Primetime Rating Report for the Week of September 22, 2014 (Based on National Live + Same Day Program Ratings)

ABC Wins Premiere Week in Non-Sports Adults 18-49 with 6 of the Top 15 Shows

ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" Posts Best-Yet Week 1 to Week 2 Retention Versus A Premiere of NBC's "The Voice" in Total Viewers (94%) and Adults 18-49 (92%)

"S.H.I.E.L.D." Tops its May Finale in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, while Ranking as the No. 1 Scripted Show in its Slot in Adults 18-34, Key Men and Teens

"Forever" Improves its Slot as ABC's Top-Rated Tuesday 10pm Fall Debut in 4 Years

"The Middle" Premiere Generates its Top Adult 18-49 Rating Since February

"The Goldbergs" Builds on its Lead-in in its New Slot to Post its 2nd-Best-Ever Results

ABC's "Modern Family" Premiere Draws its Biggest Audience in 1 Year

ABC's "black-ish" Debut Retains Nearly All of Its "Modern Family" Lead-in

ABC's "Nashville" Tops its May Finale with Its Largest Audience Since October

ABC's New Thursday Drama Lineup Premieres at a 5-Year High on the Night

In its New Slot, "Grey's" Posts ABC's Top Scripted Premiere Since '09 in Adults 18-49

ABC's "Scandal" Opens its 4th Season at Series Highs in Viewers and Young Adults

"How to Get Away with Murder" Scores TV's Biggest 10pm Drama Debut in 2 Years

ABC Dominates the Opening Friday of the Season and Premieres at a 6-Year High

"Shark Tank" Scores its Best-Ever Season Premiere in Viewers and Young Adults

ABC's "20/20" is Friday's Top Newsmagazine with its Strongest Results Since May

"Once Upon a Time" Opens its 4th Season to its Biggest Single Telecast in 2 Years

"Resurrection" Tops its May Finale for its Best Adult 18-49 Rating Since March

"Revenge" Premiere Beats CBS' "CSI" Opener and Builds on its May Finale

Week No. 01

Based on the non-sports averages, ABC led the opening week of the 2014-15 season in Adults 18-49 (2.4/7), outdelivering NBC by 9% (2.2/7), CBS by 26% (1.9/6) and Fox by 33% (1.8/5). In addition, ABC's non-sports Adult 18-49 delivery was up 4% (2.4/7 vs. 2.3/7) from premiere week last year, while CBS, NBC and Fox were each down: CBS -14% (1.9/6 vs. 2.2/7), NBC -8% (2.2/7 vs. 2.4/7) and Fox -14% (1.8/5 vs. 2.1/6).

· Rankings: ABC aired 6 of premiere week's Top 15 non-sports TV programs in Adults 18-49 (more than any other net), including the Top 2 new series ("How to Get Away with Murder" and "black-ish") and the Top 3 dramas ("Scandal," "How to Get Away with Murder" and "Once Upon a Time"): "Modern Family," "Scandal" and "How to Get Away with Murder" tied at No. 5, "Once Upon a Time - No. 10, "black-ish" - No. 12 and "Grey's Anatomy"- No. 15. ABC's "20/20" was the premiere week's No. 1 newsmagazine in Adults 18-49 and Adults 25-54.

· Based on all programming, ABC increased its overall audience from premiere week last year (+4% - 8.3 million vs. 8.0 million) and retained nearly all of its Adult 18-49 delivery (96% - 2.2/7 vs. 2.3/7).

· Premiere Week Social Activity: ABC aired 5 of the Top 10 most social broadcast series of premiere week (non-sports), placing 4 of the Top 5: "Scandal" (718k tweets) - No. 1, "How to Get Away with Murder" (295k tweets) - No. 3, "Once Upon a Time" (225k tweets) - No. 4, "Grey's Anatomy" (206k tweets) - No. 5 and "DWTS" (80k tweets) - No. 10.

Monday

"Dancing with the Stars" (8:00-10:01 p.m. - 12.8 million and 2.2/6 in AD18-49):

Building from its first hour to its second hour against season/series premiere competition on each of the other nets, ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" delivered its best-yet Week 1 to Week 2 retention when facing a premiere of NBC's "The Voice" in Total Viewers (94%) and Adults 18-49 (92%). Last year's retention was 85% and 74%, respectively. During the 9:00 p.m. hour, "Dancing" beat out Fox's season premiere of "Sleepy Hollow" by 20% in Adults 18-49 (2.4/7 vs. 2.0/5).

· "Dancing with the Stars" slashed nearly all of its Total Viewer margin year to year with the season premiere of NBC's "The Voice" (87% smaller - 187,000 vs. 1.4 million), while narrowing its Adults 18-49 gap by more than a third (39% smaller - 1.7 rating points vs. 2.8 rating points).

"Forever SP" (10:01-11:00 p.m. - 8.6 million and 1.7/5 in AD18-49):

Opposite premiere/finale drama competition on NBC ("Blacklist") and CBS ("Under the Dome"), ABC's "Forever" received strong sampling with an average audience of 8.6 million viewers and a 1.7/5 in Adults 18-49. From 10:00-11:00 p.m., "Forever" outdrew CBS' "Under the Dome" finale by 15% in Total Viewers (8.7 million vs. 7.5 million).

· "Forever" delivered much stronger retention of its "Dancing" lead-in than "Castle" on its debut telecast (on 3/9/09) in Total Viewers (67% vs. 47%) and Adults 18-49 (77% vs. 49%).

Tuesday

"Dancing with the Stars: The Results" (8:00-9:00 p.m. - 10.0 million and 1.7/6 in AD18-49):

At 8:00 p.m., against the premieres of CBS' "NCIS" and NBC's "The Voice," ABC's "Dancing with the Stars: The Results" towered over Fox's "Utopia" by 8.1 million viewers (10.0 million vs. 1.9 million) and by 113% in Adults 18-49 (1.7/6 vs. 0.8/3). The ABC unscripted show gained viewers (+9%) and young adults (+13%) from start to finish.

"Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." (9:00-10:00 p.m. - 6.0 million and 2.1/6 in AD18-49):

Building on its young adult lead-in (+24%) at 9:00 p.m. against stiff competition, ABC's "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." was up from its May season finale in Total Viewers (+11% - 6.0 million vs. 5.4 million) and Adults 18-49 (+5% - 2.1/6 vs. 2.0/7). The drama marked its most-watched telecast since April and equaled its best young adult number since February - since 4/22/14 and 2/4/14. In addition, the show spiked 23% over its finale in Adults 18-34 (1.6/6 vs. 1.3/5) to tie its highest rating since last fall - since 11/26/13.

· Opposite NBC's "The Voice" Tuesday premiere, CBS' "NCIS: New Orleans" debut and Fox's comedies, "S.H.I.E.L.D." was the No. 1 scripted program in the hour among Adults 18-34, key Men (M18-34/M18-49) and Teens 12-17.

"Forever" (10:00-11:00 p.m. - 6.9 million and 1.8/6 in AD18-49):

Showing strong lead-in retention on its regular time period premiere at 10:00 p.m., ABC's "Forever" was up from the year-ago debut of "Lucky 7" in the hour by 57% (6.9 million vs. 4.4 million) and 38% in Adults 18-49 (1.8/6 vs. 1.3/4). It was ABC's top-rated Tuesday 10:00 p.m. fall series debut in 4 years among Adults 18-49 - since 9/21/10. In addition, "Forever" grew over its Monday preview in Adults 18-49 (+6%) and Adults 18-34 (+17%).

· From 10:00-11:00 p.m., "Forever" beat CBS' "Person of Interest" in Adults 18-49 (+6% - 1.7/5 vs. 1.8/5), Adults 18-34 and key Women (W18-34/W18-49).

Wednesday

ABC delivered the Top 2 TV shows on the opening Wednesday of the season in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49 with "Modern Family" (11.4 million and 3.9/12) and "black-ish" (11.0 million and 3.3/10), respectively.

· In viewers and young adults, ABC marked its strongest Wednesday since last November - since 11/6/13.

"The Middle" (8:00-8:30 p.m. - 7.6 million and 2.2/8 in AD18-49):

At 8:00 p.m., the season opener of "The Middle" gained 5% from its 1-hour season finale in May among Adults 18-49 (2.2/8 vs. 2.1/8), posting its best number since early February - since 2/5/14.

"The Goldbergs" (8:30-9:00 p.m. - 7.3 million and 2.4/8 in AD18-49):

Building on its Adult 18-49 lead-in (+9%) in its new Wednesday 8:30 p.m. slot, "The Goldbergs" was ABC's top-rated comedy premiere in the half-hour in 3 years - since 9/28/11. In its new earlier time period, "The Goldbergs" scored the series' 2nd-highest-ever numbers among viewers and young adults, behind only its year-ago debut coming out of the "S.H.I.E.L.D." opener on a Tuesday at 9:00 p.m.

"Modern Family" (9:00-9:31 p.m. - 11.4 million and 3.9/12 in AD18-49):

"Modern Family" shot to the top of the 9:00 p.m. half-hour in Adults 18-49, outdrawing its May finale in Total Viewers (+9% - 11.4 million vs. 10.5 million) and Adults 18-49 (+5% - 3.9/12 vs. 3.7/12), drawing its largest audience in exactly 1 year and its best young adult number since October - since 9/25/13 and 10/23/13, respectively.

"black-ish" (9:31-10:00 p.m. - 11.0 million and 3.3/10 in AD18-49):

Dominating the 9:30 p.m. half-hour in Adults 18-49 (3.3/10), ABC's "black-ish" delivered impressive retention of its "Modern Family" lead-in (96%/85%), marking the best-ever Total Viewer retention for a regular comedy debut in the slot and best in 5 years in young adults (since 9/23/09). In addition, "black-ish" equaled ABC's top-rated Wednesday comedy debut since February 2011 - since 2/9/11. It was also the highest-rated series debut on any network in Adults 18-49 since March with ABC's "Resurrection" on 3/9/14.

"Nashville" (10:00-11:00 p.m. - 5.8 million and 1.5/5 in AD18-49):

ABC's most-heavily-recorded show on a percentage basis, "Nashville" was up from its May finale in Total Viewers (+12% - 5.8 million vs. 5.2 million) and Adults 18-49 (+15% - 1.5/5 vs. 1.3/4) pulling its biggest audience since October and matching its top young adult number since December - since 10/13/16 and 12/4/13, respectively.

Thursday

Opposite CBS' Thursday Night Football, ABC was the dominant non-sports net on season premiere Thursday in Total Viewers (12.2 million) and Adults 18-49 (3.6/11). With its new drama lineup, the Net delivered the Top 3 entertainment shows of the night in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49 with the debut of "How to Get Away with Murder" (14.3 million and 3.9/12), the premiere of "Scandal" in its new 9:00 p.m. slot (12.2 million and 3.9/11), and the premiere of "Grey's" in its new 8:00 p.m. slot (10.1 million and 3.1/11), respectively.

· With "How to Get Away with Murder" and "black-ish," ABC has now delivered the season's Top 2 new TV shows in Adults 18-49. In fact, "How to Get Away with Murder" is TV's top-rated series debut in 1 year - since 9/26/13.

· In viewers and young adults, ABC marked its strongest premiere Thursday in 5 years - since 9/24/09.

"Grey's Anatomy" (8:00-9:00 p.m. - 10.1 million and 3.1/11 in AD18-49):

Despite its earlier slot and facing Thursday Night Football, "Grey's" season premiere was up from its May finale in viewers and young adults (8.9 million and 2.6/8 on 5/15/14) and also topped its year-ago 2-hour season opener in Total Viewers (9.3 million on 9/26/13). In fact, "Grey's" was ABC's top-rated scripted show to premiere/debut in the hour in 5 years among Adults 18-49 - since 9/24/09 with "Flashforward."

· "Grey's" marked the series' most-watched telecast overall in 2 years - since 10/4/12.

"Scandal" (9:00-10:00 p.m. - 12.2 million and 3.9/11 in AD18-49):

Shifting back an hour into its new 9:00 p.m. slot, "Scandal" opened its 4th season at series highs in Total Viewers (12.2 million) and Adults 18-49 (3.9/11), building over the year-ago premiere (10.6 million and 3.6/10 on 4/17/14) by 16% and 8%, respectively. "Scandal" was the most social prime program on broadcast TV Thursday with 718,436 tweets, making this the most social season premiere so far this season.

· "Scandal" generated ABC's best series numbers in the time period since March 2011 in Total Viewers and since September 2012 in Adults 18-49 - since 3/31/11 and 9/27/12, respectively.

"How to Get Away with Murder" (10:00-11:00 p.m. - 14.3 million and 3.9/12 in AD18-49):

Building on its "Scandal" lead-in in Total Viewers (+17%) and holding 100% in Adults 18-49, ABC's "How to Get Away with Murder" (14.3 million and 3.9/12) opened as TV's biggest 10:00 p.m. drama debut in 2 years among viewers and young adults - since 9/25/12 and 9/17/12, respectively.

· In Adults 18-49, "How to Get Away with Murder" and "Scandal" tied as Thursday's highest-rated drama telecasts on any net since September 2012 - since 9/27/12.

Friday

ABC took full control over the opening Friday of the season in Adults 18-49, leading runner-up CBS' night of premieres by 50% (1.8/7 vs. 1.2/5). The season premieres of ABC's "Shark Tank" and "20/20" ranked as Friday's Top 2 TV shows in the key young adult sales demo. "20/20" was also the night's No. 1 newsmagazine, beating NBC's season opener of "Dateline" (9:00-11:00 p.m.) by 14% in Adults 18-49 and by 28% in Adults 25-54.

· Surging from the year-ago night by 31% in Total Viewers (7.2 million vs. 5.5 million) and by 29% in Adults 18-49 (1.8/7 vs. 1.4/5), the Net scored its top season opening Friday in 6 years - since 2008.

"Shark Tank" (8:00-10:01 p.m. - 7.4 million and 1.9/8 in AD18-49): From 8:00-10:00 p.m., ABC's 6th season opener of "Shark Tank" dominated its 2-hour time period in Adults 18-49 (1.9/8) by 58% over its nearest competition (CBS' premieres of "Amazing Race"/"Hawaii Five-0" = 1.2/5).

· Up over last year's opener (one week earlier than this year from 9:00-10:00 p.m. - on 9/20/13) in Total Viewers (+7% - 7.4 million vs. 6.9 million) and Adults 18-49 (+6% - 1.9/8 vs. 1.8/6), "Shark Tank" marked its strongest-ever season premiere. The ABC unscripted series has seen its season premiere audience climb each year since its debut.

"20/20" (10:01-11:00 p.m. - 6.6 million and 1.6/6 in AD18-49): ABC's "20/20" won the 10 o'clock hour among Adults 18-49 (1.6/6) and Adults 25-54 (2.3/7), beating CBS' premiere of "Blue Bloods" (1.2/4 and 2.0/6) and the final hour of NBC's 2-hour "Dateline" premiere (1.5/6 and 2.0/6). "20/20" featured David Muir's exclusive report on the stabbing of a 12-year old girl by her two best friends, inspired by the fictional internet character "Slender Man."

· "20/20" spiked over the year-ago night in Total Viewers (+50% - 6.6 million vs. 4.4 million), Adults 18-49 (+33% - 1.6/6 vs. 1.2/4) and Adults 25-54 (+44% - 2.3/7 vs. 1.6/4). In viewers and both key adults, "20/20" marked its strongest performance since the beginning of May - since 5/2/14.

Saturday

Featuring the Notre Dame/Syracuse game, "Saturday Night Football" made ABC the No. 1 broadcaster on Saturday in Adults 18-49 (1.2/5), dominating Fox with college football coverage (8:00-10:00 p.m.) by 140% (0.5/2).

· Airing from 8:06-11:56 p.m., ABC's "Saturday Night Football" was the night's No. 1 TV program for its 4th consecutive telecast in Adults 18-49 (1.2/5).

Sunday

Opposite NBC's Sunday Night Football and an NFL overrun-boosted Fox, ABC beat its non-sports competition on CBS Sunday night by 85% in Adults 18-49 (2.4/7 vs. 1.3/4). ABC's season premieres of "Once Upon a Time" (3.7/11), "Resurrection" (2.5/7) and "Revenge" (1.5/5) opened as Sunday's top-rated broadcast dramas in Adults 18-49, leading by strong margins over CBS' dramas, "Madam Secretary" (1.4/4), "The Good Wife" (1.3/4) and "CSI" (1.3/4).

· The Net was up over season premiere Sunday last year by 12% in Total Viewers and by 20% in Adults 18-49 (6.7 million and 2.0/5 on 9/29/13).

"OUAT: Storybrooke Has Frozen Over" (7:00-8:00 p.m. - 5.5 million and 1.6/5 in AD18-49):

During the 7 o'clock hour opposite Fox's big NFL overrun, ABC's "Once Upon a Time: Storybrooke Has Frozen Over" lead-in special was up over the year-ago special (1.4/4 on 9/29/13) and beat out its non-sports competition in the hour by 45% in Adults 18-49 (1.6/5 vs. 1.1/4 - CBS' "60 Minutes").

"Once Upon a Time" (8:00-9:00 p.m. - 10.2 million and 3.7/11 in AD18-49):

Building sharply on its lead-in at 8:00 p.m., ABC's 4th season opener of "Once Upon a Time" took second to the NFL game in the hour and dominated its CBS drama competition with Adults 18-49, more than doubling "Madam Secretary" (+164% - 3.7/11 vs. 1.4/4). In addition, the ABC drama won the hour over football with Women 18-34, Women 18-49 and Teens 12-17.

· Topping its 2-hour May finale (6.8 million and 2.3/7 on 5/11/14) in viewers (+50%) and young adults (+61%), "Once Upon a Time" earned its highest numbers in 2 years - since 9/30/12. In addition, the show hit new series highs with Teens and Kids. The ABC drama also outperformed its year-ago season opener in Total Viewers (+20%) and Adults 18-49 (+42%).

· "Once Upon a Time" was the No. 1 most social non-sports broadcast of the evening with 224,951 tweets, spiking 65% from last year's opener to rank as the show's highest number ever.

"Resurrection" (9:00-10:01 p.m. - 8.4 million and 2.5/7 in AD18-49):

At 9:00 p.m., ABC's "Resurrection" season premiere defeated CBS' competing "The Good Wife" by 92% in Adults 18-49 (2.5/7 vs. 1.3/4).

· "Resurrection" was up from where it finished out its first season, outpacing its May finale by 19% in Adults 18-49 (2.1/6 on 5/4/14) to its best rating since March - since 3/23/14. In addition, the show jumped 62% over its finale in Adults 18-34 to tie its 2nd-highest rating ever.

"Revenge" (10:01-11:00 p.m. - 5.7 million and 1.5/5 in AD18-49):

During the 10 o'clock hour, ABC's "Revenge" beat CBS' season premiere of "CSI" by 15% in Adults 18-49 (1.5/5 vs. 1.3/4).

· "Revenge" was up from its May finale (4.9 million and 1.4/4 on 5/11/14) by 16% in Total Viewers and by 7% in Adults 18-49 for its strongest performance since March - since 3/16/14.

WEEK NO. 01: ADULTS 18-49 TOTAL VIEWERS
No.1 NBC 3.0 No.1 CBS 10,860,000
No.2 CBS 2.4 No.2 NBC 10,030,000
No.3 ABC 2.2 No.3 ABC 8,260,000
No.4 FOX 2.0 No.4 FOX 5,240,000
No.5 CW 0.3 No.5 CW 830,000

Source: The Nielsen Company, National, Live+ Same Day Program Ratings for week of 09/22/14.