ABC's THE MUPPETS Delivers Huge Time-Period Growth

During the week of October 26, 2015, ABC once again ranked No. 1 in Nielsen's non-sports Adult 18-49 averages (1.5/5), beating NBC (+7% - 1.4/5), CBS (+7% - 1.4/5) and FOX (+36% - 1.1/4). The Net continued to deliver most of broadcast TV's top non-sports programs with 9 of Top 20 in Adults 18-49: "Scandal" - No. 5, "The Goldbergs" - No. 6, "The Middle" - No. 10, "Modern Family-R" and "black-ish" tied at No. 11, "How to Get Away with Murder" and "DWTS" tied at No. 15, while "20/20" (hitting a season high) and "Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" tied at No. 17.

ABC's weekly Live + Same Day Adult 18-49 average is projected to increase 34% to a 2.0 rating in Live + 3 Day and build 42% to a 2.1 rating in Live + 7 Day.

Monday
"Dancing with the Stars" (8:00-10:01 p.m. - 11.9 million and 1.8/5 in AD18-49):
From 8:00-10:01 p.m. against CBS' "Big Bang"-led "Supergirl" debut, ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" tied NBC's "The Voice" in Total Viewers (11.9 million). Also from 8:00-10:01 p.m., "Dancing" almost quadrupled Fox's Monday dramas ("Gotham"/"Minority Report" = 3.1 million and 1.0/3) in the 2-hour time slot in Total Viewers (+284%) and nearly doubled in Adults 18-49 (+80%).

Tuesday
"The Muppets" (8:00-8:30 p.m. - 4.3 million and 1.4/5 in AD18-49):
At 8:00 p.m. opposite the WORLD SERIES Game 1 (facing the start of the game in East/Central and the end in Pacific), ABC's "The Muppets" returned from the prior week's preemption up 8% in Adults 18-49 (1.4/5 vs. 1.3/5 on 10/13/15). The new ABC comedy was also up in Men 18-49 (+18%) and Women 18-49 (+7%) from its most recent broadcast. "The Muppets" was the No. 2 series in the slot in Adults 18-49 to CBS' "NCIS," beating NBC's "Best Time Ever" by 40% in the half-hour (1.0/3).

Including TV Playback (Most Current ratings through 5 weeks this season), "The Muppets" is averaging a strong 2.6/10 in Adults 18-49 with 7.6 million Total Viewers, improving its time period for ABC by 69% and 86%, respectively.

"Fresh Off the Boat" (8:30-9:00 p.m. - 4.1 million and 1.5/5 in AD18-49):
Building 7% on its lead-in against the game at 8:30 p.m., ABC's "Fresh Off the Boat" was also up from its most recent telecast 2 weeks ago in Adults 18-49 (+7% - 1.5/5 vs. 1.4/4). Despite facing the Fall Classic, the ABC comedy was also up from its most recent telecast in Adults 25-54 (+13%) and Women 18-49 (+13%). Like its lead-in, "Fresh Off the Boat" was the No. 2 series in the half-hour in Adults 18-49 to "NCIS."

Season to date (Most Current), "Fresh Off the Boat" is doubling its half-hour for ABC in Adults 18-49 (+100% - 2.2/7 vs. 1.1/3).

"Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." (9:00-10:00 p.m. - 3.8 million and 1.4/4 in AD18-49):
At 9:00 p.m., ABC's "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." was steady week to week in Total Viewers (3.8 million) and Adults 18-49 (1.4/4 vs. 1.5/4). The ABC drama was up week to week in Women 18-34 (+13%) and grew for the 2nd consecutive week in Women 18-49 (+8%).

Live + 7 Day Season to Date: On average in L7 this season, "S.H.I.E.L.D." adds 1.2 rating points in Adults 18-49 (+71%), moving out of a Live +Same Day tie with time-slot competitor "NCIS: New Orleans" (1.7 rating each) to outdeliver the CBS drama by nearly half a rating point through 7 days of playback (+16% - 2.9 rating vs. 2.5 rating).

"Wicked City" (10:00-11:00 p.m. - 3.3 million and 0.9/3 in AD18-49):
At 10:00 p.m. against established drama competition on NBC ("Chicago Fire") and CBS ("Limitless") and the World Series, ABC's debut of "Wicked City" delivered 4-week highs in the time period with Total Viewers (3.3 million) and Adults 18-49 (0.9/3) - since 9/29/15. Despite declining viewing levels in the final hour of prime, the new ABC drama held steady throughout its premiere from its first to second half-hour in Adults 18-49 and grew by 20% with Adults 18-34 at 10:30 p.m.

"Wicked City" was ABC's most-social show on Tuesday (38,655 tweets) and No. 4 overall, behind only the World Series, "The Flash" and "The Voice."

Wednesday
On a night with big competition from Fox's WORLD SERIES Game 2 and the Republican Debate, and despite airing a repeat "Modern Family" in the middle of prime, ABC delivered 4 of the Top 5 series on Wednesday in Adults 18-49 with its Halloween-themed 2-hour comedy block. "The Goldbergs" (2.2/7) was Wednesday's No. 1 entertainment show, while "The Middle" (2.0/7), "black-ish" (1.9/5) and "Modern Family-R" (1.9/6) finished just behind "Survivor" (2.1/7) on the night.

ABC stood as Wednesday's No. 1 entertainment network in Adults 18-49 (1.7/5), leading first-run lineups on CBS by 6% (1.6/5) and NBC by 31% (1.3/4). Opposite the increased competition, ABC's "black-ish" (+6% - 5-week high), "The Middle" (+5%), "The Goldbergs" (+5% - 4 week high) grew, while "Nashville" held even.

"The Middle" (8:00-8:30 p.m. - 7.4 million and 2.0/7 in AD18-49):
At 8:00 p.m., ABC's "The Middle" ran neck-and-neck with "Survivor" among Adults 18-49 (2.0/7 vs. 2.1/7) in the half-hour, while ranking No. 1 with Women 18-34 (tie) and Women 18-49. "The Middle" was up over its year-ago telecast in Total Viewers (+6%) and Adults 18-49 (+11%). In addition, the show built week to week in viewers (+4%) and young adults (+5%) to its biggest audience in 4 weeks - since 9/30/15.

"The Goldbergs" (8:30-9:00 p.m. - 6.9 million and 2.2/7 in AD18-49):
Building on its lead-in at 8:30 p.m. (+10%), ABC's "The Goldbergs" beat "Survivor" in the half-hour with Adults 18-49 (2.2/7 vs. 2.1/6). The ABC comedy grew to 4-week highs (since 9/30/15) in Total Viewers (+6%) and Adults 18-49 (+5%), while spiking by strong double-digits in Adults 18-34 (+30%), Men 18-34 (+57%), Women 18-34 (+14%) and Teens 12-17 (+27%).

"Modern Family-R" (9:00-9:31 p.m. - 6.4 million and 1.9/6 in AD18-49):
At 9:00 p.m. among Adults 18-49, ABC's repeat "Modern Family" (1.9/6) beat originals of CBS' "Criminal Minds" (1.6/5) and NBC's special "Chicago PD" (1.5/4). "Modern Family" delivered its strongest repeat telecast in 2-years with Total Viewers and Adults 18-49 - since 10/30/13.

"black-ish" (9:31-10:00 p.m. - 6.2 million and 1.9/5 in AD18-49):
In the 9:30 p.m. half-hour, ABC's "black-ish" beat its entertainment competition by double digits in Adults 18-49 (1.9/5), leading the second half-hours of "Criminal Minds" by 19% (1.6/4) and "Chicago PD" by 36% (1.4/4). The ABC sophomore comedy gained week to week in Total Viewers (+7%) and Adults 18-49 (+6%) to best-since-premiere numbers - since 9/23/15.

"Nashville" (10:00-11:00 p.m. - 4.2 million and 1.1/3 in AD18-49):
At 10:00 p.m., ABC's "Nashville" tied CBS' "Code Black" in Adults 18-49 (1.1/3). A big gainer in TV playback, "Nashville" has moved ahead of "Code Black" on each of the last 3 weeks in the L+3 ratings. And in the most recent round of L+7 (w/o 10/5/15), "Nashville" doubled its L+SD Adult 18-49 rating for the 3rd time in its history (+100% - 1.0 rating to a 2.0 rating).

"Nashville" was up week to week across the key Women demos: W18-34 +11%, W18-49 +14% and W25-54 +5%.

Thursday
With a 2nd airing this season of "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" leading into "Scandal" and "How to Get Away with Murder" against NFL THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL on CBS, ABC was the clear entertainment choice on Thursday for the 6th-straight week with viewers and young adults. Among Adults 18-49, ABC (1.9/6) outdelivered first-run drama lineups on FOX by 58% (1.2/4) and NBC by 73% (1.1/4). ABC's repeat "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" (1.7/6), "Scandal" (2.3/7) and "HTGAWM" (1.8/6) were Thursday's Top 3 entertainment programs in Adults 18-49.

It was ABC's 3rd-straight year to rank as the entertainment leader on the opening night of the November Sweep in Adults 18-49. Please Note: On the year-ago evening, ABC did not air against Thursday Night Football on CBS on the opening night of the sweep.

"It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" (8:00-9:00 p.m. - 6.5 million and 1.7/6 in AD18-49):
From 8:00-9:00 p.m. in Adults 18-49, ABC's 2nd repeat of "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" (1.7/6) beat out originals of Fox's "Bones" (1.3/5) and NBC's "Heroes Reborn" (1.0/4).

"Scandal" (9:00-10:00 p.m. - 7.8 million and 2.3/7 in AD18-49):
Shooting up from its lead-in at 9:00 p.m., "Scandal" (2.3/7) outdelivered NBC's "The Blacklist" by 53% (1.5/5) and Fox's "Sleepy Hollow" by 109% (1.1/3) in Adults 18-49. "Scandal" was also the most watched entertainment program on Thursday (7.8 million).

"How to Get Away with Murder" (10:00-11:00 p.m. - 6.3 million and 1.8/6 in AD18-49):
At 10:00 p.m., for the 6th week in a row, ABC's "How to Get Away with Murder" defeated NBC's "The Player" by strong triple-digit percentages in Adults 18-49 (+157% - 1.8/6 vs. 0.7/2).

Friday
Opposite Game 3 of the World Series, ABC ranked as the No. 1 non-sports network in Adults 18-49 on Friday (1.5/5), outperforming CBS by 36% (1.1/4) and NBC with the season premiere of "Grimm" by 67% (0.9/3). The Net delivered the Top 4 non-sports programs of the night in Adults 18-49 with "20/20" (1.7/6 - season high), "Shark Tank" (1.4/5), "Last Man Standing" (1.3/5) and "Dr. Ken" (1.2/5). "Last Man Standing" and "Dr. Ken" were the night's Top 2 scripted shows. It was ABC's 6th week running to rank as the No. 1 non-sports net or straight-out lead the night in the key young adult sales demo.

Despite the increased competition, the Net was up for the 3rd week in Total Viewers (+15%) and grew in Adults 18-49 (+8%), earning its most-watched Friday overall this season and hitting a new season high with young adults.

"Last Man Standing" (8:00-8:31 p.m. - 6.9 million and 1.3/5 in AD18-49):
At 8:00 p.m., "Last Man Standing" was the non-sports leader and beat NBC's "Undateable" by 4.3 million viewers (6.9 million vs. 2.6 million) and 86% in Adults 18-49 (1.3/5 vs. 0.7/3). "LMS" grew 8% week to week in Adults 18-49 to match a season high.

"Dr. Ken" (8:31-9:00 p.m. - 5.8 million and 1.2/5 in AD18-49):
ABC's "Dr. Ken" ranked as the No. 1 series in the slot in Adults 18-49 and beat NBC's "Truth Be Told" by 71% (1.2/5 vs. 0.7/3). The ABC comedy more than doubled its NBC comedy competition with Total Viewers (+164% - 5.8 million vs. 2.2 million). "Dr. Ken" remained even with its week-ago delivery in Adults 18-49.

"Shark Tank" (9:00-10:01 p.m. - 6.2 million and 1.4/5 in AD18-49):
Building on its lead-in at 9:00 p.m. to rank as Friday's No. 1 entertainment show in Adults 18-49 (1.4/5), ABC's "Shark Tank" beat its non-sports competition by double digits, defeating NBC's season premiere of "Grimm" by 27% (1.1/4) and CBS' "Hawaii Five-0" by 27% (1.1/4).

"20/20" (10:01-11:00 p.m. - 8.2 million and 1.7/6 in AD18-49):
Surging from its lead-in at 10:00 p.m., ABC's "20/20" emerged as the night's No. 1 regular TV program in Adults 18-49 (1.7/6) and Adults 25-54 (2.5/7), qualifying as TV's No. 1 non-sports Friday telecast this season in the key 25-54 news demo. On "20/20," Actress Leah Remini spoke exclusively to ABC News Anchor Dan Harris about her experience with and ultimate break from the Church of Scientology. Remini talked about her association with the Church for over 30 years as recounted in her memoir Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology. ABC's "20/20" towered over its NBC newsmagazine competition head to head in the 10:00 p.m. hour, more than doubling NBC's "Dateline" in Total Viewers (+148% - 8.2 million vs. 3.3 million), Adults 18-49 (+113% - 1.7/6 vs. 0.8/3) and Adults 25-54 (+127% - 2.5/7 vs. 1.1/3).

Spiking week to week in Total Viewers (+58% - 8.2 million vs. 5.2 million), Adults 18-49 (+42% - 1.7/6 vs. 1.2/4) and Adults 25-54 (+47% - 2.5/7 vs. 1.7/5), "20/20" set new season highs with its best performance since last April with the Bruce Jenner interview on 4/24/15. In fact, it was "20/20's" 2nd-strongest performance in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49 in 1-1/2 years and in Adults 25-54 in nearly 2 years - since 4/18/14 and 1/24/14, respectively.

Sunday
Opposite SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL (Green Bay-Denver) on NBC and the series-clinching Game 5 of the WORLD SERIES on FOX and, ABC beat an NFL primetime overrun-led CBS (Raiders-Jets) on Sunday night by 10% in Adults 18-49 (1.1/3 vs. 1.0/3). ABC's "Once Upon a Time" and "Quantico" ranked as Sunday's Top 2 entertainment broadcasts with young adults.

"Once Upon a Time" (8:00-9:00 p.m. - 4.8 million and 1.5/4 in AD18-49):
Surging 50% over its Adult 18-49 lead-in at 8:00 p.m. opposite the WORLD SERIES and Sunday Night Football, ABC's "Once Upon a Time" beat its CBS competition in the slot by 36% (1.5/4 vs. 1.1/3 for "Madam Secretary"). "Once Upon a Time" was up week to week in Women 18-34 (+7%), Teens 12-17 (+8%) and Kids 2-11 (+33%), tying a season high on the latter measure.

"Blood & Oil" (9:00-10:00 p.m. - 3.3 million and 0.8/2 in AD18-49):
At 9:00 p.m., "Blood & Oil" ran in a near tie with its CBS' veteran drama competition in Adults 18-49 (0.8/2 vs. 0.9/2 for "The Good Wife") and led by 25% among Adults 18-34.

"Quantico" (10:00-11:00 p.m. - 4.0 million and 1.2/3 in AD18-49):
Jumping over its lead-in at 10:00 p.m. (+50%), ABC's "Quantico" beat its CBS drama competition in the hour by 71% with Adults 18-49 (1.2/3 vs. 0.7/2 for "CSI: Cyber"). On average season to date in Nielsen's Most Current ratings (includes available L+7 TV playback), the new drama is boosting its hour for ABC by 50% in Adults 18-49 (2.7/8 vs 1.8/5) over the same weeks last year with "Revenge."

Live + 3 Day for Last Week's Telecast (10/18/15): Last week's 5th episode of ABC's "Quantico" spiked +87% (+1.3 rating points) over its L+SD Adult 18-49 rating to stand as show's 2nd-biggest percentage lift to date, behind the +94% rise for its third episode. In fact, "Quantico's" +87% increase is the 2nd-biggest percentage L3 increase for any single telecast on the major networks so far this season, as the new ABC drama now claims the Top 2 lifts among young adults with the series' 3rd and 5th telecasts.

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