ABC's NASHVILLE Up Over May Finale

ABC won the opening Wednesday of the season in Adults 18-49 (2.8/8), leading by double digits over FOX by 12% (2.5/7), NBC by 17% (2.4/7) and CBS by 17% (2.4/7). ABC's "Modern Family" was the dominant No. 1 TV show of the night across all key Adult demos. In viewers (8.8 million) and young adults (2.8/8), ABC marked its strongest Wednesday since last October - since 10/10/12.

"The Middle" (8:00-8:30 p.m.)
Ranking No. 1 at 8:00 p.m. in Adults 18-49 (2.4/8-tie), the season opener of "The Middle" was up from its season finale in May by 20% (2.0/7 on 5/22/13). "The Middle" delivered its biggest audience since November (8.8 million) and top young adult number since January (2.4/8) - since 11/14/12 and 1/23/13, respectively.

"Back in the Game" (8:30-9:00 p.m.)
Delivering strong Adult 18-49 lead-in retention in the 8:30 p.m. half-hour (92% - Net's best comedy retention in The Half Hour since the 2011-12 season), ABC's debut of "Back in the Game" was up over the year-ago premiere of "The Neighbors" (10/3/12) in the slot by 25% in viewers (7.9 million vs. 6.3 million) and by 16% in Adults 18-49 (2.2/7 vs. 1.9/5) to deliver ABC's best series performance in the half-hour in 1 year - since the 1-hour season premiere of "The Middle" on 9/26/12. The new show ranked No. 1 in the slot with key Men (M18-34/M18-49).

"Modern Family" (9:00-10:00 p.m.)
ABC's "Modern Family" (4.1/11) nearly doubled its Adult 18-49 lead-in and dominated the 9 o'clock hour over the season premiere of CBS' "Criminal Minds" (+46% - 2.8/8), Fox's "The X Factor" (+58% - 2.6/7) and NBC's season premiere of "L&O: SVU" (+64% - 2.5/7). "Modern Family" grew over its May finale in viewers (+14%) and young adults (+11%), drawing its largest audience (11.4 million) since January and highest Adult 18-49 number since April - since 1/9/13 and 4/3/13, respectively. DVR: "Modern Family" was TV's most recorded and played-back show last season, gaining +4.5 million viewers and +2.2 Adult 18-49 rating points (+52%) from its first-reported Live + Same Day numbers to the finalized Live +7 numbers.

"Nashville" (10:00-11:00 p.m.)
During the 10 o'clock hour, ABC's "Nashville" tied CBS' "CSI" season premiere in Adults 18-49 (2.1/6). "Nashville" was up over its May finale by double digits in Total Viewers (+10%) and Adults 18-49 (+11%), earning its most-watched telecast (6.6 million) since October 17, 2012 and its highest young adult number since January 16, 2013. It was the series' 3rd-strongest performance ever. DVR: "Nashville" delivers huge gains via TV playback. During its freshman season, the show added +2.6 million additional viewers and +1.1 rating Adult 18-49 rating points (+61%) from L+SD to its final Live + 7 Day numbers, making it one of the top 15 biggest percentage gainers with young adults.

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