ABC's "Modern Family" Is Wednesday's #1 TV Show for its 8th Consecutive Original in Adults 18-49

ABC aired Wednesday's #1 TV program in Adults 18-49, as Modern Family finished as the night's highest-rated show for its 8th straight first-run telecast. On the night, ABC's Modern Family (2.8/8) outdelivered the top shows on each of the other nets by double-digit margins, besting CBS' Survivor by 17% (2.4/8), Fox's American Idol by 65% (1.7/6 - another all-time Wednesday low) and NBC's Law & Order: SVU and Chicago PD by 100% (1.4/4-tied).

Quick Take for Wednesday, May 7, 2014 (Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Ratings)

"Modern Family" is Wednesday's No. 1 TV Program for its 8th Straight Original

"The Middle" Nearly Ties Fox's "American Idol" at 8pm Among Adults 18-49

"Suburgatory" Improves its Half-Hour Year to Year Among Total Viewers

More than Doubling its Adult 18-49 Lead-in, "Modern Family" Dominates its Slot

ABC's "Mixology" Increases by 11% Week Over Week Among Adults 18-34

ABC's "Nashville" Grows its Overall Audience During its Sophomore Season

ABC Wednesday Prime (8:00-11:00 p.m. - 5.3 million and 1.5/5 in AD18-49):

ABC aired Wednesday's No. 1 TV program in Adults 18-49, as "Modern Family" finished as the night's highest-rated show for its 8th straight first-run telecast. On the night, ABC's "Modern Family" (2.8/8) outdelivered the top shows on each of the other nets by double-digit margins, besting CBS' "Survivor" by 17% (2.4/8), Fox's "American Idol" by 65% (1.7/6 - another all-time Wednesday low) and NBC's "Law & Order: SVU" and "Chicago PD" by 100% (1.4/4-tied).

· The Net ranked No. 1 on the night with Adults 18-34 (tie) and Women 18-34.

"The Middle" (8:00-8:30 p.m. - 6.3 million and 1.5/6 in AD18-49):

At 8:00 p.m. against CBS' "Survivor" and Fox's "Idol," ABC's "The Middle" was the No. 2 TV series in the half-hour with key Men: M18-49 (1.1/4-tie) and M25-54 (1.6/5-tie). In addition, the ABC comedy nearly tied "American Idol" in the slot in Adults 18-49 (coming within 1-tenth and tied in audience share - 1.5/6 vs. 1.6/6).

"Suburgatory" (8:30-9:00 p.m. - 4.7 million and 1.2/4 in AD18-49):

At 8:30 p.m., "Suburgatory" beat out the second half-hour of NBC's "Revolution" by 9% in Adults 18-49 (1.2/4 vs. 1.1/4). The ABC comedy improved its half-hour year to year by 4% in Total Viewers (4.7 million vs. 4.5 million for "Family Tools" on 5/8/13).

"Modern Family" (9:00-9:30 p.m. - 8.0 million and 2.8/8 in AD18-49):

More than doubling its Adult 18-49 lead-in at 9:00 p.m. (+133%), ABC's "Modern Family" (2.8/8) shot to the top of its half-hour, beating CBS' "Criminal Minds" by 27% (2.2/7), Fox's "American Idol" by 65% (1.7/5) and NBC's "L&O: SVU" by 100% (1.4/4).

· "Modern Family" held steady week to week in Adults 18-49 and was up in Adults 18-34 (+5%).

"Mixology" (9:30-10:00 p.m. - 3.7 million and 1.3/4 in AD18-49):

In the 9:30 p.m. half-hour, ABC's "Mixology" was even with the prior week in Adults 18-49 (1.3/4) and grew 11% in Adults 18-34 (1.0/3 vs. 0.9/3).

"Nashville" (10:00-11:00 p.m. - 4.5 million and 1.2/4 in AD18-49):

During the 10 o'clock hour against the season finale of CBS' "CSI," ABC's "Nashville" held steady week to week in Adults 18-49 and tied NBC's "Chicago PD" in audience share (1.2/4 vs. 1.4/4).

· On average, "Nashville" is ABC's highest percentage gainer this season from TV Playback and Top 3 among all broadcast series, with originals shooting up 80% from a 1.5 L+SD rating to a 2.7 Live + 7 Day Adult 18-49 rating.

· Season to date, "Nashville" is growing its overall audience from the same point in its freshman season (7.0 million vs. 6.9 million).

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 49% currently, from 47% at the same point in 2013. 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 for 05/07/14.