ABC's DANCING WITH THE STARS Posts Week-to-Week Gains in Total Viewers

During the week of October 5, 2015, ABC ranked No. 1 in Nielsen's non-sports Adult 18-49 averages (1.6/5), leading NBC and CBS by 7% each (tied at 1.5/5) and FOX by 14% (1.4/4).

The Net aired 8 of TV's Top 20 entertainment programs in Adults 18-49, placing 4 shows in the Top 10 with 3 of the Top 5 broadcast dramas: "Modern Family" - No. 7, "Scandal" - No. 8, "Grey's Anatomy" and "How to Get Away with Murder" tied at No. 10, "The Goldbergs" - No. 14, "The Middle" - No. 15, "black-ish" - No. 18 and "Fresh Off the Boat" - No. 20. In fact including its Tuesday ("The Muppets"/"Fresh Off the Boat") and Friday blocks ("Last Man Standing"/"Dr. Ken") in the mix, ABC delivered 8 of the Top 10 live-action comedies for the week with young adults.

• ABC's weekly Live + Same Day Adult 18-49 average is projected to increase 34% to a 2.0 rating in Live + 3 Day and build 42% to a 2.1 rating in Live + 7 Day.

Monday
"Dancing with the Stars" (8:00-10:01 p.m. - 11.8 million and 1.7/5 in AD18-49):
For the 3rd week running from 8:00-10:01 p.m. ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" beat out Fox's Monday dramas ("Gotham"/"Minority Report") in the 2-hour time period in Total Viewers (+269% - 11.8 million vs. 3.2 million) and Adults 18-49 (+55% - 1.7/5 vs. 1.1/3). The ABC unscripted series gained audience from its first to second hour in viewers (+5% - 11.5 million to 12.1 million) and young adults (+6% - 1.7/6 to 1.8/5).

• "Dancing with the Stars" posted week-to-week gains in both Total Viewers (+7% - 11.8 million vs. 11.0 million) and Adults 18-49 (+6% - 1.7/6 to 1.6/5), drawing its largest overall audience since its season premiere (9/14/15).

• For the 4th week in a row, "Dancing" was the most social broadcast program of the evening (111,826 tweets), up 30% from the previous week.

"Castle" (10:01-11:00 p.m. - 6.8 million and 1.2/4 in AD18-49):
At 10:01 p.m. opposite NBC's "The Voice"-led "The Blindspot," ABC's "Castle" took second in Adults 18-49 (1.2/4) among its broadcast rivals.

• Live + 3 Day Ratings: Continuing to see big TV playback gains, last Monday's episode of "Castle" (9/28/15) shot up 58% over its L+SD Adult 18-49 rating (from a 1.2 to a 1.9) to match its week-earlier season premiere delivery and outperform CBS' "NCIS: LA" (1.8 rating).

Tuesday
"The Muppets" (8:00-8:30 p.m. - 4.9 million and 1.7/6 in AD18-49):
At 8:00 p.m., ABC's "The Muppets" dominated its comedy competition in Adults 18-49, beating Fox's "Grandfathered" by an even greater 42% (1.7/6 vs. 1.2/4), up from a 33% lead the prior week.

• The ABC comedy ranked as Tuesday's No. 1 new TV show for the 3rd week in a row in Adults 18-49 (1.7/6-tie).

• "The Muppets" was up 55% in Adults 18-49 from "Selfie" in the half-hour last year (1.1/4 in AD18-49 on 10/7/14).

"Fresh Off the Boat" (8:30-9:00 p.m. - 4.8 million and 1.8/6 in AD18-49):
At 8:30 p.m., ABC's "Fresh Off the Boat" widened its advantage over Fox's "The Grinder" to 80% in Adults 18-49 (1.8/6 vs. 1.0/3), up from a 13% advantage the prior week. The ABC sophomore comedy grew week to week in Total Viewers (+2%) and in Adults 18-49 (+6%).

• "Fresh Off the Boat" doubled ABC's comedy delivery in the half-hour from the year-ago night (+100% over the 0.9/3 for "Manhattan Love Story" on 10/7/14).

"Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." (9:00-10:00 p.m. - 4.3 million and 1.6/5 in AD18-49):
At 9:00 p.m., ABC's "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." ran in a virtual tie with CBS' "NCIS: New Orleans" in Adults 18-49 (1.6/5 vs. 1.7/6) and will once again move ahead with playback to rank as the No. 1 scripted show in the hour, as it did last week. "S.H.I.E.L.D." was steady with its week-earlier season opener in Adults 18-49 (1.6/5 vs. 1.7/5) and built on its premiere by 10% with Men 18-34. In fact, the ABC drama won the hour versus its non-sports competition with Men 18-34.

• Live + 3 Day: Last week's telecast of "S.H.I.E.L.D." jumped to a 2.6 rating in Adults 18-49 (up +53% from a 1.7 L+SD), moving out of a tie with "NCIS: New Orleans" to beat the CBS drama by 4-tenths of a rating point in L+3.

"Quantico-R" (10:00-11:00 p.m. - 3.1 million and 0.7/2 in AD18-49):
In the 10 o'clock hour, ABC's encore telecast of Sunday's "Quantico" drew an additional 3.2 million viewers to the show, on top of the 7.0 million that watched it on Sunday at 10:00 p.m.

Wednesday
Opposite competition from the big return for Fox's "Empire," CBS' season premiere of "Survivor" and After Fox's "Empire," ABC aired 4 of the Top 5 next-highest-rated broadcast programs on Wednesday with "Modern Family" (2.7/8), "The Goldbergs" (2.1/7 vs. 2.0/7 - 1-tenth ahead of CBS' "Survivor"), "The Middle" (2.0/7) and "black-ish" (1.9/6). "Modern Family" continued to narrow the Adult 18-49 gap with "Empire" on the night, trimming it by another 1-tenth of a rating point week to week (-2.4 points vs. -2.5 points). ABC took 2nd place among the broadcasters to FOX on Wednesday in Adults 18-49, moving 13% ahead of CBS (1.8/6 vs. 1.6/5) and beating NBC by 29% (1.4/4).

"The Middle" (8:00-8:30 p.m. - 7.3 million and 2.0/7 in AD18-49):
ABC's "The Middle" tied CBS' "Survivor" as the No. 1 program in the 8:00 p.m. half-hour among Adults 18-49 (2.0/7), while beating the first half-hours of Fox's "Rosewood" by 25% (1.6/6) and NBC's "The Mysteries of Laura" by 82% (1.1/4).

"The Goldbergs" (8:30-9:00 p.m. - 6.6 million and 2.1/7 in AD18-49):
Building on its Adult 18-49 lead-in (+5%), "The Goldbergs" pulled ahead of CBS' "Survivor" (after tying the prior week) to rank as Wednesday's No. 3 broadcast show, behind only "Empire" and "Modern Family."

"Modern Family" (9:00-9:31 p.m. - 8.0 million and 2.7/8 in AD18-49):
At 9:00 p.m., opposite the first half-hour of "Empire," ABC's "Modern Family" spiked over its lead-in by 29% in Adults 18-49 (2.7/8), standing 1 full rating point ahead of CBS' "Criminal Minds (1.7/5) and 1.2 rating points ahead of NBC's "Law & Order: SVU" (1.5/5).

"black-ish" (9:31-10:00 p.m. - 5.9 million and 1.9/6 in AD18-49):
Earning 2nd to "Empire" in the 9:30 p.m. half-hour among young adults, ABC's "black-ish" (1.9/6) was the only program of the night to grow week to week in Adults 18-49 (+6%).

"Nashville" (10:00-11:00 p.m. - 4.4 million and 1.0/3 in AD18-49):
At 10:00 p.m., ABC's "Nashville" held steady week to week in Adults 18-49 (1.0/3 vs. 1.1/3), while NBC's "Chicago P.D." (-12%) and CBS' "Code Black" (-20%) dropped by double-digits week to week. Please Note: "Nashville" is one of ABC's biggest gainers in TV playback and delivered a larger L3 lift last week than either of its 10:00 p.m. drama competitors: "Nashville" (+64%), "Code Black" (+53%) and "Chicago P.D." (+47%).

Thursday
ABC (8.0 million and 2.3/8) was Thursday's non-sports leader for the 3rd week running opposite CBS' NFL coverage (Indianapolis-Houston), outdelivering NBC's drama lineup (5.3 million and 1.2/4) by widening margins of 51% in Total Viewers and by 92% in Adults 18-49 and once again more than doubling Fox's dramas (4.6 million and 1.1/4) in Adults 18-49 (+109%). ABC's TGIT lineup won the night across key Women (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54) and delivered its closest finish this season in Adults 18-49 with CBS on Thursday. ABC's Thursday schedule exhibited strong week-to-week retention, holding 92% of last week's Adult 18-49 rating and 100% of its audience share (2.3/8 vs. 2.5/8).

• For the 3rd straight Thursday this season, ABC's TGIT schedule produced the Top 3 entertainment shows of the night in Adults 18-49 with "Grey's Anatomy" (2.2/8), "Scandal" (2.6/8) and "How to Get Away with Murder" (2.2/7).

Live + 3 Ratings for Last Week: ABC's Thursday dramas stood as the night's Top 3 gainers in TV playback in Adults 18-49, with each show picking up at least +1.5 rating points: "Scandal" (+1.6 rating points) ranked No. 1, while "Grey's" and "Murder" (+1.5 rating points) tied for No. 2. In fact, "Scandal" posted a bigger gain in its second week this season with young adults (+1.6 rating points vs. +1.5 rating points for the prior week's premiere) and Total Viewers (+3.85 million vs. +3.77 million) to deliver new highs in L+3 playback lift.

"Grey's Anatomy" (8:00-9:00 p.m. - 8.1 million and 2.2/8 in AD18-49):
At 8:00 p.m., ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" widened its lead over NBC's "Heroes Reborn" in Total Viewers (+84% - 8.1 million vs. 4.4 million) and Adults 18-49 (+83% - 2.2/8 vs. 1.2/4), while once again dominating Fox's "Bones" in the hour (5.9 million and 1.3/5) in Total Viewers (+37%) and Adults 18-49 (+69%).

"Scandal" (9:00-10:00 p.m. - 8.8 million and 2.6/8 in AD18-49):
Building on its lead-in at 9:00 p.m., ABC's "Scandal" increased its winning advantage over NBC's "The Blacklist" to 73% in Adults 18-49 (2.6/8 vs. 1.5/5), rising substantially from its 56% lead the prior week. "Scandal" also outdrew "The Blacklist" by 1.8 million viewers (8.8 million vs. 7.0 million), building on its 1.3 million viewer advantage the prior week. Also in the hour, the ABC drama scored strong triple-digit advantages over Fox's "Sleepy Hollow" (3.3 million and 1.0/3) in Total Viewers (+167%) and Adults 18-49 (+160%).

• "Scandal" is tracking as the week's 2nd-highest-rated drama in Adults 18-49, further closing the gap with Fox's "Empire" (-2.5 vs. -2.7).

"How to Get Away with Murder" (10:00-11:00 p.m. - 7.2 million and 2.2/7 in AD18-49):
At 10:00 p.m., ABC's "How to Get Away with Murder" more than doubled its NBC drama competition for the 3rd week in a row, outperforming "The Player" by a best-yet 144% in Adults 18-49 (2.2/7 vs. 0.9/3). "Murder" also outdrew "The Player" by 64% in Total Viewers (7.2 million vs. 4.4 million).

Friday
ABC Friday Prime (8:00-11:00 p.m. - 5.5 million and 1.3/5 in AD18-49): ABC led the pack on Friday in Adults 18-49 for the 3rd week in a row this season, outpacing runner-up CBS by 8% (1.3/5 vs. 1.2/4) and NBC's comedy premiere-led lineup by 44% (0.9/3).

• ABC's "Shark Tank" (1.5/5) was the night's No. 1 series for the 3rd straight week, while "Last Man Standing" (1.3/6) and week 2 of "Dr. Ken" (1.3/5) tied as both the No. 2 broadcast of the night and as Friday's No. 1 scripted TV show with young adults. ABC's "20/20" once again ranked as Friday's No. 1 newsmagazine in Adults 18-49 (1.0/4), ahead of NBC's "Dateline" (0.9/3).

"Last Man Standing" (8:00-8:31 p.m. - 6.3 million and 1.3/6 in AD18-49):
At 8:00 p.m., "Last Man Standing" was up for the 2nd straight week in Adults 18-49 (+8%) and beat NBC's premiere of "Undateable" in the slot by 63% (1.3/6 vs. 0.8/3). "LMS" also stood as the most-watched TV show overall in the half-hour for the 3rd week running with a 3.6 million viewer advantage over NBC's comedy premiere (6.3 million vs. 2.7 million for "Undateable").

• In Adults 18-49, "LMS" topped its most-recent 5 original telecasts to equal the series' highest rating since February - since 2/27/15.

"Dr. Ken" (8:31-9:00 p.m. - 5.7 million and 1.3/5 in AD18-49):
Holding 100% of its "LMS" lead-in at 8:30 p.m. despite heightened competition this week from NBC's premiere of "Undateable" and the MLB Playoffs (NY Mets-LA Dodgers) on TBS, "Dr. Ken" held strong with its big week-earlier debut, retaining 87% in Adults 18-49 (1.3/5 vs. 1.5/6) - the strongest Week 1 to Week 2 retention for a new comedy this season, besting CBS' "Life in Pieces" (73%), Fox's "The Grinder" (67%) and "Grandfathered" (80%). "Dr. Ken" ranked No. 1 in its time period for the 2nd week in a row, beating NBC's time-period premiere of "Undateable" by a resounding 63% in the key young adult sales demo (1.3/5 vs. 0.8/3).

• In Live + 3, last week's debut of "Dr. Ken" picked up 1.4 million viewers and half a rating point with young adults (+33%) over its L+SD number to an average of 8.2 million viewers and a 2.0 rating in Adults 18-49.

"Shark Tank" (9:00-10:01 p.m. - 5.8 million and 1.5/5 in AD18-49):
At 9:00 p.m., ABC's "Shark Tank" built on its lead-in (+15%) to outdeliver its nearest regular competition in the hour by 36% in Adults 18-49 (1.5/5 vs.1.1/4 for CBS' "Hawaii Five-0").

"20/20" (10:01-11:00 p.m. - 4.5 million and 1.0/4 in AD18-49):
At 10:00 p.m., ABC's "20/20" beat the 2nd hour of NBC's 2-hour "Dateline" by 11% in Adults 18-49 (1.0/4 vs. 0.9/4).

Saturday
With "Saturday Night Football" (Miami at Florida State), ABC beat FOX with its COLLEGE FOOTBALL coverage for the 2nd week in a row in Total Viewers (+22% - 3.3 million vs. 2.7 million) and Adults 18-49 (+25% - 1.0/4 vs. 0.8/3).

Sunday
Opposite a down-to-the-wire SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL game (NY Giants-49ers) on NBC, an NFL overrun-boosted CBS (Patriots-Cowboys) and AMC with "The Walking Dead" premiere coverage (9:00-11:30 p.m.), ABC outdelivered FOX on Sunday by 2.6 million viewers (5.1 million vs. 2.5 million) and by 18% in Adults 18-49 (1.3/4 vs. 1.1/3).

• ABC's "Quantico" (1.6/5), which nearly doubled its lead-in at 10:00 p.m. (+78%), and "Once Upon a Time" (1.6/5) tied as Sunday's No. 1 scripted broadcast show in Adults 18-49, ahead of all three of CBS' NFL-fueled dramas and Fox's comedies. Last week's telecast of "Quantico" delivered increasing TV playback over its debut, jumping to a 3.3 L+3 rating with Adults 18-49, marking a 6% increase over its week-earlier debut (3.1 rating) to stand as the only new scripted program this season to build over its premiere telecast. The new ABC drama grew to 11.0 million Total Viewers after 3 days of TV playback.

"America's Funniest Home Videos" (7:00-8:00 p.m. - 5.3 million and 1.1/4 in AD18-49):
At 7:00 p.m., ABC's season premiere of "America's Funniest Home Videos" led its non-sports competition on FOX and was steady with its year-ago season opener (on 10/12/14) in Total Viewers (5.3 million vs. 5.5 million) and Adults 18-49 (1.1/4 vs. 1.2/4). The ABC unscripted series surged on the half-hour, gaining 1.1 million viewers (4.8 million to 5.9 million) and 63% in Adults 18-49 (0.8/3 to 1.3/4) from start to finish.

"Once Upon a Time" (8:00-9:00 p.m. - 5.3 million and 1.6/5 in AD18-49):
Building 45% on its Adult 18-49 lead-in at 8:00 p.m. opposite the beginning of SNF and CBS NFL-fueled programming, ABC's "Once Upon a Time" beat Fox's comedies ("The Simpsons"/"Brooklyn 9-9") by 1.1 million viewers (5.3 million vs. 3.0 million) and 14% in young adults (1.6/5 vs. 1.4/4).

• "OUAT" was up week to week in Teens 12-17 (+7%) and Kids 2-11 (+10%).

"Blood & Oil" (9:00-10:01 p.m. - 3.9 million and 0.9/2 in AD18-49):
At 9:00 p.m., ABC freshman drama "Blood & Oil" delivered 44% more viewers in the hour than Fox's comedies (3.9 million vs. 2.7 million for "Family Guy"/"The Last Man on Earth").

"Quantico" (10:01-11:00 p.m. - 5.7 million and 1.6/5 in AD18-49):
Spiking over its lead-in for the 3rd straight week at 10:00 p.m. (+78%), ABC's "Quantico" beat CBS' dramas in the hour by 60% in Adults 18-49 (1.6/5 vs. 1.0/3 for "The Good Wife"/"CSI: Cyber").

• "Quantico" continued to improve sharply on ABC's year-ago delivery with "Revenge" in the hour (4.7 million and 1.2/3 on 10/12/14) in Total Viewers (+21%) and Adults 18-49 (+33%).

WEEK NO. 03: ADULTS 18-49 TOTAL VIEWERS
No.1 NBC 2.2 No.1 CBS 10,230,000
No.2 CBS 2.1 No.2 NBC 7,730,000
No.3 ABC 1.5 No.3 ABC 5,990,000
No.4 FOX 1.3 No.4 FOX 3,720,000
No.5 CW 0.6 No.5 CW 1,620,000

Source: The Nielsen Company, National, Live+ Same Day Program Ratings

Photo courtesy of ABC

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