ABC's 'HTGAWM' Finale Ties Its Season High and Is Up Year to Year in Adults 18-49

ABC Thursday Prime (8:00-11:00 p.m. - 5.8 million and 1.6/6 in AD18-49): With "Grey's Anatomy" into the 2-hour season closer of "HTGAWM," ABC won its 5th consecutive Thursday since the return of TGIT among Adults 18-49 (1.6/6), beating CBS by 14% (1.4/5), NBC by 78% (0.9/3) and FOX by 78% (0.9/3). Coming on the heels of its 2nd Nielsen week Adult 18-49 victory in the last 4 weeks (w/o 2/13/17 and 1/23/17), ABC also just tallied its 3rd straight week as the No. 1 network on each Monday, Wednesday and Thursday.

"Grey's Anatomy" (8:00-9:00 p.m. - 7.6 million and 2.0/8 in AD18-49): At 8:00 p.m., "Grey's" nearly tied CBS' comedies for No. 1 in the hour with Adults 18-49 (2.0/8 vs. 2.1/8 for "Big Bang Theory"/"Great Indoors"). "Grey's" was the night's No. 2 TV show in Adults 18-49 to CBS' top-rated "The Big Bang Theory" and once again ranked as the night's No. 1 show with Adults 18-34 (1.4/7-tie).

"How to Get Away with Murder" (9:00-11:00 p.m. - 5.0 million and 1.5/5 in AD18-49): Dominating from 9:00-11:00 p.m., "How to Get Away with Murder" led its 2-hour slot by 50% over its nearest competition in Adults 18-49 (1.5/5 vs. 1.0/4 - CBS). In addition from 10:00-11:00 p.m., the ABC drama outperformed NBC's series debut of "The Blacklist: Redemption" by 75% with young adults (1.4/5 vs. 0.8/3) and was the most watched TV program overall in the final hour of primetime.

Building over the prior week in Total Viewers (+6%) and Adults 18-49 (+15%), "How to Get Away with Murder" equaled its season high with young adults. In addition, "HTGAWM" gained 7% from its last season finale in Adults 18-49 (1.4/5 on 3/17/16).

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 2/23/17.

Photo credit: ABC/ Richard Cartwright

To post a comment, you must register and login.