ABC's "Middle" and "Modern" Post Series Highs/"Revenge" Opens at #1 in Adults 18-49

Some top line points for ABC on season-premiere Wednesday

· Opposite Fox's The X Factor debut, ABC's The Middle and Modern Family each hit series highs with young adults.

· Modern Family stood as Wednesday's #1 TV show in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, pacing well ahead of The X Factor.

· ABC's Revenge opened at #1 in Adults 18-49 at 10pm, beating the premieres of CBS' CSI and NBC's L&O: SVU. Revenge qualifies as ABC's best debut in the time period in 4 years - since 9/26/07.

...more to come.

ABC Scores its Top Season Premiere Wednesday since 2007

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

In an early season upset, ABC ranked #1 in Adults 18-49 from 8-10pm against the hugely-promoted debut of The X Factor, beating Fox's 2-hour Wednesday prime by 7% in Adults 18-49.

· ABC's numbers jumped over the year-ago season-premiere Wednesday in viewers (+44%) and young adults (+46%). In fact on both counts, it was ABC's top season-premiere Wednesday since 2007.

Opposite the opening hour of The X Factor from 8-9pm, ABC's third-season 1-hour premiere of The Middle equaled a series high among Adults 18-49. The ABC comedy also marked series bests with AD18-34, AD25-54, all Women and Teens 12-17. Building over its year-ago premiere by in viewers (+9%) and young adults (+11%), The Middle bettered the prior year's season opener for the 2nd year in a row.

· Despite facing stiff competition in the hour from The X Factor and CBS' Survivor, The Middle generated ABC's best Adult 18-49 number with regular scripted programming in the 1-hour time period since November 2007 - since 11/14/07.

Soaring to the top of its 9pm slot to dominate the second hour of Fox's The X Factor with Total Viewers (+13%) and Adults 18-49 (+36%), ABC's Emmy-Award winning Modern Family opened its third season at series highs and stood as Wednesday's definitive #1 TV show. Similarly to The Middle, Modern Family grew over the previous year's premiere for the 2nd straight year. The ABC comedy surpassed its prior series highs by 8% in Total Viewers and by 18% in Adults 18-49.

· Among Adults 18-49, Modern Family stood as ABC's top-rated season premiere in 6 years - since 9/21/05.

Opposite the season premieres of veteran dramas on both CBS (CSI) and NBC (Law & Order: SVU) in the 10 o'clock hour, ABC's series debut of Revenge opened at #1 among Adults 18-49. The new ABC drama also led its time period with Adults 18-34, Adults 25-54 and across all key Women demos (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54).

· Topping ABC's last 6 drama debuts in the time period, Revenge stood as the Net's highest-rated series premiere in Wednesday's 10 o'clock hour in 4 years among Adults 18-49 - since 9/26/07. Revenge greatly improved the time period year to year for ABC, outperforming the year-ago debut of The Whole Truth in the hour by 110% in Total Viewers and by 127% in Adults 18-49.

Quick Take for Wednesday, September 21, 2011 (Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Ratings)

ABC Marks its Best Season-Opening Wednesday Since 2007 in Adults 18-49

Posting Series Highs Against the Series Debut of "The X Factor," ABC's "The Middle" Generates its 2nd Straight Year of Premiere-to-Premiere Gains

Wednesday's No. 1 TV Show, ABC's "Modern Family" Opens at New Highs, Posting the Net's Top Rating in the Hour Since '06 with the Fall Finale of "Lost"

The Season's No. 1 New Drama in Adults 18-49, ABC's "Revenge" Wins Its 10pm Time Slot with the Net's Top Series Debut in the Hour in 4 Years

Tuesday Night (8:00-11:00 p.m.)

In an early season upset, ABC ranked No. 1 in Adults 18-49 from 8:00-10:00 p.m. against the hugely-promoted debut of "The X Factor," beating Fox's 2-hour Wednesday prime by 7% in Adults 18-49 (4.5/12 vs. 4.2/12).

· ABC's numbers jumped over the year-ago season-premiere Wednesday in viewers (+44% - 11.4 million vs. 7.9 million) and young adults (+46% - 4.1/11 vs. 2.8/8). In fact with young adults, it was ABC's top-rated season-premiere Wednesday since 2007.

"The Middle" (8:00-9:00 p.m.)

Opposite the opening hour of "The X Factor" from 8:00-9:00 p.m., ABC's third-season 1-hour premiere of "The Middle" equaled a series high in Adults 18-49 (3.0/9). The ABC comedy also marked series bests with Adults 18-34, Adults 25-54, all key Women and Teens 12-17. Building over its year-ago premiere in viewers (+9% - 9.6 million vs. 8.8 million) and young adults (+11% - 3.0/9 vs. 2.7/9), "The Middle" bettered the prior year's season opener for the 2nd year in a row.

· Despite facing stiff competition in the hour from "The X Factor" and CBS' "Survivor," "The Middle" generated ABC's best Adult 18-49 number with regular scripted programming in the 1-hour time period since November 2007 - since 11/14/07.

"Modern Family" (9:00-10:00 p.m.)

Soaring to the top of its 9:00 p.m. slot to dominate the second hour of Fox's "The X Factor" with Total Viewers (+13% - 14.3 million vs. 12.6 million) and Adults 18-49 (+36% - 6.0/15 vs. 4.4/11), ABC's Emmy-Award winning "Modern Family" opened its third season at series highs and stood as Wednesday's definitive No. 1 TV show. Similarly to "The Middle," "Modern Family" grew over the previous year's premiere for the 2nd straight year. The ABC comedy surpassed its prior series highs (13.2 million and 5.1/14) by 8% in Total Viewers and by 18% in Adults 18-49.

· "Modern Family" produced ABC's best Adult 18-49 number in the 1-hour time period since November 2006 - since 11/8/06 with the Fall finale of "Lost."

"Revenge" (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

Opposite the season premieres of veteran dramas on both CBS ("CSI") and NBC ("Law & Order: SVU") in the 10 o'clock hour, ABC's series debut of "Revenge" opened at No. 1 among Adults 18-49 (3.4/9). The new ABC drama also led its time period with Adults 18-34, Adults 25-54 and across all key Women demos (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54).

· "Revenge" stands as the season's No. 1 new drama series in Adults 18-49, topping CBS' Tuesday debut of "Unforgettable" by 17% (2.9/8) and NBC's Monday debut of "Playboy Club" by 113% (1.6/4).

· Topping ABC's last 6 drama debuts in the time period, "Revenge" stood as the Net's highest-rated series premiere in Wednesday's 10 o'clock hour in 4 years among Adults 18-49 - since 9/26/07. "Revenge" greatly improved the time period year to year for ABC, more than doubling the year-ago debut of "The Whole Truth" in the hour by 106% in Total Viewers (10.1 million vs. 4.9 million) and by 127% in Adults 18-49 (3.4/9 vs. 1.5/4).

A note about increasing DVR penetration and year-to-year rating comparisons: Year-to-year rating comparisons based on the Live + Same Day data stream are distorted by the level of DVR penetration in the Nielsen sample, which has jumped up to 42% currently, from 38% at the same point in 2010. More viewers are watching shows on their own timetables, which may not be reflected in the overnight next day numbers. The only truly valid year-to-year comparison would be one based on the Live + 7 Day metric, once those stats are released by Nielsen.

Source: The Nielsen Company (Fast Affiliate, Live + Same Day Ratings), 9/21/11.