"Happy Endings" Scores ABC's Top Adult 18-34 Number at 10pm in Over 1-1/2 Years

Some early info on ABC's Wednesday, ahead of the regular press release.

Up against Fox with a 90-minute Idol into Week 2 of the comedy Breaking In on Wednesday night, ABC ranked #2 in Adults 18-34, beating CBS' all-original line up by 11%.

· ABC was up over the same Wednesday last year in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, which was a night with an identical mix of original and repeat programming (5 of 6 half-hours). In fact the Net built its overall Wednesday audience year over year for the 15th time in the last 17 weeks.

· The Net equaled a 9-week Wednesday high among Adults 18-49 - since 2/9/11.

On its first original telecast in 3 weeks, against the first hour of Fox's American Idol and CBS' Survivor: Redemption Island, ABC's The Middle soared over NBC's original Minute To Win It, doubling the NBC game show's Adult 18-49 delivery.

In its first broadcast since the beginning of March (3/2/11), ABC's Better With You also bested NBC's Minute To Win It by wide margins, leading the NBC gamer by 1.0 million viewers and by 36% in Adults 18-49

On its first original airing in 3 weeks up against the third half-hour of Idol at 9pm, ABC's Modern Family ran a strong #2 in its slot with Adults 18-49, beating out CBS' Criminal Minds by 19% and finishing as Wednesday's #1 scripted TV show for its 19th straight first-run broadcast this season.

· Modern Family built on its year-ago night performance in both Total Viewers and Adults 18-49.

In the 9:30pm half-hour, ABC's special premiere of Happy Endings ran in a near-tie with Week 2 of Fox's Idol-fueled Breaking In among Adults 18-49 (pacing within 1-tenth of a rating point and even in audience share), while ranking #1 in the time period with Adults 18-34 and Men 18-34. In fact ABC's Happy Endings beat out Fox's Breaking In by 19% with Adults 18-34 and by 31% in Men 18-34.

· In Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, ABC's Happy Endings posted the Net's best numbers in the half-hour since the beginning of February - since 2/9/11.

· The new comedy also improved the time period from the same night last year in Total Viewers (+26%) and Adults 18-49 (+8%).

At 10pm in its regular time period, a second episode of ABC's Happy Endings ranked #1 in Adults 18-34, beating CBS' original Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior by 25%. The ABC freshman comedy also led the CBS freshman drama with Men 18-34 and Women 18-34, by 60% and 14%, respectively.

· Happy Endings generated ABC's top Adult 18-49 number in the half-hour in 13 weeks and its highest Adult 18-34 number with regular programming in more than 1-1/2 years - since 1/12/11 and 9/30/09, respectively.

· The freshman comedy also produced big year-over-year gains for ABC in the half-hour in Adults 18-49 (+35%), up sharply over original drama programming on the same night last year.