Modern Family" beat Fox's "Idol" in the half-hour by 21% in Adults 18-49 (1.7/5 vs. 1.4/4) and nearly tied NBC's "The Voice"-led "L&O: SVU" (1.8/6). "Modern" matched its best repeat number this season in Adults 18-49.

"black-ish" (9:31-10:00 p.m. - 6.1 million and 1.9/6 in AD18-49):
Building on its lead-in by 12%, ABC's "black-ish" ran in a virtual tie for No. 1 in the 9:30 p.m. half-hour with "Criminal Minds" in Adults 18-49 (1.9/6 vs. 2.0/6). Compared to the year-ago night with an original comedy in the half-hour (3.7 million and 1.2/4 for "Mixology" on 4/9/14), "black-ish" continued to deliver big year-over-year time-period growth for ABC among Total Viewers (+65%) and Adults 18-49 (+58%).

"Nashville" (10:00-11:00 p.m. - 4.6 million and 1.1/4 in AD18-49):
During the 10:00 p.m. hour, ABC's "Nashville" beat out CBS' "CSI: Cyber" among Women 18-34 (+11% - 1.0/4 vs. 0.9/3).

In the Live + 3 Day numbers, last week's episode of "Nashville" shot up 54% in Adults 18-49 over its Live + Same Day number (1.3 rating to a 2.0 rating), making it among the biggest gainers on the night.

Thursday
Although starting out the night with a repeat "Grey's Anatomy" from 8:00-9:00 p.m., ABC finished a strong second on Thursday in Adults 18-49 (1.4/5) to CBS, beating Fox's original lineup by 56% (0.9/3) and NBC's mix of repeats and an original by 56% (0.9/3).

ABC's special 9:00 p.m. "Grey's Anatomy" ranked as Thursday's No. 1 drama in Adults 18-49 (2.1/7), winning its hour and finishing as the night's No. 2 TV show overall (tie), behind only CBS' "The Big Bang Theory." In addition, the ABC drama was Thursday's No. 1 TV show with Women 18-34.

"Grey's Anatomy-R" (8:00-9:00 p.m. - 4.7 million and 1.1/4 in AD18-49):
At 8:00 p.m. against CBS' "The Big Bang Theory" and "The Odd Couple," ABC's repeat of the pilot episode of "Grey's Anatomy" tied Fox's first-run "Bones" in Adults 18-49 (1.1/4).

"Grey's Anatomy SP-4/9" (9:00-10:00 p.m. - 7.4 million and 2.1/7 in AD18-49):
Nearly doubling its Adult 18-49 lead-in at 9:00 p.m. (+91%), a special "Grey's" moved ABC up to No. 1 in its hour among Adults 18-49 (2.1/7), leading by double digits over runner-up CBS' comedies (+11% - 1.9/6). "Grey's" was up over its week-ago telecast at 8:00 p.m. by 12% in Total Viewers (7.4 million vs. 6.6 million) and by 11% in Adults 18-49 (2.1/7 vs. 1.9/7).

"American Crime" (10:00-11:00 p.m. - 4.4 million and 0.9/3 in AD18-49):
At 10:00 p.m., ABC freshman "American Crime" ranked No. 1 its hour among the major nets among Women 18-34 (0.8/3-tie).

The ABC freshman drama continues to see strong TV playback. On average in the Live + 3 Day numbers, "American Crime" jumps +43% in Adults 18-49 from its L+SD rating (from a 1.4 rating to a 2.0 rating in L+3) and adds on another +1.9 million viewers to its next-day tally (6.0 million to 7.9 million in L+3).

Friday
ABC won Friday in Adults 18-49 (1.3/5), delivering the night's Top 3 TV shows with "Shark Tank" (1.5/5), "20/20" (1.3/5) and "Last Man Standing" (1.2/5 - tied with "Blue Bloods" - also the top scripted show). In fact, "Shark Tank" returned to original for the first time in 3 weeks, marking its 21st straight first-run telecast this season as Friday's No. 1 series in the key young adult sales demo. ABC's "20/20" was Friday's No. 1 newsmagazine, outdelivering NBC's 2-hour "Dateline" (9:00-11:00 p.m.) by double digits in Total Viewers (+13%), Adults 18-49 (+30%) and Adults 25-54 (+27%).

"Last Man Standing" (8:00-8:31 p.m. - 6.4 million and 1.2/5 in AD18-49): At 8:00 p.m., ABC's "Last Man Standing" ranked No. 1 in Adults 18-49 (1.2/5) and was even with its week-ago telecast. "LMS" was also the most-watched TV show overall (6.4 million) in its half-hour for its 5th straight original telecast.

"Cristela" (8:31-9:00 p.m. - 5.1 million and 1.0/4 in AD18-49):
At 8:30 p.m., ABC's "Cristela" held steady week to week in Adults 18-49 (1.0/4), tying its best number since mid-January - since 1/16/15. The ABC freshman comedy once again improved its half-hour year to year by 1 million viewers and by 11% in Adults 18-49 ("The Neighbors" on 4/11/14 = 4.1 million and 0.9/3)

"Shark Tank" (9:00-10:01 p.m. - 6.6 million and 1.5/5 in AD18-49):
Spiking 50% over its lead-in among Adults 18-49 at 9:00 p.m., ABC's "Shark Tank" won its hour by 36% over its nearest competition (1.5/5 vs. 1.1/4 - CBS' "Hawaii Five-0").

"20/20" (10:01-11:00 p.m. - 6.0 million and 1.3/5 in AD18-49):
At 10:00 p.m., ABC's "20/20" won its hour among Adults 18-49 (1.3/5) and Adults 25-54 (1.9/6), beating CBS' "Blue Bloods" (1.2/4 and 1.8/5) and NBC's "Dateline" (1.1/4 and 1.5/5). The ABC newsmagazine shot up week to week in Total Viewers (+62% - 6.0 million vs. 3.7 million), Adults 18-49 (+63% - 1.3/5 vs. 0.8/3) and Adults 25-54 (+58% - 1.9/6 vs. 1.2/4), scoring 7-week highs on all 3 measures - since 2/20/15. In an exclusive interview with Barbara Walters on "20/20," Mary Kay Letourneau Fualaau and Vili Fualaau sat down together on the eve of their 10th wedding anniversary, sharing intimate details about their headline-making marriage.

Sunday
Returning to its regular Sunday lineup after the prior week's preemption for "The Ten Commandments," ABC ran a strong second among the broadcasters in Adults 18-49 (1.2/4) to a Masters Golf Tournament overrun-boosted CBS, leading NBC by 20% (1.0/3) and FOX by 20% (1.0/3).

"America's Funniest Home Videos" (7:00-8:00 p.m. - 5.5 million and 1.1/4 in AD18-49):
Opposite CBS' Masters overrun in the 7 o'clock hour, ABC's "America's Funniest Home Videos" took second in Adults 18-49 (1.1/4).

"Once Upon a Time" (8:00-9:00 p.m. - 5.2 million and 1.6/5 in AD18-49):
Spiking 45% over its lead-in at 8:00 p.m., ABC's "Once Upon a Time" ranked No. 1 in its hour for its 6th consecutive telecast in Adults 18-49 (1.6/5). The ABC drama was on par with its most recent Adult 18-49 rating (1.6/5 vs. 1.7/6).

"Secrets and Lies" (9:00-10:01 p.m. - 4.8 million and 1.3/4 in AD18-49):
At 9:00 p.m., ABC's "Secrets and Lies" held steady with its last telecast two weeks ago in Adults 18-49 (1.3/4) and continued to beat out its CBS drama competition in the hour (+18% over "The Good Wife").

Based on Live + 3 Day data for its last recent telecast two weeks ago (on 3/29/15), ABC's "Secrets and Lies" delivered its biggest playback increase yet among Adults 18-49, shooting up +62% or +0.8 rating points over its L+SD rating. In fact, the 5th episode of "Secrets and Lies" came within 1-tenth of a rating point of a series high to tie its 2nd-best rating ever in the L+3 numbers.

"Revenge" (10:01-11:00 p.m. - 3.8 million and 0.9/3 in AD18-49):
At 10:00 p.m., ABC's "Revenge" ranked No. 1 over its drama competition in Adults 18-49 (0.9/3), leading CBS' "Battle Creek" by 29% (0.7/2) and NBC's "American Odyssey" by 13% (0.8/2). "Revenge" ran within 1-tenth of its most recent Adult 18-49 rating (0.9/3 vs. 1.0/3).

WEEK NO. 29: ADULTS 18-49 TOTAL VIEWERS
No.1 CBS 2.1 No.1 CBS 10,570,000
No.2 NBC 1.5 No.2 NBC 6,290,000
No.3 ABC 1.3 No.3 ABC 5,710,000
No.4 FOX 1.0 No.4 FOX 3,590,000
No.5 CW 0.4 No.5 CW 1,120,000

Source: The Nielsen Company, National Live+ Same Day Program Ratings for week of 04/06/15.