ABC's "Modern Family" Tops "Idol" as Wednesday's #1 Show in Adults 18-34

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

Returning to originals for the first time in 3 weeks, ABC delivered a strong 2nd-place finish on Wednesday to an Idol-driven Fox in Adults 18-49, beating out third-place CBS by 29% and fourth-place NBC by 94%.

· ABC's Modern Family stood as the clear #1 scripted program on Wednesday night with Adults 18-49. Additionally, the ABC comedy outdelivered American Idol to qualify as the night's #1 TV show overall in Adults 18-34, key Men (M18-34/M18-49) and Women 18-34.

· In viewers and young adults, ABC marked its strongest Wednesday since the beginning of January - since 1/4/12.

At 8pm, ABC's The Middle earned second to American Idol, more than doubling the audience of its NBC comedy competition (Whitney) and leading by 73% with Adults 18-49. It was the Middle's biggest winning advantage yet over NBC's Whitney.

· The Middle was up over its most-recent original in Total Viewers (+5%) and Adults 18-49 (+4%). In fact, the show equaled its best-ever performance against an installment of Idol in Adults 18-49.

Like its lead-in, ABC's Suburgatory beat out its non-Idol competition at 8:30pm by wide margins and crushed its freshman comedy competition on NBC (Are You There, Chelsea?) with viewers (+97%) and young adults (+67%). In fact, Suburgatory posted its best-ever winning margins over NBC's Are You There, Chelsea?

· Suburgatory lifted its time period for ABC over the year-ago Wednesday against Idol by 7% in Total Viewers and by 19% in Adults 18-49.

Wednesday's #1 scripted TV program among Adults 18-49, ABC's Modern Family more than doubled its lead-in at 9pm to dominate its slot by 72% over its closest competition (Criminal Minds and Mobbed tied).

· Up over its last original in viewers (+8%) and young adults (+8%), ABC's Modern Family registered its top numbers since the beginning of the year - since 1/4/12. In addition, the ABC comedy scored its highest rating in nearly 3 months with Women 18-34 - 11/16/11.

During the 9:30pm half-hour, ABC's Happy Endings ran a strong second in Adults 18-49, beating out Fox's Idol-fueled Mobbed. In addition, Happy Endings won its time slot in Adults 18-34 and Women 18-34.

· ABC's Happy Endings built on its last first-run telecast in viewers (+14%) and young adults (+3%), pulling its top numbers since the beginning of the year - since 1/4/12. In addition, the ABC sophomore comedy hit its best number since mid-November with Men 18-49 - since 11/16/11.

From 10-11pm, ABC freshman drama Revenge ran a strong second in its hour, beating NBC's L&O: SVU by double digits in Total Viewers (+13%) and Adults 18-49 (+14%). In addition, the ABC drama ranked #1 in the hour with Adults 18-34 and across all key Women (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54).

· ABC's Revenge matched a 12-week high in Adults 18-49 - since 11/16/11.

· Revenge produced substantial year-over-year improvement for ABC in Wednesday's 10 o'clock hour, surging by 2.0 million viewers and by 32% in Adults 18-49 over first-run drama programming on the year-ago evening.

Quick Take for Wednesday, February 8, 2012 (Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Ratings)

ABC Marks its Strongest Wednesday Since the Beginning of January

"Modern Family" Tops "Idol" to Stand as the Night's No. 1 TV Show in Adults 18-34

ABC's "The Middle" Matches its Best-Ever Adult 18-49 Performance Against "Idol"

Lifting its Slot for ABC Year Over Year, "Suburgatory" Crushes NBC's "Are You There, Chelsea?," Leading by a Best-Yet 97% in Viewers and 67% in Adults 18-49

Posting its Best Numbers Since the Start of the Year, ABC's "Modern Family" Dominates its Slot to Finish as the Night's No. 1 Scripted Show in Adults 18-49

Hitting 5-Week Highs in Viewers and Adults 18-49, ABC's "Happy Endings" Takes First Place in the 9:30pm Half-Hour with Adults 18-34 and Women 18-34

ABC's "Revenge" Generates Big Year-Over-Year Increases for the Net During Wednesday's 10 O'clock Hour and Equals a 12-Week High Among Adults 18-49

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

Returning to originals for the first time in 3 weeks, ABC (3.1/8) delivered a strong 2nd-place finish on Wednesday to an Idol-driven Fox in Adults 18-49, beating out third-place CBS by 29% (2.4/6) and fourth-place NBC by 94% (1.6/4).

· ABC's "Modern Family" stood as the clear No. 1 scripted program on Wednesday with Adults 18-49. Impressively, the ABC comedy outdelivered "American Idol" to qualify as the night's No. 1 TV show overall in Adults 18-34, key Men (M18-34/M18-49) and Women 18-34.

· In viewers and young adults, ABC marked its strongest Wednesday since the beginning of January - since 1/4/12.

"The Middle" (8:00-8:30 p.m.)

At 8:00 p.m., ABC's "The Middle" (8.5 million and 2.6/8) earned second to "American Idol," more than doubling the audience of its NBC comedy competition ("Whitney" = 4.1 million and 1.5/4) and leading by 73% with Adults 18-49. It was "The Middle's" biggest winning advantage yet over NBC's "Whitney."

· "The Middle" was up over its most recent original in Total Viewers (+5%) and Adults 18-49 (+4%). In fact, the show equaled its best-ever performance against an installment of "Idol" in Adults 18-49.

"Suburgatory" (8:30-9:00 p.m.)

Like its lead-in, ABC's "Suburgatory" beat out its non-"Idol" competition at 8:30 p.m. by wide margins and crushed its freshman comedy competition on NBC ("Are You There, Chelsea?") with viewers (+97% - 7.3 million vs. 3.7 million) and young adults (+67% - 2.5/7 vs. 1.5/4). In fact, "Suburgatory" posted its best-ever winning margins over NBC's "Are You There, Chelsea?"

· "Suburgatory" boosted its time period for ABC over the year-ago Wednesday against "Idol" by 7% in Total Viewers and by 19% in Adults 18-49.

"Modern Family" (9:00-9:30 p.m.)

Wednesday's No. 1 scripted TV program among Adults 18-49, ABC's "Modern Family" (5.5/14) more than doubled its lead-in at 9:00 p.m. to dominate its slot by 72% over its closest competition ("Criminal Minds" and "Mobbed" tied at 3.2/8).

· Up over its last original in viewers (+8%) and young adults (+8%), ABC's "Modern Family" registered its top numbers since the beginning of the year - since 1/4/12. In addition, the ABC comedy scored its highest rating in nearly 3 months with Women 18-34 - 11/16/11.

"Happy Endings" (9:30-10:00 p.m.)

During the 9:30 p.m. half-hour, ABC's "Happy Endings" ran a strong second in Adults 18-49, beating out Fox's "Idol"-fueled "Mobbed" (3.0/7 vs. 2.9/7). In addition, "Happy Endings" won its time slot in Adults 18-34 and Women 18-34.

· ABC's "Happy Endings" built on its last first-run telecast in viewers (+14%) and young adults (+3%), pulling its top numbers since the beginning of the year - since 1/4/12. In addition, the ABC sophomore comedy hit its best number since mid-November with Men 18-49 - since 11/16/11.

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

From 10:00-11:00 p.m., ABC freshman drama "Revenge" ran a strong second in its hour, beating NBC's "L&O: SVU" by double digits in Total Viewers (+13% - 7.6 million vs. 6.7 million) and Adults 18-49 (+14% - 2.5/7 vs. 2.2/6). In addition, the Disney-owned drama ranked No. 1 in the hour with Adults 18-34 and across all key Women (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54).

· ABC's "Revenge" matched a 12-week high in Adults 18-49 - since 11/16/11.

· "Revenge" produced substantial year-over-year improvement for ABC in Wednesday's 10 o'clock hour, surging by 2.0 million viewers and by 32% in Adults 18-49 over first-run drama programming on the year-ago evening ("Off the Map" on 2/9/11 = 5.6 million and 1.9/5).

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 43% currently, from 39% at the same point in 2011. 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 Ratings), 2/8/12.