ABC Dominates with its Top-Rated Summer Thursday in Over 1-Year

Early info on ABC's Thursday, ahead of the regular press release.

ABC won Thursday night by wide margins Adults 18-49, beating out CBS by 12%, Fox by 111% and NBC by 171%. ABC was also the most-watched network overall on the evening, topping runner up CBS by 1.2 million viewers.

· Excluding sports, ABC marked its top-rated summer Thursday in well over 1 year among Adults 18-49 - since 6/23/11

ABC's Wipeout won its 8-10pm time period among Total Viewers and Adults 18-49. Among young adults, the ABC series crushed its unscripted competition from 8-9pm, towering over the season finale of Fox's Take Me Out (+50%). During the 9 o'clock hour, Wipeout defeated CBS' Big Brother 14 by 14% and more than quadrupled NBC's Saving Hope (+317%). In fact, the ABC unscripted series finished as the #1 TV program of the evening in Adults 18-49 (tie).

· Surging week to week in viewers (+29%) and young adults (+29%) to hit summer highs, Wipeout marked its strongest performance on the night in more than 6 months - since 1/12/12.

Achieving a summer high opposite original competition during the 10pm hour, ABC's Rookie Blue dominated CBS debut of 3 (+88%) and NBC's Rock Center with Brian Williams (+88%) in Adults 18-49. The ABC drama was also the most-watched TV show overall in the slot and won the hour with Adults 25-54 for the 2nd week in a row.

· ABC's Rookie Blue was up for the 2nd week in a row with in Total Viewers (+16%), Adults 18-49 (+7%) and Adults 25-54 (+12%). Posting its best results in well over 1 year, Rookie Blue marked biggest Adult 18-49 number since early last July - since 7/7/11.

Quick Take for Thursday, July 26, 2012 (Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Ratings)

ABC Dominates in Adults 18-49 with its Top-Rated Summer Thursday in Over 1 Year

Hitting a Summer High, "Wipeout" Wins its Slot with its Top Number in 6 Months

Earning a Summer Best Opposite Original Competition in the 10pm Hour, ABC's "Rookie Blue" Marks the Series' Highest Adult 18-49 Rating Since Early Last July

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

ABC won Thursday night by wide margins in Adults 18-49 (1.9/6), beating out CBS by 12% (1.7/5), Fox by 111% (0.9/3) and NBC by 171% (0.7/2). ABC was also the most-watched network overall on the evening, topping runner-up CBS by 1.2 million viewers (6.4 million vs. 5.2 million).

· Excluding sports, ABC marked its top-rated summer Thursday well over 1 year among Adults 18-49 - since 6/23/11.

"Wipeout" (8:00-10:00 p.m.)

ABC's "Wipeout" won its 2-hour 8:00-10:00 p.m. time period among Total Viewers (6.7 million) and Adults 18-49 (2.2/7). Among young adults, the ABC series crushed its unscripted competition during the 8 o'clock hour, towering over the season finale of Fox's "Take Me Out" (+50% - 1.8/6 vs. 1.2/4). During the 9 o'clock hour, "Wipeout" (2.5/8) defeated CBS' "Big Brother 14" by 14% (2.2/7) and more than quadrupled NBC's "Saving Hope" (+317% - 0.6/2). In fact, the ABC unscripted series finished as the No. 1 TV program of the evening in Adults 18-49 (tie).

· Surging week to week in viewers (+29%) and young adults (+29%) to hit summer highs, "Wipeout" scored its best performance on the evening in more than 6 months - since 1/12/12.

"Rookie Blue" (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

Achieving a summer high opposite original competition during the 10:00 p.m. hour, ABC's "Rookie Blue" (1.5/5) dominated CBS' debut of "3" (+88% - 0.8/2) and NBC's "Rock Center with Brian Williams" (+88% - 0.8/2) in Adults 18-49. The third-year ABC drama was also the most-watched TV show overall (5.8 million) in the slot and won the hour with Adults 25-54 (1.9/5) for the 2nd week in a row.

· ABC's "Rookie Blue" was up for the 2nd week in a row in Total Viewers (+16%), Adults 18-49 (+7%) and Adults 25-54 (+12%). Posting its highest-rated telecast in more than 1 year, "Rookie Blue" equaled its top Adult numbers (AD18-49/AD25-54) since last June - since 6/23/11.

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 44% currently, from 41% 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 Ratings), 07/26/12.