Season Finale of ABC's HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER Dominates Time Slot

During the week of February 23, 2015, ABC was No. 1 for the 2nd week in a row in Adults 18-49 (1.7/5-tie). In fact, the Net has finished No. 1 or No. 2 in the key sales demo for 5 straight weeks - starting with the w/o 1/26/15. ABC won Thursday for the 5th week in a row and was No. 1 on Friday for the 8th week running. The Net also took first place for the week across each of the key Women demos (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54).

Season to date, ABC is up 7% in Total Viewers (7.9 million vs. 7.4 million) and is the only broadcaster up in Adults 18-49 (+5% - 2.2/7 vs. 2.1/6). In the key young adult sales demo, CBS is even, NBC is down -13% and FOX is down -25% for the season.

Rankings: ABC delivered 7 of the week's Top 15 broadcast shows in Adults 18-49 (more than another net), placing 4 in the Top 10: "Modern Family" - No. 5, "How to Get Away with Murder" - No. 6, "The Bachelor" - No. 9, "The Goldbergs" - No. 10, while "black-ish," "Grey's Anatomy" and "Once Upon a Time" tied at No. 15.

Monday
Opposite NBC with the season premieres of "The Voice" and "Night Shift," ABC ranked a strong No. 2 on Monday in Adults 18-49 (2.3/7), leading CBS by 21% (1.9/5) and FOX by 28% (1.8/5). Despite the increased competition from NBC week to week, ABC was up in Adults 18-49 (+5%) to match a Monday season high and tie its best performance on the night in 10 months - since 4/28/14.

"The Bachelor" (8:00-10:01 p.m. - 9.0 million and 2.6/7 in AD18-49):
Opposite NBC's "The Voice" premiere from 8:00-10:01 p.m., ABC's "The Bachelor" held steady with the prior week's season high in Total Viewers (9.0 million vs. 9.0 million) and equaled its 2nd highest rating this season in Adults 18-49 (2.6/7 - just 1-tenth shy of a season high). "The Bachelor" was up from its year-ago telecast for the 3rd week running (8.2 million and 2.5/7 on 2/24/14) in both Total Viewers (+10%) and Adults 18-49 (+4%). Taking a hit against "The Bachelor," "The Voice" was down -12% in viewers and -13% in young adults from the same night last year.

Beating "The Voice" premiere, "The Bachelor" ranked Monday's No. 1 TV series for the 8th time in as many weeks this season with Women 18-34.

"Castle" (10:00-11:00 p.m. - 7.6 million and 1.6/5 in AD18-49):
At 10:00 p.m., ABC's "Castle" ranked No. 1 in its hour for the 2nd week in a row in Adults 18-49 (tied), beating NBC's "The Voice"-led premiere of "Night Shift" by 7% (1.5/4).

Tuesday
"Fresh Off the Boat" (8:00-8:30 p.m. - 5.7 million and 1.8/6 in AD18-49):
At 8:00 p.m. opposite the start of NBC's 2-hour "The Voice" premiere, ABC's "Fresh Off the Boat" held steady week to week in Adults 18-49 (1.8/6 vs. 1.9/6). In addition, the new comedy was up for the 2nd week in a row in Adults 18-34 (+9%), tied a series high in Teens 12-17 and set a new series high with Kids 2-11 (+50%).

The ABC freshman series was Tuesday's No. 1 comedy for the 3rd consecutive week in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49.

"Repeat After Me" (8:30-9:00 p.m. - 3.9 million and 1.3/4 in AD18-49):
At 8:30 p.m., ABC's "Repeat After Me" was on par with its week-ago series debut in Adults 18-49 (1.3/4 vs. 1.4/4) despite the increased competition, while growing from its premiere by 29% in Adults 18-34 and by 30% in Teens 12-17.

"Marvel's Agent Carter" (9:00-10:00 p.m. - 4.0 million and 1.3/4 in AD18-49):
At 9:00 p.m. against the final hour of "The Voice" opener, the season finale of ABC's "Marvel's Agent Carter" was even week to week among Adults 18-49 (1.3/4 vs. 1.4/4) and beat Fox's comedies in the hour ("New Girl"/"The Mindy Project" = 1.2/4)

On average during its run, "Marvel's Agent Carter" improved Tuesday's 9:00 p.m. hour for ABC by 2.0 million viewers (6.7 million vs. 4.7 million) and by 25% in Adults 18-49 (2.0/6 vs. 1.6/4) over the comparable weeks last year.

"Forever" (10:00-11:00 p.m. - 4.7 million and 1.0/3 in AD18-49):
Building on its lead-in at 10:00 p.m., ABC's "Forever" topped NBC's "The Voice"-led series finale of "Parks & Recreation" by 12% in Total Viewers (4.6 million vs. 4.2 million). The show was up over its most recent telecast two weeks ago in Total Viewers (+2%) to deliver a 6-week high - since 1/13/15.

On average season to date, the freshman drama is growing the Tuesday 10:00 p.m. hour by wide margins for ABC in Total Viewers (+74% - 7.3 million vs. 4.2 million) and Adults 18-49 (+80% - 1.8/6 vs. 1.0/3) over regular programming during the comparable weeks last season.

Wednesday
Rising 10% week to week, ABC finished a strong second on Wednesday in Adults 18-49 (2.2/7) to FOX with originals of "American Idol" and "Empire," outdelivering CBS' season premieres by 16% (1.9/6 for "Survivor"/"The Amazing Race") and NBC's original dramas by 47% (1.5/5). Gaining viewers (+5%) and young adults (+10%), the Net equaled an 8-week Wednesday high in Adults 18-49 - since 12/31/14.

Growing year to year in each half-hour of prime, ABC spiked over the year-ago final Wednesday of the February Sweep (5.9 million and 1.8/5 on 2/26/14) by 15% in Total Viewers and by 22% in Adults 18-49.

"The Middle" (8:00-8:30 p.m. - 7.5 million and 2.0/7 in AD18-49):
At 8:00 p.m. against "Idol," "The Middle" dominated its NBC scripted competition in Adults 18-49 (+43% over "The Mysteries of Laura" - 2.0/7 vs. 1.4/5) and paced not far behind CBS' season premiere of "Survivor" (2.4/8).

"The Middle" topped its year-ago telecast (7.0 million and 1.7/5) by 7% in Total Viewers and by 18% in Adults 18-49.

"The Goldbergs" (8:30-9:00 p.m. - 7.6 million and 2.5/8 in AD18-49):
Building on its lead-in by a best-ever 25% at 8:30 p.m. (and for the first time ever in Total Viewers), "The Goldbergs" was the scripted leader in Adults 18-49 (2.5/8) and beat out CBS' "Survivor" premiere in the half-hour by 4% (2.4/7).

Up week to week in Total Viewers (+12%) and Adults 18-49 (+14%), "The Goldbergs" equaled a season high with young adults to tie the series' 2nd-highest rating ever.

The ABC sophomore comedy boosted its slot from the year-ago night by wide margins ("Suburgatory" = 5.2 million and 1.4/4) in viewers (+46%) and young adults (+79%).

"Modern Family" (9:00-9:31 p.m. - 9.3 million and 3.4/10 in AD18-49):
At 9:00 p.m. opposite "Empire," ABC's "Modern Family" spiked over its lead-in by 36% in Adults 18-49 (3.4/10) to rank as the No. 2 TV show of the night.

"Modern Family" jumped week to week in viewers (+6%) and young adults (+10%) to match its best Adult 18-49 number in more than 3 months - since 11/19/14. In addition, with an episode shot entirely on iPhones, iPads and a MacBook Pro, "Modern" tied a best-since-premiere rating in Adults 18-34 (+39%)-since 9/24/14-and set a new season high with Teens 12-17 (+24%).

"Modern" was up from its year-ago telecast (8.5 million and 3.1/9) by 9% in Total Viewers and by 10% in Adults 18-49, and season to date is growing on both measures (+3%/+2%).

"black-ish" (9:31-10:00 p.m. - 6.6 million and 2.2/6 in AD18-49):
Despite facing increased competition in the 9:30 p.m. half-hour from "Empire," ABC's "black-ish" gained viewers week to week (+6% - 6.6 million vs. 6.4 million) and was even in Adults 18-49 (2.2/6) to match its highest young adult rating in over 2 months - since 12/10/14. The freshman ABC comedy earned second in the slot among young adults.

"black-ish" was up sharply from the year-ago debut of "Mixology" in the half-hour (5.0 million and 1.7/5 on 2/26/14) in Total Viewers (+32%) and Adults 18-49 (+29%).

"Nashville" (10:00-11:00 p.m. - 4.9 million and 1.3/4 in AD18-49):
Rising week to week at 10:00 p.m. in Total Viewers (+4%) and across all key Women demos (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54), ABC's "Nashville" ranked No. 1 in the 10 o'clock hour in Women 18-49 (1.9/5).

The ABC drama topped its year-ago telecast (4.8 million) by 2% in Total Viewers.

Thursday
Coming off its strong February Sweep victory on the night, ABC won its 5th straight Thursday in Adults 18-49 (2.6/8), leading runner-up CBS by 13% (2.3/7), 3rd-place FOX by 63% (1.6/5) and 4th-place NBC by 136% (1.1/4).

ABC's 2-hour season finale of "How to Get Away with Murder" and "Grey's Anatomy" finished as Thursday's Top 2 dramas in Adults 18-49. "Murder" was also the night's No. 2 TV show, behind only CBS' "The Big Bang Theory" (tied w/lead-out "The Odd Couple").

On average season to date, ABC's Thursday delivery is up by double digits in Total Viewers (+22%) and Adults 18-49 (+21%), marking a 5-year high in viewers and a 4-year high in young adults - since the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons, respectively.

"Grey's Anatomy" (8:00-9:00 p.m. - 7.6 million and 2.2/7 in AD18-49):
At 8:00 p.m. against "The Big Bang Theory" and "The Odd Couple," ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" tied Fox's "American Idol" in Adults 18-49 (2.2/7). Also in the hour, "Grey's" once again more than doubled NBC's "The Slap" in viewers (+105% - 7.6 million vs. 3.7 million) and more than tripled it in Adults 18-49 (+214% - 2.2/7 vs. 0.7/2).

"How to Get Away with Murder" (9:00-11:00 p.m. - 9.0 million and 2.8/9 in AD18-49):
Building on its lead-in at 9:00 p.m. and gaining from its first hour to second hour, ABC's season finale of "How to Get Away with Murder" dominated its 2-hour time period, leading its nearest competition (CBS) by 41% in Total Viewers (9.0 million vs. 6.4 million) and by 75% in Adults 18-49 (2.8/9 vs. 1.6/5). In fact in its regular 10 o'clock hour, the ABC freshman series beat its combined CBS and NBC competition for the 5th straight week in the key sales demo (+61% - 2.9/9 vs. 1.8/5).

Despite not having "Scandal" as a lead-in, "How to Get Away with Murder" was up for the 3rd week in Total Viewers (9.0 million vs. 8.9 million) and held steady in Adults 18-49 (2.8/9 vs. 2.9/9), marking its most-watched telecast since its mid-season return in January (on 1/29/15). The show was up week to week in the 10:00 p.m. hour with Adults 18-49 (2.9/9 vs. 2.8/9).

The season finale of "HTGAWM" was the most-social series on broadcast Thursday with 269,193 tweets, spiking 91% week to week. Overall, the show delivered 2.0 million tweets during its freshman season, making it ABC's 2nd-most-social series to "Scandal."

Friday
Despite airing a repeat "Shark Tank" at 9:00 p.m., ABC ranked No. 1 on Friday in Adults 18-49 (1.3/4-tie) for the 8th week running.

ABC claimed Friday's Top 3 TV shows in Adults 18-49, with "Last Man Standing" (1.4/5), "20/20" (1.3/4) and "Shark Tank" (1.3/4). "20/20" also finished as Friday's No. 1 newsmagazine with young adults, outdelivering NBC's "Dateline" 9:00-11:00 p.m. time-period premiere by 8%.

"Last Man Standing" (8:00-8:31 p.m. - 7.3 million and 1.4/5 in AD18-49): At 8:00 p.m., opposite the Friday premiere of CBS' "The Amazing Race," ABC's "Last Man Standing" was up week to week (+8% to a 7-week high - since 1/9/15) to rank No. 1 in its half-hour for its 6th straight original telecast in Adults 18-49 (1.4/5).

"Cristela" (8:31-9:00 p.m. - 5.7 million and 1.0/4 in AD18-49): At 8:30 p.m., ABC's "Cristela" was up week to week in Total Viewers (+12%) and Adults 18-49 (+11%). The ABC freshman comedy once again more than doubled the audience of Fox's "World's Funniest Fails" (5.7 million vs. 2.9 million) in the half-hour and led by 25% in Adults 18-49 (1.0/4 vs. 0.8/3).

"Shark Tank-R" (9:00-10:01 p.m. - 6.0 million and 1.3/4 in AD18-49): At 9:00 p.m., among Adults 18-49, ABC's repeat "Shark Tank" (1.3/4) outdelivered originals of CBS' "Hawaii Five-0" (1.2/4), NBC's "Dateline" (1.2/4) and Fox's "Glee" (0.6/2).

"20/20" (10:01-11:00 p.m. - 6.0 million and 1.3/4 in AD18-49): ABC's "20/20" ranked No. 1 in its hour for the 2nd week in a row among Adults 18-49 (1.3/4-tie). "20/20" featured Diane Sawyer's "Hidden America" special, "A Nation of Women Behind Bars."

Sunday
"Once Upon a Time" (8:00-9:00 p.m. - 6.7 million and 2.2/6 in AD18-49):
Jumping over its lead-in by 69% at 8:00 p.m., ABC's mid-season return of "Once Upon a Time" ranked No. 1 in the 8:00 p.m. hour in Adults 18-49 (2.2/6), beating Fox's comedies by 22% ("The Simpsons"/"Brooklyn 9-9" = 1.8/5) and CBS' return of "Madam Secretary" by 69% (1.3/4). Building by double digits from its December finale (5.7 million and 1.7/5 on 12/14/14) in Total Viewers (+16%) and Adults 18-49 (+29%), "Once Upon a Time" marked its strongest results since mid-November - since 11/16/14.

"Secrets & Lies" (9:00-11:00 p.m. - 6.1 million and 1.5/4 in AD18-49):
From 9:00-11:00 p.m., "Secrets & Lies" debuted with ABC's biggest series audience (5.9 million) in the time period since season-premiere Sunday and its top young adult number (1.5/4) in more than 3 months - since 9/28/14 and 11/16/14, respectively. In its regular 9:00-10:00 p.m. slot, the new ABC show topped the January finale of "Resurrection" (3.7 million and 1.0/3 on 1/25/15) by 59% in Total Viewers and by 50% in Adults 18-49. The freshman drama gained 5% in viewers from its first hour to its second hour of its premiere telecast, while holding steady with young adults.

The top drama opener of the night, ABC's "Secrets & Lies" beat CBS' debut of "Battle Creek" (1.0/3 from 10:00-11:00 p.m.) by 50% in Adults 18-49. ABC's "Secrets & Lies" was also higher rated than CBS' other dramas on the night, outdelivering "Madam Secretary" by 15% (1.3/4 from 8:00-9:00 p.m.) and "The Good Wife" by 36% (1.1/3 from 9:00-10:00 p.m.).

WEEK NO. 23: ADULTS 18-49 TOTAL VIEWERS
No.1 ABC 1.7 No.1 CBS 9,197,000
No.1 FOX 1.7 No.2 NBC 6,440,000
No.3 CBS 1.6 No.3 ABC 6,080,000
No.3 NBC 1.6 No.4 FOX 5,020,000
No.5 CW 0.4 No.5 CW 1,290,000

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