ABC's DESIGNATED SURVIVOR Returns Up 8% in Adults 18-49 and Wins the Hour

ABC won Wednesday night in Adults 18-49 as its 8:00-10:00 p.m. comedy block came back against the 2-hour premiere of CBS' "Survivor 2017" ("Speechless" and "black-ish" were preempted the prior week) and at 10:00 p.m. "Designated Survivor" returned up after 3 months off the schedule. In fact the Net finished No. 1 on Wednesday for the 4th time in 5 weeks with Adults 18-49 (1.5/6).

ABC's "Modern Family" stood as Wednesday's highest-rated TV show in Adults 18-49 with its lineup delivering 5 of the Top 6 programs during primetime: "Modern Family" (1.9/7) - No. 1, "The Goldbergs" (1.7/7 - tied with CBS' "Survivor" premiere) - No. 2, "Speechless" (1.5/5) - No. 4, "black-ish" (1.4/5) - No. 5 and "Designated Survivor" (1.3/5) - No. 6.

Winning the 10 o'clock hour over season premiere drama competition on CBS ("Beyond Borders"), ABC's "Designated Survivor" returned for its first telecast since mid-December (12/14/16) with an 8% increase in Adults 18-49 (1.3/5 vs. 1.2/4), matching its highest rating since October - since 10/12/16. "DS" is TV's Biggest Gainer in Playback: On average, "Designated Survivor" is No. 1 for the 2016-17 season in Live + 7 Day TV Playback, spiking over its L+SD number by +6.9 million Total Viewers to emerge as the first-ever broadcast series to deliver a larger L+7 lift than its actual L+SD average audience (6.9 million vs. 6.6 million). In addition, the new ABC drama adds +1.9 Adult 18-49 rating points in L+7, more than doubling its L+SD delivery (+136%).

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 3/8/17.

Photo credit: ABC/ Sven Frenzel

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