ABC's SCANDAL Gains Viewers Week to Week & Dominates Time Slot in Adults 18-49

Up against CBS' season premiere of its new Thursday lineup, ABC ranked No. 1 on the night in Adults 18-49 (2.1/7), tying CBS (2.1/7) and beating NBC by 91% (1.1/4) and FOX by 110% (1.0/3). The Net was No. 1 in 5 of 6 half-hours of the night. It was ABC's 2nd-consecutive night to rank No. 1 in Adults 18-49, after winning Wednesday with "The CMA Awards."

ABC's "Grey's" (2.3/8), "Scandal" (2.3/7) and "How to Get Away with Murder" (1.9/6) ranked as Thursday's Top 3 dramas in Adults 18-49 (pacing well ahead of CBS' "Elementary" premiere, NBC's "Heroes Reborn"/"The Blacklist"/"The Player" and Fox's "Bones"/"Sleepy Hollow"). In fact, "Greys" and "Scandal" trailed only CBS' "The Big Bang Theory" on the night in Adults 18-49.

ABC's Thursday was up by double digits week to week in Total Viewers (+12%) and Adults 18-49 (+11%).

"Grey's Anatomy" (8:00-9:00 p.m. - 8.5 million and 2.3/8 in AD18-49):
At 8:00 p.m. against CBS' Thursday premieres of "Big Bang" and "Life in Pieces," ABC's "Grey's" returned from the prior week's preemption to rank a strong second in the hour with Total Viewers (8.5 million) and Adults 18-49 (2.3/8), dominating Fox's "Bones" (5.3 million and 1.2/4) and NBC's "Heroes Reborn" (4.0 million and 1.3/4). The ABC drama built by 9% at 8:30 p.m. in Adults 18-49 to move ahead of CBS' "Life in Pieces" in the half-hour (2.4/8 vs. 2.3/8).

"Scandal" (9:00-10:00 p.m. - 8.0 million and 2.3/7 in AD18-49):
"Scandal" won the 9:00 p.m. hour with Adults 18-49 (2.3/7), beating out CBS' comedies by 21% (1.9/6 - "Mom" premiere/"Big Bang"-R), NBC's "The Blacklist" by 64% (1.4/4) and Fox's "Sleepy Hollow" by 156% (0.9/3) in Adults 18-49. "Scandal" was up week to week in viewers (+4%) and held even in Adults 18-49.

"How to Get Away with Murder" (10:00-11:00 p.m. - 6.5 million and 1.9/6 in AD18-49):
At 10:00 p.m., ABC's "How to Get Away with Murder" won its hour by 27% over CBS' "Elementary" premiere in Adults 18-49 (1.9/6 vs. 1.5/5) and defeated NBC's "The Player" for the 7th week in a row (+171% - 0.7/3). "Murder" grew week to week in Total Viewers (+3%) and Adults 18-49 (+6%).

Live + 3 for Last Week: Last week's "How to Get Away with Murder" scored the show's biggest-ever L+3 playback increase among Adults 18-49, with a +83% jump over its L+SD rating (+1.5 rating points). "HTGAWM" grew to a 3.3 Adult 18-49 rating in the L+3 numbers to match its week-earlier rating (after being down 2-tenths week to week in L+SD).

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 measure to gauge the size of the TV audience.

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.

Source: The Nielsen Company, Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Ratings, 11/05/15.

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