ABC'S 'S.H.I.E.L.D.' Wins its Hour in Adults 18-49 and Boosts its Slot Year to Year

ABC won the week in Adults 18-49 (w/o 3/30/15 = 1.4/5), ranking No. 1 or No. 2 in the key young adult sales demo on 9 of the past 10 weeks - starting with the final week in January. The Net continued to run No. 1 across all key Women: W18-34 (7th time in 8 weeks), W18-49 (6th time in 7 weeks) and W25-54 (6th time in 7 weeks).

ABC built week to week in Total Viewers (+5% - 6.4 million vs. 6.1 million) and was steady in Adults 18-49, marking its most-watched non-Oscar week in 4 months - since w/o 12/1/14.

Season to date (28 Weeks - Most Current), ABC is gaining Total Viewers (+5% - 7.9 million vs. 7.5 million) and is the only broadcast net to improve in Adults 18-49 (+5% - 2.2/7 vs. 2.1/6). In the key young adult sales demo, CBS is flat, NBC is down -10% and FOX is down -19% for the season.

Rankings: ABC delivered 5 of the Top 10 TV series in Adults 18-49, including the 2 of the Top 3 comedies with "Modern Family" and "black-ish:" "Modern Family" - No. 3, "black-ish" - No. 4, "Scandal" and "DWTS" tied at No. 8 and "The Goldbergs" - No. 10. ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" repeated as TV's most-watched unscripted series and was the No. 4 show overall.

Monday
ABC was the most watched TV network on Monday for the 3rd week in a row (11.9 million) and took 2nd place in Adults 18-49 (1.9/6) by 6% over CBS' original schedule (1.8/5). For the 3rd time in as many weeks, ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" stood as Monday's most watched TV show overall (13.8 million) and the night's No. 2 series in Adults 18-49 (2.1/6).

"Dancing with the Stars" (8:00-10:01 p.m. - 13.8 million and 2.1/6 in AD18-49):
From 8:00-10:01 p.m., ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" outdrew NBC's "The Voice" to top the 2-hour time period by a season-best 1.9 million viewers (13.8 million vs. 11.9 million) and took 2nd place with young adults (2.1/6). "Dancing" was up 5% week to week in Adults 18-49 to tie a season high. Against "Dancing," NBC's "The Voice" dropped to another season low.

"DWTS" built by double digits from its comparable telecast last season (12.2 million and 1.7/5 on 9/29/14) in Total Viewers (+13%) and Adults 18-49 (+24%).

"Castle" (10:01-11:00 p.m. - 8.2 million and 1.5/5 in AD18-49):
During the 10:00 p.m. hour, ABC's "Castle" ranked as the No. 1 scripted series in Adults 18-49 (1.5/5-tie) for the 4th time in its last 5 telecasts and gained 7% week to week. The ABC drama was also the No. 1 scripted series in the hour with Adults 25-54 (tie) and across key Women (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54).

Tuesday
"Fresh Off the Boat" (8:00-8:30 p.m. - 4.8 million and 1.3/5 in AD18-49):
At 8:00 p.m., ABC freshman comedy "Fresh Off the Boat" beat Fox's "Hell's Kitchen" for its 4th consecutive original telecast, leading in the half-hour by 1.5 million viewers (4.8 million vs. 3.3 million) and by 18% in Adults 18-49 (1.3/5 vs. 1.1/4). The show was steady week to week in Total Viewers (4.8 million vs. 4.9 million) and Adults 18-49 (1.3/5 vs. 1.4/5).

Despite its 8:00 p.m. time period without a network lead-in, ABC's "Fresh Off the Boat" nearly tied NBC's "The Voice"-led "Undateable" at 9:00 p.m. (1.4/4), while topping NBC's "One Big Happy" (1.2/3 at 9:30 p.m.), as well as Fox's "New Girl" (1.0/3 at 9:00 p.m.) and the debut of "Weird Loners" (0.7/2 at 9:30 p.m.). With bigger gains in TV playback, ABC's "Fresh Off the Boat" is projected to move ahead of NBC's "Undateable" in the L3 and L7 ratings.

"Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." (9:00-10:00 p.m. - 4.3 million and 1.4/4 in AD18-49):
Jumping from its lead-in at 9:00 p.m. (+56%), ABC's "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." won its hour in Adults 18-49 (1.4/4), beating all original programing on NBC, FOX and CBS. In addition, the ABC drama was No. 1 in its slot for the 3rd week in a row among Men 18-49. "S.H.I.E.L.D." was steady week to week in Adults 18-49 (1.4/4 vs. 1.5/5), while building with Adults 18-34 (+13%) and Women 18-34 (+29%)

On average season to date, "S.H.I.E.L.D." is improving the slot for ABC by 33% in Adults 18-49 over the same point last season.

"Forever" (10:00-11:00 p.m. - 4.7 million and 1.1/3 in AD18-49):
At 10:00 p.m., ABC's "Forever" ranked as the No. 1 series in its hour with Adults 18-49 (1.1/3). The ABC freshman drama built week to week in Total Viewers (+7% - 4.7 million vs. 4.4 million) and Adults 18-49 (+22% - 1.1/3 vs. 0.9/3), setting a 7-week high with young adults to tie its best number since the beginning of December - since 2/10/15 and 12/2/14, respectively. In the prior week's Live + 3 Day ratings, "Forever" nearly doubled its next-day Adult 18-49 L+SD number (+89%) to rank as Tuesday's biggest broadcast gainer.

On average season to date, "Forever" is growing its time period for ABC by 70% in Adults 18-49 over the same point last season.

Wednesday
With its 8:00-10:00 p.m. comedy block and the return of "Nashville," ABC won Wednesday's primetime in Adults 18-49, beating runner-up FOX with a 2-hour "American Idol" by 6% (1.9/7 vs. 1.8/6). For the 2nd week in a row, "Modern Family" was Wednesday's No. 1 TV show in Adults 18-49, while "black-ish" came in as the No. 2 program of the night. The Net was up from the same night last year by nearly 1.0 million viewers and steady with young adults (6.1 million and 1.9/6 on 4/2/14).

The Net delivered its most-watched Wednesday in 1 month (since 3/4/15), with all 4 of its comedies gaining viewers week to week. In addition, with April Fools' programming for its comedies, ABC scored a Wednesday season high with series programming among Teens 12-17.

"The Middle" (8:00-8:30 p.m. - 7.6 million and 1.8/7 in AD18-49):
At 8:00 p.m. against CBS' "Survivor," ABC's "The Middle" beat Fox's "Idol" for the 2nd week in a row in the half-hour among Adults 18-49 (+6% - 1.8/7 vs. 1.7/7) and led its scripted competition by 80% (NBC's "The Mysteries of Laura" = 1.0/4). The ABC comedy was up week to week in viewers (+4%) and Teens 12-17 (+36%), matching a season high on the latter measure.

"The Goldbergs" (8:30-9:00 p.m. - 7.2 million and 2.0/7 in AD18-49):
Building on its Adult 18-49 lead-in by 11% at 8:30 p.m., "The Goldbergs" beat "Idol" for its 3rd straight original (+11% - 2.0/7 vs. 1.8/6). The ABC sophomore comedy continued to trend well ahead of its year-ago benchmarks in Adults 18-49, boosting its half-hour over the same night last year by 18% ("Suburgatory" = 1.7/5) and besting its year-ago Tuesday 9:00 p.m. telecast by 33% (1.5/4 on 4/1/14).

"The Goldbergs" grew week to week in Total Viewers (+6%) and Teens 12-17 (+13%), matching a series high with Teens.

"Modern Family" (9:00-9:31 p.m. - 9.4 million and 3.0/10 in AD18-49):
At 9:00 p.m., Wednesday's highest-rated show in Adults 18-49, "Modern Family" jumped over its lead-in to dominate its slot by 67% over runner-up "American Idol" (3.0/10 vs. 1.8/6). It was also the most-watched TV show overall in the slot (9.4 million).

"Modern Family" gained over the prior week in Total Viewers (+8%), Adults 18-49 (+3%) and Teens 12-17 (+25%), tying its 2nd-best rating this season with Teens.

"black-ish" (9:31-10:00 p.m. - 7.4 million and 2.4/8 in AD18-49):
ABC's "black-ish" ranked No. 1 in the 9:30 p.m. half-hour for the 2nd straight week in Adults 18-49 (2.4/8). Versus the same night last year with an original comedy in the half-hour (4.3 million and 1.6/4 for "Mixology" on 4/2/14), "black-ish" delivered sharp year-over-year improvement for ABC in Total Viewers (+72%) and Adults 18-49 (+50%).

The ABC freshman comedy built week to week in Total Viewers (+16%) and Adults 18-49 (+14%), scoring its best numbers in nearly 5 months - since 11/19/14. In addition the show spiked 45% in Teens 12-17 to equal a series high.

"Nashville" (10:00-11:00 p.m. - 5.1 million and 1.3/4 in AD18-49):
On its first telecast since the beginning of March (3/4/15), ABC's "Nashville" took second in the 10:00 p.m. hour, beating the final hour CBS' "Dovekeepers" 2-night mini-series by 63% in Adults 18-49 (1.3/4 vs. 0.8/3).

"Nashville" returned from its 1-month break on par with its last telecast in Total Viewers (5.1 million vs. 5.3 million) and Adults 18-49 (1.3/4 vs. 1.4/5).

Thursday
ABC ran a strong second on Thursday in Adults 18-49 (1.7/6) to CBS with the return of its "Big Bang"-led Thursday lineup (1.9/7), beating original lineups on 3rd-place NBC by 42% (1.2/4) and 4th-place FOX by 89% (0.9/3).

Please Note: On the Thursday leading into Passover/Easter weekend, overall Adult 18-49 TV primetime usage levels dropped at sharp -8% week to week (28.4 vs. 30.9).

ABC's "Scandal" (2.1/7) and "Grey's Anatomy" (1.9/7) were Thursday's Top 2 dramas in Adults 18-49 (out of 8 total airing on just the Big 4 nets), while "Scandal" also finished as the night's No. 2 TV show, behind only CBS' "The Big Bang Theory."

"Grey's Anatomy" (8:00-9:00 p.m. - 6.6 million and 1.9/7 in AD18-49):
At 8:00 p.m. against the return of CBS' "The Big Bang Theory" and "The Odd Couple," ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" dominated its drama competition, beating Fox's "Bones" by 73% in Adults 18-49 (1.9/7 vs. 1.1/4).

"Scandal" (9:00-10:00 p.m. - 7.3 million and 2.1/7 in AD18-49):
At 9:00 p.m., "Scandal" moved ABC up to No. 1 in its hour among Adults 18-49 (2.1/7), leading by double digits over CBS' comedies (+11% - 1.9/6) and NBC's "The Blacklist" (+31% - 1.6/5) and by triple digits over Fox's "Backstrom" (+163% - 0.8/3).

"American Crime" (10:00-11:00 p.m. - 4.7 million and 1.1/4 in AD18-49):
At 10:00 p.m., ABC freshman "American Crime" ran in a near tie with CBS' "Elementary" for the Adult 18-49 lead in the hour (1.1/4 vs. 1.2/4), while dominating the finale of NBC's "The Slap" by 52% in Total Viewers (4.7 million vs. 3.1 million) and by 57% in Adults 18-49 (1.1/4 vs. 0.7/2). In addition, the ABC drama ranked No. 1 in its slot among key Women (W18-49/W25-54).

The ABC freshman drama is seeing strong TV playback. On average in the Live + 3 Day numbers, "American Crime" jumps +42% in Adults 18-49 from its L+SD rating (from a 1.5 rating to a 2.1 rating in L+3) and adds on another +2.1 million viewers to its next-day tally (6.3 million to 8.4 million in L+3).

Friday
Please Note: On the first night of Passover and Good Friday leading into Easter weekend, overall Adult 18-49 TV primetime usage levels fell -5% week to week (26.3 vs. 27.6).

"Cristela" (8:31-9:00 p.m. - 5.4 million and 1.0/4 in AD18-49)
At 8:30 p.m., featuring a crossover episode with "Last Man Standing," ABC's "Cristela" surged week to week in Total Viewers (+32% - 5.4 million vs. 4.1 million) and Adults 18-49 (+25% - 1.0/4 vs. 0.8/3). "Cristela" drew its biggest audience in 4 weeks and equaled an 11-week high in Adults 18-49 - since 2/27/15 and 1/16/15, respectively. The ABC freshman comedy improved its half-hour year to year by 1.5 million viewers and by 11% in Adults 18-49 (an original "The Neighbors" on 4/4/14 = 3.9 million and 0.9/3).

Saturday
"In An Instant" (9:00-11:00 p.m. - 4.0 million and 0.7/2 in AD18-49):
From 9:00-11:00 p.m., ABC's "In An Instant" grew over the prior week by double digits in Total Viewers (+21% - 4.0 million vs. 3.3 million) and Adults 25-54 (+22% - 1.1/3 vs. 0.9/3), matching a series high on the night in the key news demo. "In an Instant" was the No. 1 series on Saturday night in Adults 25-54 (1.1/3) and Adults 18-49 (0.7/2).

Sunday
With its annual rebroadcast of the 1956 Cecil B. DeMille classic "The Ten Commandments," ABC won Easter Sunday's primetime in Adults 18-49 (1.4/5), beating NBC with the premiere of "A.D." and the series debut of "American Odyssey" (+8% - 1.3/4), CBS' original lineup (+40% - 1.0/3) and Fox's encores (+75% - 0.8/3).

ABC's airing of "The Ten Commandments" was up from its year-ago telecast (on 4/19/14) in Total Viewers (+21% - 6.9 million vs. 5.7 million) and Adults 18-49 (+40% - 1.4/5 vs. 1.0/4), drawing the movie's biggest overall audience in 7 years and a 3-year high with young adults - since 2008 and 2012, respectively.

During the final hour of the night from 10:00-11:00 p.m., ABC's encore theatrical beat NBC's debut of "American Odyssey" by 2.2 million viewers (7.6 million vs. 5.4 million) and by 36% in Adults 18-49 (1.5/5 vs. 1.1/4).

WEEK NO. 28: ADULTS 18-49 TOTAL VIEWERS
No.1 ABC 1.4 No.1 CBS 8,090,000
No.2 CBS 1.3 No.2 ABC 6,430,000
No.2 NBC 1.3 No.3 NBC 5,800,000
No.4 FOX 0.9 No.4 FOX 3,160,000
No.5 CW 0.5 No.5 CW 1,410,000

Source: The Nielsen Company, National Live+ Same Day Program Ratings for week of 03/30/15.

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