ABC's SCANDAL Continues to Beat Competition by Wide Margins in Time Slot

ABC was the No. 1 broadcaster on Thursday for the 2nd week in a row with Adults 18-49 (2.1/7), tying CBS with NFL preemptions, inflating its average (2.1/7 w/the premiere of "2 Broke Girls") while beating NBC by 91% (1.1/4) and FOX by 110% (1.0/3).

The Net was the entertainment leader for the 8th-consecutive Thursday this season. Please Note: CBS' affiliates in New York and Buffalo carried the NFL THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL game, so the net's Fast Affiliate ratings are inflated and expected to come down across the board in the national ratings this afternoon.

ABC's "Grey's" (2.2/8), "Scandal" (2.2/7) and "HTGAWM" (1.9/6) ranked as Thursday's Top 3 dramas in Adults 18-49, beating the other 6 dramas on the night on CBS, NBC and Fox.

ABC's Thursday held even week to week among Adults 18-49.

"Grey's Anatomy" (8:00-9:00 p.m. - 8.0 million and 2.2/8 in AD18-49):
At 8:00 p.m. against CBS' "Big Bang" and "Life in Pieces," ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" (2.2/8) doubled its drama competition in the hour with Adults 18-49, beating Fox's "Bones" (1.1/4) and NBC's "Heroes Reborn" (1.1/4) by 100% each. The ABC drama was steady week to week in Adults 18-49 (2.2/8 vs. 2.3/8).

"Scandal" (9:00-10:00 p.m. - 7.7 million and 2.2/7 in AD18-49):
At 9:00 p.m., ABC's "Scandal" was the entertainment leader with Adults 18-49 (2.2/7), defeating CBS' comedies by 10% (2.0/6 - "Mom"/"2 Broke Girls" premiere), NBC's "The Blacklist" by 57% (1.4/4) and Fox's "Sleepy Hollow" by 144% (0.9/3). "Scandal" stayed even week to week in Adults 18-49 (2.2/7).

Live + 3 for Last Week (11/5/15): After being down 1-tenth of a rating point week to week in L+SD Adults 18-49, "Scandal" grew week to week in the L+3 numbers by 2-tenths (3.7 rating vs. 3.5 rating) with its largest-ever L3 playback increase (+68%).

"How to Get Away with Murder" (10:00-11:00 p.m. - 6.7 million and 1.9/6 in AD18-49):
At 10:00 p.m., ABC's "How to Get Away with Murder" towered over its drama competition in Adults 18-49 (1.9/6), essentially matching the combined deliveries of CBS' "Elementary" (1.3/4) and NBC's "The Player" (0.7/2) in the hour. The sophomore ABC drama was also the most watched TV series in the hour (6.7 million). "Murder" grew for the 2nd-straight week in Total Viewers (+3%), Women 18-34 (+5%) and Women 18-49 (+4%) while holding even in Adults 18-49 (1.9/6).

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 measure to gauge the size of the TV audience.

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.

Source: The Nielsen Company, Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Ratings, 11/12/15.

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