WABC-TV is Most-Watched In New York and the Nation in 2016

WABC-TV, Channel 7, the ABC-owned television station in New York, continues to be the most watched station in the nation's largest media market. Finishing 2016 with a 3.1 rating/8 share in DMA Households from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. Monday-Sunday, WABC-TV extends its run of dominance in the tri-state area. The station's average quarter-hour audience of 290 thousand viewers all year long is greater than last year and has grown for the second straight year, as Channel 7 continues to attract a larger audience than any other television station in the nation. WABC also leads the market among local broadcast pages in Facebook Likes, Twitter followers and Instagram followers.

WABC-TV's signature "Eyewitness News" franchise was the dominant broadcast news source in 2016 for the New York market. The "Eyewitness News" team offered hours of special coverage of the historic Presidential race featuring two New Yorkers, with live reports from the campaign trail, conventions and debates. On November 8th, WABC-TV was the most-watched local station as the nation learned who won the presidential race. ABC's coverage made Channel 7 the most-watched station from 8:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m., when Donald Trump made his victory speech. From 12:00 a.m. until 3:00 a.m. alone, when the election night drama peaked, more Adult 25-54 viewers watched WABC-TV than its next two closest competitors combined.

Reflecting New York's status as a world city where even international events have a local connection, Eyewitness News travelled to Orlando in the aftermath of the Pulse nightclub massacre, to Dallas for coverage of the police shootings, and Brussels to report on the terrorist attacks. Back in the tri-state, WABC-TV's consumer unit, 7 on Your Side, helped recover more than $1.5 million for local viewers - a record-high total and its third consecutive year over the million-dollar mark.

For the fourth year in a row, WABC-TV brought viewers nearly eight hours of exclusive live coverage of the city's biggest local sporting event: the 2016 TCS New York City Marathon. Channel 7's coverage reached more than 1.2 million viewers locally while ESPN2 provided live coverage to the rest of the country. The marathon also had 167 thousand live stream starts on abc7ny.com. The station's pre-race coverage throughout marathon weekend attracted more viewers than last year and was most watched in all time periods. WABC-TV's coverage also reached scores of thousands of people via social media with social posts from around the world, making it a truly global success.

WABC-TV was also the leader for local non-news programming, adding more to its schedule this year. In June, Channel 7 provided four hours of live coverage of the National Puerto Rican Day Parade from 5th Avenue, attracting an average of 195 thousand viewers. The New York International Auto Show made Channel 7 its first-ever, exclusive broadcast partner with a live program from the Javits Center opening Saturday from 7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. The inaugural program attracted 248 thousand viewers.

Source: NY Nielsen LPM Live+SD Overnights 1/1/14-12/29/16; Instagram; Facebook Insights, Twitter.

While success with introducing new local programs was notable, it is the station's day-to-day line-up that makes it most-watched. The WABC-produced, and nationally syndicated, morning favorite "LIVE with Kelly" saw a year of change but one thing remains constant- its ratings success. The show finishes 2016 as the winner in New York among DMA Households, Women 18-49 and Women 25-54. Since Michael Strahan left "LIVE" for "Good Morning America" in May, Kelly has invited 60 different co-hosts to share the desk, as the search for a permanent replacement continues. The show's annual post-Oscars telecast from the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles was a huge ratings success, and its annual Halloween show in October delivered more viewers nationally than many prime-time shows. "LIVE with Kelly" is the 2nd most watched daytime talk show in the country despite airing in an earlier time period than most of its competitors.

The station's local news success begins on "Eyewitness News This Morning," with Lori Stokes, Ken Rosato, Bill Evans, and Heather O'Rourke. From 4:30 a.m. - 5:00 a.m., Channel 7 attracts at least 50% more DMA Households than any local news competitor and also leads among Adults 25-54. In the 5:00 a.m. - 6:00 a.m. hour, "Eyewitness News" holds a 73% lead among DMA Households and a 60% advantage among Adults 25-54. From 6:00 a.m. - 7:00 a.m., "Eyewitness News" is also #1 in the market with a 68% advantage among DMA Households and leads among Adults 25-54.

"Eyewitness News at Noon," with David Novarro, Shirleen Allicot and Bill Evans, had a strong year. The only hour-long midday newscast in the market ranks #1 with a 44% lead among DMA Households and boasts year-to-year growth in that area. The station's midday news also ranks #1 in Adults 25-54 with a 67% advantage. In both DMA Households and Adults 25-54, "Eyewitness News at Noon" has a larger margin of victory over its closest competitor than a year ago.

"Eyewitness News First at 4," with Liz Cho, David Novarro and Lee Goldberg, attracts more than twice as many DMA Households as its local news competitor at 4:00 p.m. and also doubles its competitor among Adults 25-54. "Eyewitness News First at 4" also tops many of its 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. competitors among Adults 25-54 despite airing earlier.

WABC-TV's "Eyewitness News at 5," with Diana Williams, Sade Baderinwa and Lee Goldberg, wins its time period among DMA Households and Adults 25-54 for the year. The weekday edition of "Eyewitness News at 6," with Bill Ritter, Liz Cho, Lee Goldberg and new sports anchor Ryan Field, delivers a DMA Household rating that is 65% higher than its closest competitor which is a larger margin of victory than last year. The show also maintains a 56% lead among Adults 25-54.

The weeknight edition of "Eyewitness News at 11," featuring Bill Ritter, Sade Baderinwa, Lee Goldberg and Ryan Field, completes the total victory for "Eyewitness News" in 2016. WABC-TV wins the late news race among DMA Households and Adults 25-54.

New York's number one news is equally strong on weekends throughout the calendar year. The weekend morning edition of "Eyewitness News This Morning," with Michelle Charlesworth, Rob Nelson, and Amy Freeze, ranks #1 in DMA Households and Adults 25-54 in 2016 while offering more local weekend morning news than any other station in the market. On weekend nights, "Eyewitness News at 11," a one-hour newscast featuring Joe Torres, Sandra Bookman, Jeff Smith and Laura Behnke, is #1 in DMA Households and Adults 25-54.

Source: NY Nielsen LPM Live+SD Overnights 1/1/15-12/29/16.

ABC News also continues to perform well on Channel 7. ABC's "Good Morning America" remains the top choice in the time period for tri-state area viewers. The program ranked #1 for the year among DMA Households, Adults 25-54 and Women 25-54, while boasting year-to-year growth in all three areas. In the evening, ABC's "World News Tonight with David Muir" holds a 79% lead over its closest competitor in DMA Households and has an 89% edge among Adults 25-54.

ABC's other weekday programs also continue to thrive on Channel 7. On weekday mornings, ABC staples "The View" and "The Chew" continue to win their respective time periods among DMA Households and Women 25-54. ABC's "General Hospital" continues to lead its time period competition in DMA Households and key demographics. In Late Fringe, "Jimmy Kimmel Live" performs well and generate buzz with successful viral videos. ABC's veteran "Nightline" remains a strong entry at 12:30 a.m., winning the time period in DMA Households.

WABC-TV's Syndicated programs "Jeopardy!" and "Wheel of Fortune" continue to be #1 in Prime Access in DMA Households and most key demographics. From 7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m., "Jeopardy" and "Wheel of Fortune" attract more DMA Households than the next four closest competing stations combined. The longtime audience favorites also maintain hefty leads among Adults 25-54.

In Primetime, ABC successfully introduced "Designated Survivor," "American Housewife" and "Speechless" to a line-up already packed with successful shows that includes "How to Get Away with Murder," "Black-ish," "Scandal," "Modern Family," "The Middle," "The Goldbergs," "Grey's Anatomy," "Dancing with the Stars" and "Shark Tank."

In addition to the Auto Show and Puerto Rican Day Parade, Channel 7 also maintains its strong ties to the local community with annual broadcasts. The Columbus Day Parade, United Airlines NYC Half Marathon, Operation 7 Save-A-Life fire safety campaign, Above & Beyond: Hometown Heroes, Breast Cancer Awareness, Black History Month, Hispanic Heritage Month, two editions of Broadway Backstage, coverage of the Bethpage Air Show at Jones Beach, the annual New York Holiday special, Cancer Innovations, Protect Our Children, and Connected 4 Life are all important in helping fulfill Channel 7's mission to reflect the diverse community it serves.

2016 was a pivotal year for the station as it continues to evolve news content to be "digital-first" with more digital-only and digital-exclusive offerings that ever before. This helped solidify WABC as the market leader in the mobile-digital and social spaces. Its abc7NY.com web site and the ABC7NY app have more combined unique users each month than the station's broadcast competitors. WABC is also strongest in user engagement with 19.8 minutes per visit, a substantial 57% higher than the next closest local television competitor. In total, WABC-TV's digital properties deliver 30 million page views each month to millions of viewers.

On social platforms, the station leads its competitors with more likes and followers on the major social networks. Its main Facebook page has 1.7 million likes, on Twitter its main feed has 473 thousand, and more than 107 thousand followers on Instagram. In addition to the main pages, individual anchor and reporter social accounts engage thousands of viewers each day in the country's largest market.

Source: NY Nielsen LPM Live+SD Overnights 1/1/15-12/29/16; comScore, Omniture, Facebook Insights, Twitter.

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