or


[02/23/12 - 09:09 AM]
ABC's "Modern Family" Tops "Idol" by a Best-Ever 27% in Adults 18-34
ABC spins the numbers for Wednesday, February 22.

[via press release from ABC]

ABC's "Modern Family" Tops "Idol" by a Best-Ever 27% in Adults 18-34

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

Up against Fox with a 2-hour American Idol, ABC grew over the year-ago Wednesday or the 3rd week in a row in both Total Viewers (+3%) and Adults 18-49 (+4%). In fact, ABC was once again the only broadcaster to post year-to-year gains on the evening in Adults 18-49. The Net ranked #2 to Fox on Wednesday with Adults 18-34, Men 18-34 and Women 18-34.

· ABC's Modern Family outdelivered American Idol by a best-ever 27% in Adults 18-34 to stand as Wednesday's #1 TV show overall. The ABC comedy was also the night's #1 show with Women 18-34 and key Men (M18-34/M18-49).

At 8pm against CBS' Survivor: One World and Fox's Idol, ABC's The Middle dominated its NBC comedy competition (Whitney) by 3.4 million viewers and by 53% in Adults 18-49. In addition, the ABC comedy defeated Survivor by strong margins in Adults 18-34 (+23%), Men 18-34 (+30%) and Women 18-34 (+27%).

· Surging year to year by 36% in Teens 12-17, The Middle scored its 2nd-highest-ever number opposite Idol.

Retaining 100% of its young adult lead-in at 8:30pm, ABC's Suburgatory overshadowed its freshman comedy competition in the half-hour, holding huge advantages over NBC's Are You There, Chelsea? in Total Viewers (+100%) and Adults 18-49 (+77% - best-ever). For the 2nd straight week, the ABC freshman comedy outran the second half of Survivor by double digits across the 18-34 demographics: AD18-34 (+20%), M18-34 (+17%) and W18-34 (+35%).

· Suburgatory greatly improved its time period for ABC over the year-ago Wednesday, lifting the slot by 1.1 million viewers and by 28% in Adults 18-49.

Wednesday's #1 scripted TV show in Adults 18-49, ABC's Modern Family more than doubled its lead-in at 9pm to dominate its closest scripted competition in the slot by 52% (CBS' Criminal Minds).

· Jumping over the same night last year by double digits in viewers (+13%) and young adults (+15%), ABC's Modern Family tallied the series' 2nd-strongest results to date opposite American Idol on both Nielsen measures.

During the 9:30pm half-hour, ABC's Happy Endings continued to pace as the #1 scripted show in its slot with Adults 18-34, Women 18-34 and Men 18-34.

· ABC's Happy Ending built week to week in viewers (+5%) and young adults (+4%), while boosting the Net's year-ago performance with Mr. Sunshine in the half-hour by 14% in Adults 18-49.

Quick Take for Wednesday, February 22, 2012 (Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Program Ratings)

ABC is the Only Broadcaster Up on Wednesday Year to Year in Adults 18-49

"Modern Family" Topples "Idol" to Stand as Wednesday's No. 1 Show in Adults 18-34

At 8pm, ABC's "The Middle" Crushes NBC's "Whitney" in Viewers and Young Adults

Growing it Half-Hour, ABC's "Suburgatory" Tops "Survivor" Across the 18-34 Demos

ABC's "Modern Family" Marks its 2nd-Best-Ever Numbers Opposite "Idol" and Finishes as Wednesday's Definitive No. 1 Scripted TV Show in Adults 18-49

ABC's "Happy Endings" Grows Week to Week in Viewers and Young Adults, While Boosting its Slot Over the Year-Ago Comedy by 14% in Adults 18-49

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

Up against Fox with a 2-hour "American Idol," ABC grew over the year-ago Wednesday for the 3rd week in a row in both Total Viewers (+3% - 6.8 million vs. 6.6 million) and Adults 18-49 (+4% - 2.4/6 vs. 2.3/6). In fact, ABC was once again the only broadcaster to post year-to-year gains on the evening in Adults 18-49. The Net ranked No. 2 to Fox on Wednesday with Adults 18-34, Men 18-34 and Women 18-34.

· ABC's "Modern Family" outdelivered "American Idol" by a best-ever 27% in Adults 18-34 (4.2/13 vs. 3.3/11) to stand as Wednesday's No. 1 TV show overall. The ABC comedy was also the night's No. 1 show with Women 18-34 and key Men (M18-34/M18-49).

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

At 8:00 p.m. against CBS' "Survivor: One World" and Fox's "Idol," ABC's "The Middle" dominated its NBC comedy competition ("Whitney") by 3.4 million viewers (7.5 million vs. 4.1 million) and by 53% in Adults 18-49 (2.3/7 vs. 1.5/4). In addition, the ABC comedy defeated "Survivor" by strong margins in Adults 18-34 (+23%), Men 18-34 (+30%) and Women 18-34 (+27%).

· Surging year to year by 36% in Teens 12-17 (1.9/7 vs. 1.4/5), "The Middle" scored its 2nd-highest-ever number opposite "Idol."

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

Retaining 100% of its young adult lead-in at 8:30 p.m., ABC's "Suburgatory" overshadowed its freshman comedy competition in the half-hour, holding huge advantages over NBC's "Are You There, Chelsea?" in Total Viewers (+100% - 6.8 million vs. 3.4 million) and Adults 18-49 (best-ever +77% - 2.3/6 vs. 1.3/3). For the 2nd straight week, the ABC freshman comedy outran the second half of "Survivor" by double digits across the 18-34 demographics: AD18-34 (+20%), M18-34 (+17%) and W18-34 (+35%).

· "Suburgatory" greatly improved its time period for ABC over the year-ago Wednesday, lifting the slot by 1.1 million viewers and by 28% in Adults 18-49 (5.7 million and 1.8/5 on 2/23/11).

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

Wednesday's No. 1 scripted TV show in Adults 18-49 (4.7/12), ABC's "Modern Family" more than doubled its lead-in at 9:00 p.m. to dominate its closest scripted competition in the slot by 52% (CBS' "Criminal Minds" = 3.1/8).

· Jumping over the same night last year by double digits in viewers (+13% - 11.5 million vs. 10.2 million) and young adults (+15% - 4.7/12 vs. 4.1/11), ABC's "Modern Family" tallied the series' 2nd-strongest results to date opposite "American Idol" on both Nielsen measures.

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

During the 9:30 p.m. half-hour, ABC's "Happy Endings" continued to pace as the No. 1 scripted show in its slot with Adults 18-34, Women 18-34 and Men 18-34.

· ABC's "Happy Endings" built week to week in viewers (+5% - 5.7 million vs. 5.4 million) and Adults 18-49 (+4% - 2.5/6 vs. 2.4/6), while boosting the Net's year-ago performance with "Mr. Sunshine" in the half-hour by 14% in Adults 18-49 (2.2/6 on 2/23/11).

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 Day Program Ratings), 2/22/12.





  [february 2012]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
   


· AMERICAN IDOL (ABC)
· ARE YOU THERE, CHELSEA? (NBC)
· CRIMINAL MINDS (CBS)
· HAPPY ENDINGS (ABC)
· MIDDLE, THE (ABC)
· MODERN FAMILY (ABC)
· SUBURGATORY (ABC)
· SURVIVOR (CBS)
· WHITNEY (NBC)





most recent ratings | view all posts
[03/28/25 - 02:26 PM]
Universal Pictures' Global Cinematic Event "Wicked" Debuts as Streaming's #1 Film
Per preliminary Nielsen data, "Wicked" is the #1 film across all of streaming with 882 million minutes viewed for the week of March 17-23.

[03/28/25 - 02:22 PM]
ESPN's Exclusive Coverage of Milwaukee Brewers vs. New York Yankees Game on March 27 Generated Largest National Opening Day Audience in Seven Years
The Brewers vs. Yankees game averaged 1.93 million viewers, peaking with 2.23 million viewers.

[03/27/25 - 11:00 AM]
"Survivor" Hits Broadcast and Live Streaming Season Highs
The telecast averaged 4.50 million broadcast viewers up +7% from its season-to-date average, and up +13% from its season-to-date average live streaming on Paramount+.

[03/25/25 - 03:24 PM]
ESPN Platforms Scores Second Most-Watched First and Second Rounds of the NCAA Women's Tournament on Record
Through two rounds, the 2025 Women's Division I Basketball Tournament is averaging 602,000 viewers, the second-highest audience through this point since 2009.

[03/25/25 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10 Week of March 17: "Adolescence" Grips Viewers for Second Week at No. 1
Checking in at No. 2 on the English TV list was "The Residence," the latest series from Shondaland; the screwball whodunit racked up 6.4 million views.

[03/25/25 - 11:01 AM]
Investigation Discovery's "A Body in the Snow: The Trial of Karen Read" Reaches More Than 6.3 Million Viewers Across Linear and Streaming
In its time period, the series helped ID rank as the #2 non-sports/news cable net among W25-54, averaging a .47 W25-54 L3 rating and increasing the time period's ratings by +58%.

[03/21/25 - 01:30 PM]
"Live with Kelly and Mark" Grows Remarkably in All Key Measures During Show's Festive Post-Oscars Week
The annual Monday morning post-Oscars show from the famed Dolby Theatre in Hollywood scored 2.650 million Total Viewers and was the show's second most-watched telecast of the entire season.

[03/21/25 - 10:10 AM]
"Opry 100: A Live Celebration" Drew 5.3 Million Viewers Wednesday Night Across NBC and Peacock
It was the most-watched program of the night among all the broadcast networks against mostly original programming.

[03/18/25 - 02:02 PM]
ESPN Earns Event Record Viewership for Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix
ESPN's live telecast of the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix this past weekend drew an average of 1.1 million viewers, the largest U.S. television audience ever for the event.

[03/18/25 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10 Week of March 10: "The Electric State" Energizes, "Adolescence" Excels in This Week's Top 10
Viewers also sought laughs from the Mindy Kaling comedy "Running Point" - starring Kate Hudson and set to return for Season 2 - which scored the No. 2 spot in English TV (6 million views).

[03/18/25 - 10:49 AM]
NBA on ABC Regular Season Viewership Up Double-Digits From Last Year
The "NBA Saturday Primetime on ABC" series won the night among all viewers seven out of 10 times, and among viewers younger than 50 eight out of ten times.

[03/17/25 - 11:08 AM]
"The Way Home" Finishes Thrilling Third Season as #1 Most-Watched Program on Entertainment Cable Among Women 25-54
The riveting finale was the #1 most-watched program on Friday with Women 18+, leaving viewers eager to dive back into the time-traveling pond filled with rich family history and spellbinding mystery.

[03/14/25 - 09:31 AM]
Return of AMC's "Dark Winds" Attracts 2.2 Million Premiere Night Viewers
On AMC+, the series continued its trajectory of viewership growth every season, with the season three premiere up more than 50 percent in viewership over season two, and doubling subscriber acquisition over the previous season.

[03/12/25 - 10:06 AM]
"The Last of Us" Season 2 Trailer Shatters Records, Becoming HBO and Max's Most-Watched Original Trailer with 158 Million Views
The trailer outperformed previous "The Last of Us" trailers and teasers by a margin of at least 160%.

[03/11/25 - 03:00 PM]
ABC News' "Nightline" Ranks No. 1 in Total Viewers vs. CBS' "After Midnight" and NBC's "Late Night with Seth Meyers" for 2nd Consecutive Week
"Nightline" also improved year to year in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49.