ABC's MODERN FAMILY Grows and Ranks as Wednesday's No. 1 TV Show

ABC ranked No. 1 on Wednesday for the 3rd week running in Adults 18-49 (1.7/6 - tied w/CBS and Fox). In fact the Net finished No. 1 on the first 3 Wednesdays of the February sweep for the first time in 20 years - since February 1996. ABC's Wednesday lineup gained 6% week to week with young adults.

ABC's "Modern Family" (2.5/8) once again outdelivered Fox's "American Idol" (+19% - 2.1/7) and CBS' "Survivor" (+25% - 2.0/7) on the night to stand as Wednesday's No. 1 TV show for its 4th-consecutive original in Adults 18-49.

"The Middle"/"The Goldbergs" (8:00-9:00 p.m. - 6.8 million and 1.9/6 in AD18-49):
Steady week to week from 8:00-9:00 p.m., ABC's "The Middle" and "The Goldbergs" (1.9/6) ran neck-and-neck in the hour with CBS' "Survivor" (2.0/7) and Fox's "American Idol" (2.1/7) while outdelivering its nearest scripted competition by 90% (CW's "Arrow" and NBC's "The Mysteries of Laura" tied at a 1.0 rating).

"Modern Family"/"black-ish" (9:00-10:00 p.m. - 7.1 million and 2.2/7 in AD18-49):
ABC took first place in the 9:00 p.m. hour in Adults 18-49, with "Modern Family" and "black-ish" leading by 22% over its closest competition (2.2/7 vs. 1.8/6 - CBS' "Criminal Minds"). In addition, ABC's comedies towered over Fox's "Idol"-fueled "Hell's Kitchen" in the hour (+69% - 2.2/7 vs. 1.3/4).

At 9:00 p.m., "Modern Family" was up week to week in Total Viewers (+7%) and Adults 18-49 (+4%), drawing its largest overall audience in 5 weeks - since 1/13/16. In the 9:30 p.m. half-hour, "black-ish" grew week to week in Total Viewers (+9%) and Adults 18-49 (+6%), posting its best results since mid-January - since 1/6/16 and 1/13/16, respectively.

"American Crime" (10:00-11:00 p.m. - 3.5 million and 0.9/3 in AD18-49):
In the 10 o'clock hour, ABC's "American Crime" rose week to week in Live + Same Day Total Viewers (+9% - 3.5 million vs. 3.2 million) and Adults 18-49 (+13% - 0.9/3 vs. 0.8/3) to its biggest overall audience in 3 weeks - since 2/3/16. Increasing TV Playback: In the most recent round of L+7 data (w/o 2/1/16), the ABC drama nearly doubled (+88%) its L+SD Adult 18-49 rating (0.8 to 1.5 in L+7) to deliver an all-time playback high.

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 02/24/16.

Image courtesy of ABC

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