THE ASTRONAUT WIVES CLUB Matches Best Adult 18-49 Rating Since Debut

ABC's "The Astronaut Wives Club" grew week to week by 5% in Total Viewers (4.3 million vs. 4.1 million) and by 14% in Adults 18-49 (0.8/3 vs. 0.7/3), tying a best-since-premiere rating in young adults - since 6/18/15. In the 8:00 p.m. hour, the new ABC drama (4.3 million) outdrew NBC's "Food Fighters" (3.3 million) and Fox's "Boom!" (2.2 million) in Total Viewers, while beating its freshman competition on FOX by 14% in Adults 18-49 (0.8/3 vs. 0.7/3).

• Up over original drama programming on the year-ago night for the 4th week in a row, "The Astronaut Wives Club" grew over "Black Box" on the same night last year (3.7 million and 0.7/3 on 7/10/14) by double digits in Total Viewers (+16%) and Adults 18-49 (+14%).

"Mistresses" (9:00-10:00 p.m. - 3.5 million and 0.8/3 in AD18-49):

"Mistresses" posted double-digit gains from the prior week in Total Viewers (+17% - 3.5 million vs. 3.0 million) and Adults 18-49 (+33% - 0.8/3 vs. 0.6/3) to score its best numbers since its season premiere 3 weeks ago - since 6/18/15. From 9:00-10:00 p.m., ABC's "Mistresses" outdelivered NBC's "Aquarius" in the hour for the 4th straight week and by its largest margins yet, increasing its advantages to 40% in Total Viewers (3.5 million vs. 2.5 million) and 60% in Adults 18-49 (0.8/3 vs. 0.5/2).

• Last week's episode of "Mistresses" nearly doubled its Live + Same Day Adult 18-49 rating, growing from a 0.6 to a 1.1 (+83%) after 3 days of TV playback. The ABC drama increased its playback growth for the 2nd consecutive week (+44% to +71% to +83%) to post a new L+3 playback high among Adults 18-49.

"Rookie Blue" (10:00-11:00 p.m. - 4.2 million and 0.7/2 in AD18-49):

ABC's "Rookie Blue" shot up 17% in Adults 18-49 (0.7/2 vs. 0.6/2) over its week-ago Fast Affiliate rating and was even with its adjusted National number to match a season high. "Rookie Blue" was up week to week by 11% in Total Viewers (4.2 million vs. 3.8 million), drawing its biggest overall audience so far this season.

• At 10:00 p.m., "Rookie Blue" built on its lead-in (+20%) to take 2nd in the hour in Total Viewers to CBS' "Under the Dome." The ABC drama gained audience from its first to second half-hour in Viewers (+2%), while the competing CBS and NBC dramas declined on the half-hour.

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 measure to gauge the size of the TV audience.

Projections Rationale:

Lifts vs. L+SD are based on the 2014-15 season for premiere telecast or an average for originals (excluding the premiere). Returning shows: Profile based on same show (either premiere or averages for originals). New Series: Based on similar series.

Source: The Nielsen Company, Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Ratings, 7/9/15.