Broadcast TV Premiere of Disney's FROZEN Draws Strong Numbers for ABC

Opposite a season-high SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL game on NBC (Cowboys-Giants), "The Walking Dead" finale on AMC and an NFL overrun-driven Fox, with "AFV," the broadcast TV premiere of Disney's "Frozen" and "The Making of Frozen" special, ABC dominated CBS' original lineup on the night by 63% in Adults 18-49 (1.3/4 vs. 0.8/3).

"America's Funniest Home Videos" (7:00-8:00 p.m. - 5.5 million and 1.0/3 in AD18-49):
At 7:00 p.m., "America's Funniest Home Videos" grew 4% week to week in Total Viewers (5.5 million vs. 5.3 million) and held even with Adults 18-49 (1.0/3).

"The Wonderful World of Disney: Frozen" (8:00-10:00 p.m. - 6.5 million and 1.7/5 in AD18-49): Shooting up from its lead-in and building from its first to second hour from 8:00-10:00 p.m. against the NFL game on NBC, ABC's broadcast television premiere of "Frozen" ranked as the No. 1 non-sports broadcast programming in the 2-hour time period with Adults 18-49 (1.7/5), beating CBS' "Dick Van Dyke" special and "Madam Secretary" (0.8/2) and Fox's NFL-led original animated comedies (1.5/5).

Trailing only the night of the "American Music Awards" in November (on 11/20/16), Disney's Academy Award-winning "Frozen" delivered ABC's 2nd-strongest numbers in the 2-hour slot this season with Total Viewers (6.5 million) and Adults 18-49 (1.7/5). Among Kids 2-11 (2.4/10), the Disney movie posted ABC's best entertainment number in the time period since THE ACADEMY AWARDS in February - since 2/28/16.

"Frozen" stands as the most watched feature film on all of broadcast TV since April 2015 and highest rated among Adults 18-49 since December 2014 - since 4/5/15 and 12/25/14. In addition, it was the top-rated theatrical broadcast among Kids 2-11 in 6 years - since 12/23/10.

"The Making of Frozen: A Return to Arendelle" (10:00-11:00 p.m. - 3.5 million and 0.9/3 in AD18-49):

At 10:00 p.m., ABC's "The Making of Frozen" special beat CBS' "Elementary" by 80% in Adults 18-49 during the hour (0.9/3 vs. 0.5/2).

A note about DVR penetration: DVR penetration in the Nielsen sample is currently at 49% 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.

Source: The Nielsen Company, Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Ratings, 12/11/16.

Photo credit: Disney|ABC

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