ABC's THE CHATCH Wins Its Slot & Improves Its Hour Year to Year by 22%

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) while "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. - 7.3 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% in Adults 18-49 (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.

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 4/7/16, unless otherwise specified.

Photo credit: ABC/Richard Cartwright*