ABC's THE GOLDBERGS Up Year to Year to Highest-Rated Season Yet

ABC took second on Wednesday to FOX with the Fall finale of "Empire" in Adults 18-49 (1.7/5-tie), leading NBC by 13% (1.5/5). From 8:00-10:00 p.m., ABC's 2-hour comedy block (2.0/6) beat CBS by 11% (1.8/6) and NBC by 33% (1.5/5). Trailing only "Empire," the Net aired 4 of the Top 5 next-highest-rated shows on the night among young adults, with "Modern Family" (2.4/7), "The Middle" (2.1/7 - tied with CBS' "Survivor"), "The Goldbergs" (2.0/6) and "black-ish" (1.7/5).

"The Middle" (8:00-8:30 p.m. - 7.8 million and 2.1/7 in AD18-49):
At 8:00 p.m., ABC's The Middle ranked No. 1 in its half-hour in Adults 18-49 (2.1/7), beating CBS' "Survivor" in the slot by 5% (2.0/7). Opposite increased competition from NBC with its "Christmas in Rockefeller Center" special, "The Middle" held even with its last original telecast two weeks ago among Adults 18-49 to match its 2nd-highest rating this season. In addition, the broad-appealing ABC comedy shot up 18% among Teens 12-17 to a best-since-premiere rating - since 9/23/15. Season to date (Most Current ratings through 10 weeks), "The Middle" is up in Total Viewers (+3%) and Adults 18-49 (+4%).

"The Goldbergs" (8:30-9:00 p.m. - 6.5 million and 2.0/6 in AD18-49):
ABC's "The Goldbergs" finished second in its half-hour among Adults 18-49 (2.0/6), beating NBC's "Christmas in Rockefeller Center" by 25% (1.6/5) and Fox's "Rosewood" by 25% (1.6/5). Season to date, "The Goldbergs" is up over the comparable weeks last season in Adults 18-49 (+3%), tracking as its highest-rated season ever.

"Modern Family" (9:00-9:30 p.m. - 7.4 million and 2.4/7 in AD18-49):
At 9:00 p.m., ABC's "Modern Family" (2.4/7) built on its lead-in by 20% in Adults 18-49 to take second to "Empire" for the night. The ABC comedy dominated NBC's "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas" by 60% (1.5/4) and CBS' "Criminal Minds" by 50% (1.6/5) in the half-hour.

"black-ish" (9:30-10:00 p.m. - 5.5 million and 1.7/5 in AD18-49):
Like its lead-in, ABC's "black-ish" ranked second in its slot in Adults 18-49 (1.7/5), leading by double-digits over NBC's "SNL Christmas" (+21% - 1.4/4) and CBS' "Criminal Minds" (+13% - 1.5/4).

"Nashville" (10:00-11:00 p.m. - 4.2 million and 0.9/3 in AD18-49):
ABC's "Nashville" held steady with its most recent telecast in Adults 18-49 (0.9/3 vs. 1.0/4). On its previous telecast (11/18/15), "Nashville" matched the prior week's L+3 playback as its biggest of the season in Adults 18-49, with an +80% jump over its L+SD rating after just 3 days of TV playback.

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 12/2/15.

Image courtesy of ABC

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