Season Finale of ABC's HTGAWM Dominates 2-Hour Slot

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 18% (2.2/7), 3rd-place FOX by 73% (1.5/5) 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. - 7.5 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" beat Fox's "American Idol" for the 2nd week in a row in Adults 18-49 (+5% - 2.2/7 vs. 2.1/7). Also in the hour, "Grey's" once again more than doubled NBC's "The Slap" in viewers (+108% - 7.5 million vs. 3.6 million) and more than tripled it in Adults 18-49 (+214% - 2.2/7 vs. 0.7/2).

"How to Get Away with Murder" (10:00-11:00 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 43% in Total Viewers (9.0 million vs. 6.3 million) and by 87% in Adults 18-49 (2.8/9 vs. 1.5/5). 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. 1.8/6).

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 with last week's Fast Affiliate Adult 18-49 number (2.8/9), marking its most-watched telecast since its mid-season return in January - since 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 - Fast Affiliate vs. Fast Affiliate).

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."

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.

Projections Rationale:
Lifts vs. L+SD are based on the 2014-15 season for premiere telecast or an average 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, 02/26/15.

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