ABC's 2-Hour GREY'S ANATOMY Builds to 9-Week Highs

ABC won Thursday in Total Viewers (6.9 million) and Adults 18-49 (1.8/7). Leading each half-hour of the night among Adults 18-49, ABC beat CBS by 38% (1.3/5) and NBC with the time-slot premieres of "Strong" and "Game of Silence" by 80% (1.0/4), and doubled FOX with the premiere of "American Grit" (0.9/3). It was ABC's most dominant Live + Same Day Thursday victory this season with young adults, and its advantages are projected to increase in L+3 and L+7.

"Grey's Anatomy" (8:00-10:00 p.m. - 8.0 million and 2.2/8 in AD18-49): From 8:00-10:00 p.m., ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" dominated its 2-hour time period and ranked as Thursday's No. 1 TV show in Adults 18-49 (2.2/8). "Grey's Anatomy" was also the night's most social show with 92.1K tweets, representing a 67% SPIKE week to week.

"Grey's" grew week to week in Total Viewers (+8% - 8.0 million vs. 7.4 million) and Adults 18-49 (+5% - 2.2/8 vs. 2.1/8) to its best numbers since its mid-season return 9 weeks ago - since 2/11/16. The ABC drama also outdelivered its year-ago telecast by 5% in Total Viewers and 5% in Adults 18-49 (7.6 million and 2.1/8 on 4/16/15).

"The Catch" (10:00-11:00 p.m. - 4.8 million and 1.0/4 in AD18-49):
At 10:00 p.m., ABC's "The Catch" ranked No. 1 in the hour for the 2nd week in a row among Adults 18-49 (1.0/4), beating CBS' "Rush Hour" by 11% (0.9/3) and NBC's time-period premiere of "Game of Silence" by 25% (0.8/3).

Multiplatform Viewing for "The Catch" Premiere Episode: Based on the data released earlier this week, the series debut of "The Catch" shot up to a 2.1 rating in Adults 18-49 after 7 days of TV playback and a 2.6 rating with the addition of VOD and online streaming for the show's pilot over the first 14 days of availability. In addition the pilot drew 9.9 million viewers over the same amount of time across platforms.

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 48% 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 4/14/16, unless otherwise specified. Nielsen Socialguide 4/14/16, Total Tweets +/- 3hrs during telecast.

Image courtesy of ABC

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