ABC's SCANDAL Gains Adults 18-49; Draws a 6-Week High in Total Viewers

From 8:00-9:00 p.m., ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" overshadowed its drama competition among Adults 18-49 (1.9/7), continuing to more than double Fox's "Bones" (+138% - 0.8/3). The ABC drama moved up into the No. 1 position at 8:30 p.m. and beat out CBS' "Big Bang"-driven "The Odd Couple" by 11% (2.0/7 vs.1.8/6). "Grey's" was steady week to week in Total Viewers in Adults 18-49.

"Scandal" (9:00-10:00 p.m. - 6.3 million and 1.6/5 in AD18-49): In the 9 o'clock hour, ABC's "Scandal" increased its winning advantage week to week over NBC's "The Blacklist" to 33% in Adults 18-49 (1.6/5 vs. 1.2/4) and outdelivered Fox's "American Grit" by 129% (0.7/2). The ABC drama was the No. 1 series in the hour with Adults 18-34 and all key Women (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54). "Scandal" was up week to week in Total Viewers (+5%) and Adults 18-49 (+7%), marking its most watched telecast overall in 6 weeks - since 3/17/16.

"The Catch" (10:00-11:00 p.m. - 4.6 million and 1.0/3 in AD18-49): At 10:00 p.m., ABC's "The Catch" ranked No. 1 in Adults 18-49 (1.0/3) over its drama competition on CBS (+11% over "Rush Hour" = 0.9/3) and NBC (best-yet +43% over "Game of Silence" = 0.7/2). The ABC freshman drama built week to week by 11% in Adults 18-49.

Live + 3 Day Ratings for Last Thursday (4/21/16): With a 56% spike, "The Catch" was the biggest gainer at 10:00 p.m. on broadcast in Adults 18-49, posting much larger lifts from L+SD to L+3 than CBS' "Rush Hour" (+10%) and NBC's "Game of Silence" (+43%).

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 4/28/16, unless otherwise specified.

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