Thursday's Most Social Series SCANDAL Wins Its Slot for 3rd Week Running

Ranking as the No. 1 net for the 3rd time in 4 nights so far this week(Mon./Wed./Thurs.), ABC's TGIT lineup won Thursday for the 3rd week running in Adults 18-49 (1.7/6), beating CBS by 13% (1.5/5), FOX by 55% (1.1/4) and NBC by 70% (1.0/4). ABC's TGIT delivery held steady week to week.

ABC's "Scandal" was once again Thursday's most social broadcast (226,497 interactions), "HTGAWM" moved up +47% week to week to No. 2 (157,525) and "Grey's" came in at No. 3 (157,130).

At 8:00 p.m., "Grey's Anatomy" ranked as the No. 2 TV show on Thursday in Adults 18-49 (2.1/8), behind only CBS' top-rated "The Big Bang Theory." Building on the half-hour to move ahead of CBS for No. 1, "Grey's" beat CBS' "The Great Indoors" by 38% at 8:30 p.m. (2.2/7 vs. 1.6/6). "Grey's" was up from its comparable year-ago telecast (on 2/25/16) for the 3rd week in a row with Total Viewers (+17% - 8.4 million vs. 7.2 million) and held even with Adults 18-49 (2.1/8).

At 9:00 p.m., "Scandal" led its hour by double digits for the 3rd straight week with Adults 18-49 (1.6/5), besting runner-up CBS' comedies by 14% (1.4/5 - "Mom"/"Life in Pieces"). Like its lead-in, "Scandal" gained viewers year to year for the 3rd week running (+7% - 6.2 million vs. 5.8 million).

At 10:00 p.m., "How to Get Away with Murder" continued to tower over the final hour of the night in Adults 18-49 (1.3/5), increasing its lead over CBS' "Training Day" to 63% (0.8/3) and beating NBC's "The Blacklist" by 44% (0.9/3). "HTGAWM" stands among the biggest gainers on TV this season in the Live + 7 Day ratings, more than doubling (+117%) its Live + Same Day Adult 18-49 number.

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 49% 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 2/9/17. Nielsen Social: 2/9/17, Facebook and Twitter total interactions based on +/-3 hours of the telecast.

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