ABC's Wednesday Lineup Grows: The Middle Spikes 19%, Modern Family is Up for the 2nd Week and Nashville Hits a 6-Week High in its Season Finale

ABC Wednesday Prime (8-11pm - 5.8 million and 1.7/5 in AD18-49): ABC once again delivered Wednesday's #1 TV program in Adults 18-49, with Modern Family ranking as the evening's top-rated show for its 9th consecutive original airing. During primetime, ABC's Modern Family (3.1/9) outdelivered the top shows on each of the other nets by double-digit percentages, topping CBS' Criminal Minds finale by 15% (2.7/8), Fox's American Idol by 48% (2.1/6) and NBC's Chicago PD by 94% (1.6/5).

· Among Adults 18-49, ABC's The Middle was up week to week by 19% to a 3-week high (since 4/23/14), the Suburgatory finale was up 15%, Modern Family was up 7% for its 2nd week of growth and the Nashville season finale was up 8% to a 6-week high (since 4/2/14).

Quick Take for Wednesday, May 14, 2014 (Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Ratings)

"Modern Family" Is Wednesday's No. 1 TV Program for Its 9th-Straight Original

"The Middle" Spikes 19% in Adults 18-49 to Post a 3-Week High

ABC's "Suburgatory" Finale Grows by 15% Week to Week Among Adults 18-49

"Modern Family" Logs Its 2nd-Straight Week of Growth in Viewers and Young Adults

ABC's "Mixology" Holds Steady Week to Week Among Adults 18-49

ABC's "Nashville" Season Finale Builds to 6-Week Highs in Viewers and Young Adults

ABC Wednesday Prime (8:00-11:00 p.m. - 5.8 million and 1.7/5 in AD18-49):

ABC once again delivered Wednesday's No. 1 TV program in Adults 18-49, with "Modern Family" ranking as the evening's top-rated show for its 9th-consecutive original airing. During primetime, ABC's "Modern Family" (3.1/9) outdelivered the top shows on each of the other nets by double-digit percentages, beating CBS' "Criminal Minds" finale by 15% (2.7/8), Fox's "American Idol" by 48% (2.1/6) and NBC's "Chicago PD" by 94% (1.6/5).

· The Net ranked No. 1 on the night for the 2nd week in a row with Women 18-34 (tie).

"The Middle" (8:00-8:30 p.m. - 6.9 million and 1.9/6 in AD18-49):

At 8:00 p.m., ABC's "The Middle" increased week to week by 5% in viewers and by 19% in young adults, hitting 3-week highs on both counts - since 4/23/14.

"Suburgatory" (8:30-9:00 p.m. - 5.0 million and 1.5/5 in AD18-49):

At 8:30 p.m., the finale of ABC's "Suburgatory" grew 15% week to week in Adults 18-49.

"Modern Family" (9:00-9:30 p.m. - 8.8 million and 3.1/9 in AD18-49):

More than doubling its Adult 18-49 lead-in at 9:00 p.m. (+107%), ABC's "Modern Family" (3.1/9) dominated its half-hour, leading CBS' "Criminal Minds" finale by 19% (2.6/8), Fox's "American Idol" by 55% (2.0/6) and NBC's "L&O: SVU" by 121% (1.4/4).

· "Modern Family" was up for the 2nd week in a row with Total Viewers (+2%) and Adults 18-49 (+7%).

"Mixology" (9:30-10:00 p.m. - 3.9 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).

"Nashville" (10:00-11:00 p.m. - 5.0 million and 1.3/4 in AD18-49):

During the 10 o'clock hour, the season finale of ABC's "Nashville" was up for the 2nd-consecutive week in Total Viewers (+6%) and gained 8% in Adults 18-49, delivering 6-week highs on both measures - since 4/2/14.

· On average during its sophomore season, "Nashville" grew its overall audience from its freshman season (7.0 million vs. 6.9 million).

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

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 05/14/14.