ABC's HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDR Beats 'Parenthood' by Triple Digits

During Week No. 4 of the season (w/o 10/13/14), ABC once again ranked No. 1 in Nielsen's non-sports Adult 18-49 averages (1.8/6), outpacing NBC by 6% (1.7/6), CBS by 13% (1.6/5) and FOX by 50% (1.2/4). Based on all programming, ABC tied CBS for No. 2 with young adults (2.1/7). The Net delivered 6 of the week's Top 20 TV programs (more than any other net), including the No. 1 broadcast drama ("Scandal"), the No. 1 freshman series/drama ("How to Get Away with Murder") and the No. 1 freshman comedy ("black-ish"): "Saturday Night Football" - No. 7 (top-rated college game this season), "Modern Family" - No. 11, "Scandal" - No. 13, "How to Get Away with Murder" - No. 14, "Once Upon a Time" - No. 17 and "black-ish" - No. 19.

Building week to week in viewers (7.9 million vs. 7.1 million) and young adults (2.1/7 vs. 1.8/6), the Net earned its best numbers since season premiere week - since w/o 9/22/14.

ABC increased from the same week last year in Total Viewers (+13% - 7.9 million vs. 7.0 million) and was the only broadcaster up in Adults 18-49 (+11% - 2.1/7 vs. 1.9/6). Season to date (Nielsen's Most Current averages), ABC is up 5% in Total Viewers (8.7 million vs. 8.3 million) and holding steady in Adults 18-49 (2.4/8).

Monday
ABC ran a strong second on Monday night among the broadcast networks in Total Viewers, coming within 500,000 of first place NBC (11.6 million vs. 12.1 million).

"Dancing with the Stars" (8:00-10:01 p.m. - 12.7 million and 2.0/6 in AD18-49):
From 8:00-10:01 p.m., ABC's "DWTS" was up over its week-ago performance in Total Viewers (+3% - 12.7 million vs. 12.3 million) and Adults 18-49 (+11% - 2.0/6 vs. 1.8/5). Building from its first to second hour (+11%), "Dancing" beat out Fox's "Sleepy Hollow" from 9:00-10:00 p.m. for the 4th week in a row in Adults 18-49 (+24% - 2.1/6 vs. 1.7/5). The ABC unscripted series was the most social broadcast program on Monday with 76,090 tweets.

"Castle" (10:01-11:00 p.m. - 9.2 million and 1.9/6 in AD18-49):
In the 10:00 p.m. hour, ABC's "Castle" defeated CBS' "NCIS: LA" for the 3rd consecutive week, leading by 19% in Adults 18-49 (1.9/5 vs. 1.6/5).

Tuesday
"Selfie"/"Manhattan Love Story" (8:00-9:00 p.m. - 3.2 million and 0.9/3 in AD18-49):
For the 3rd week in a row, ABC's "Selfie" (3.4 million) and "Manhattan Love Story" (2.9 million) attracted more viewers than Fox's established comedies "New Girl" (2.3 million) and "The Mindy Project" (2.2 million). "Selfie" paced within 1-tenth of its week-ago Adult 18-49 rating (1.1/4 vs. 1.0/3) and "Manhattan Love Story" held 100% week to week (0.9/3).

"Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." (9:00-10:00 p.m. - 4.7 million and 1.7/5 in AD18-49):
Building on its lead-in at 9:00 p.m. against NBC's "The Voice"-fueled comedy premieres ("Marry Me" debut/"About a Boy" premiere) and CBS' "NCIS: New Orleans," ABC's "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." was up over the prior week in Total Viewers (+7% - 4.7 million vs. 4.4 million) and Adults 18-49 (+6% - 1.7/5 vs. 1.6/5). "S.H.I.E.L.D." was the No. 1 series in its hour among key Men (M18-34/M18-49).

The ABC drama improved its time period year to year in Adults 18-49 (+13% - 1.7/5 vs.1.5/4 on 10/15/13).

In the first round of L7 data for the new season, ABC's "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." premiere shot up 80% (3rd-highest broadcast lift in premiere week) to a 3.6 rating among Adults 18-49 and moved ahead of CBS' "NCIS: New Orleans" debut (+3% - 3.5 rating) in the Tuesday 9:00 p.m. hour. In the L+SD ratings, "S.H.I.E.L.D." trailed the CBS drama by 5-tenths of a rating point among young adults.

"Forever" (10:00-11:00 p.m. - 4.8 million and 1.1/3 in AD18-49):
During the 10 o'clock hour, "Forever" continued to grow its time period, boosting THE HOUR by 2.2 million viewers (4.8 million vs. 2.6 million) and by 83% in Adults 18-49 (1.1/3 vs. 0.6/2).
Surging in the first round of Live + 7 Day ratings, the "Forever" premiere saw its numbers SPIKE to 10.1 million viewers (+52%) and a 2.6 rating in Adults 18-49 (+53%).

Wednesday
ABC ranked No. 1 on Wednesday for the 2nd week in a row in Adults 18-49 (2.1/7-tied w/CBS). "Modern Family" (3.4/10) and "black-ish" (2.5/7) ranked as the Top 2 programs of the night in Adults 18-49, as "Modern Family" was Wednesday's highest-rated TV show for the 4th straight week this season.

"Toy Story of Terror!" (8:00-8:30 p.m. - 6.2 million and 1.8/6 in AD18-49):
At 8:00 p.m., ABC's repeat special "Toy Story of Terror!" (1.8/6) ran second in its half-hour with Adults 18-49 to CBS' "Survivor," dominating originals of Fox's "Hell's Kitchen" (+38% - 1.3/4) and NBC's "The Mysteries of Laura" (+38% - 1.3/5).

"Toy Story of Terror!" delivered ABC's highest Kids 2-11 rating in the time slot in 1 year - since the Disney special's debut on 10/16/13.

"It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" (8:30-9:00 p.m. - 6.2 million and 2.2/7 in AD18-49):
Building on its lead-in at 8:30 p.m., ABC's repeat special "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" also took second to "Survivor" in Adults 18-49 (2.2/7) ahead of its original NBC and FOX competition.

Among Kids 2-11, the PEANUTS special earned ABC's best number in the time period in close to 2 years - since 11/28/12. The special held steady with its year-ago Halloween telecast in Adults 18-49 (2.2/8 on 10/31/13) and scored a 3-year high with Kids 2-11 - since 10/27/11.

"Modern Family" (9:00-9:31 p.m. - 9.7 million and 3.4/10 in AD18-49):
ABC's "Modern Family" spiked 55% over its Adult 18-49 lead-in at 9:00 p.m. to outdeliver its nearest competition in the half-hour by 42% (3.4/10 vs. 2.4/7 - "Criminal Minds"). The ABC comedy paced within 1-tenth of its week-ago Adult 18-49 rating (3.4/10 vs. 3.5/11).

"black-ish" (9:31-10:00 p.m. - 6.9 million and 2.5/7 in AD18-49):
In the 9:30 p.m. half-hour, ABC's "black-ish" was No. 1 in its slot for the 4th week in a row in Adults 18-49 (2.5/7).

The new ABC comedy improved its half-hour year to year by 15% in Total Viewers and by 19% Adults 18-49 (6.0 million and 2.1/6 - "Super Fun Night" on 10/16/13).

"Nashville" (10:00-11:00 p.m. - 5.0 million and 1.3/4 rating in AD18-49):
During the 10:00 p.m. hour, ABC's "Nashville" ranked No. 2 across all key Women (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54), against its drama competition on CBS ("Stalker") and NBC ("Chicago P.D.").

In the first round of Live + 7 Day data for the new season, "Nashville" saw its audience surge by 2.5 million viewers (5.6 million to 8.1 million) and by 71% in Adults 18-49 (1.4 rating to 2.4 rating) over its L+SD numbers.

Thursday
Opposite CBS' Thursday Night Football, ABC continued to dominate its nearest non-sports Thursday competition in Total Viewers (+84% - 9.4 million vs. 5.1 million - Fox) and Adults 18-49 (+125% - 2.7/8 vs. 1.2/4 - FOX and NBC tied). For the 4th week in a row, ABC aired Thursday's Top 3 entertainment shows with "Scandal" (9.9 million and 2.9/9), "How to Get Away with Murder" (9.8 million and 2.8/9) and "Grey's" (8.4 million and 2.4/8). All three ABC dramas rank among the season's biggest gainers in TV Playback. The Net held steady with its week-ago Thursday delivery in the Fast Affiliate numbers (9.5 million and 2.8/9).

ABC's "Scandal" is tracking as the week's top-rated broadcast drama in Adults 18-49.

For the 4th consecutive week this season, ABC's Thursday was up from the same night last year (7.6 million and 2.4/7 on 10/17/13) in Total Viewers (+24%) and Adults 18-49 (+13%).

"Grey's Anatomy" (8:00-9:00 p.m. - 8.4 million and 2.4/8 in AD18-49):
At 8:00 p.m., "Grey's Anatomy" held steady week to week and once again dominated its series competition in the hour, outpacing runner-up Fox's "Bones" by nearly 2.0 million viewers (8.4 million vs. 6.6 million) and by 41% in Adults 18-49 (2.4/8 vs. 1.7/6). "Grey's" continued to boost its new time period year to year (4.5 million and 1.2/4 for "Wonderland" on 10/17/13).

"Scandal" (9:00-10:00 p.m. - 9.9 million and 2.9/9 in AD18-49):
Building on its lead-in at 9:00 p.m., ABC's "Scandal" more than doubled the deliveries of Fox's drama "Gracepoint" (3.7 million and 0.8/2) and NBC's comedies ("Bad Judge"/"A to Z" = 4.0 million and 1.1/3). "Scandal" was up week to week in Total Viewers (+4%) and also outdrew its year-ago telecast (+4%).

"Scandal" built on the year-ago telecast of "Grey's" in THE HOUR (8.8 million and 2.7/8).

"How to Get Away with Murder" (10:00-11:00 p.m. - 9.8 million and 2.8/9 in AD18-49):
During the 10 o'clock hour, ABC's "How to Get Away with Murder" maintained triple-digit advantages over NBC's "Parenthood" in Total Viewers (+133% - 9.8 million vs. 4.2 million) and Adults 18-49 (+115% - 2.8/9 vs. 1.3/4).

"HTGAWM" once again outdrew the year-ago telecast of "Scandal" in THE HOUR (10/17/13 = 9.5 million).

Friday
For the 4th consecutive week this season, ABC ranked No. 1 on Friday in Adults 18-49 (1.4/5). Also for the 4th time in as many weeks, ABC's "Shark Tank" was Friday's highest-rated TV show in the key young adult sales demo (1.9/7).

"Last Man Standing" (8:00-8:31 p.m. - 6.8 million and 1.3/5 in AD18-49):
At 8:00 p.m., "Last Man Standing" was up week to week by 8% in Adults 18-49 (1.3/5 vs. 1.2/5) to tie a season high and rank as the top scripted show of the night on the major networks. The ABC comedy was also the most-watched TV show in its half-hour for the 3rd week running (6.8 million).

"Cristela" (8:31-9:00 p.m. - 6.0 million and 1.2/4 in AD18-49):
At 8:30 p.m., "Cristela" retained a strong 92% of its week-ago series debut in Adults 18-49 (1.2/4) and improved its half-hour by 20% over the same night last year (1.0/4 for "The Neighbors" on 10/18/13).

"Shark Tank" (9:00-10:01 p.m. - 7.3 million and 1.9/7 in AD18-49):
From 9:00-10:00 p.m., ABC's "Shark Tank" towered over its time period competitors in Adults 18-49 (1.9/7), winning by 58% over its nearest competition (CBS' "Hawaii Five-0" = 1.2/4).

Saturday
With coverage of the Notre Dame at Florida State game, ABC scored its strongest Saturday night in nearly 2 years in Total Viewers (12.7 million) and Adults 18-49 (3.9/14) - since 11/24/12 - and easily ranked as the night's No. 1 network.

Airing from 8:07 p.m.-12:05 a.m., ABC's "Saturday Night Football" was the evening's No. 1 TV program for its 6th consecutive telecast in Adults 18-49 (4.2/15) and was the night's most-watched program overall (13.3 million).

ABC's Saturday night game was the most-watched and highest-rated COLLEGE FOOTBALL game among Adults 18-49 on any night on any network this season.

More than doubling the year-ago game (5.7 million and 1.9/6 on 10/19/13) in Total Viewers (+133%) and Adults 18-49 (+121%), "Saturday Night Football" earned its best numbers since November 2012 in Viewers and young adults - since 11/24/12.

Sunday
Facing NBC's highly rated SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL (Denver-San Francisco) and another big primetime NFL overrun on Fox, ABC beat out its non-sports competition on CBS Sunday night by 14% in Adults 18-49 (1.6/5 vs. 1.4/4). ABC's "Once Upon a Time" continued to rank as Sunday's top broadcast drama in Adults 18-49.

The Network was up from the same Sunday last year for the 4th time in as many weeks this season in both Total Viewers (+5% - 5.9 million vs. 5.6 million) and Adults 18-49 (+14% - 1.6/4 vs. 1.4/4).

"America's Funniest Home Videos" (7:00-8:00 p.m. - 5.3 million and 1.1/3 in AD18-49):
During the 7:00 p.m. hour opposite Fox's huge NFL overrun, ABC's "America's Funniest Home Videos" jumped from its first to second half-hour by 39% in Total Viewers and by 63% in Adults 18-49. The show held even with its year-ago telecast (1.1/3 on 10/20/13) in Adults 18-49 and paced within 1-tenth week to week (1.1/3 vs. 1.2/4).

"Once Upon a Time" (8:00-9:00 p.m. - 8.1 million and 2.7/7 in AD18-49):
More than doubling its Adult 18-49 lead-in at 8:00 p.m. (+145%), ABC's "Once Upon a Time" beat CBS' "Madam Secretary" in THE HOUR by 80% (2.7/7 vs. 1.5/4). The ABC drama was up week to week in Total Viewers and held even in Adults 18-49.

For the 4th consecutive week, "Once Upon a Time" built from its year-ago telecast in Total Viewers (+14% - 8.1 million vs. 7.1 million) and Adults 18-49 (+29% - 2.7/7 vs. 2.1/5).

"Resurrection" (9:00-10:01 p.m. - 5.1 million and 1.4/4 in AD18-49):
From 9:00-10:00 p.m., ABC's "Resurrection" held steady week to week in Adults 18-49 (pacing within 1-tenth - 1.4/4 vs. 1.5/4) and tied CBS' competing drama "The Good Wife" in Adults 18-49 (1.4/4).

"Revenge" (10:01-11:00 p.m. - 5.0 million and 1.3/4 in AD18-49):
During the 10 o'clock hour, ABC's "Revenge" grew week to week in Total Viewers (+6% - 5.0 million vs. 4.7 million) and Adults 18-49 (+8% - 1.3/4 vs. 1.2/3). On average this season, "Revenge" spikes 69% via TV Playback among Adults 18-49 from L+SD to L+7 (growing from a 1.3 rating to a 2.2 rating).

"Revenge" continued to deliver strong time period improvement for ABC, boosting its hour year to year by 43% in Total Viewers (5.0 million vs. 3.5 million) and by 44% in Adults 18-49 (1.3/4 vs. 0.9/2).

WEEK NO. 04: ADULTS 18-49 TOTAL VIEWERS
No.1 NBC 2.6 No.1 CBS 10,500,000
No.2 ABC 2.1 No.2 NBC 8,900,000
No.2 CBS 2.1 No.3 ABC 7,930,000
No.4 FOX 1.6 No.4 FOX 4,650,000
No.5 CW 0.7 No.5 CW 1,870,000

Source: The Nielsen Company, National, Live+ Same Day Program Ratings for week of 10/13/14.

To post a comment, you must register and login.