ABC's is Up on Thursday Year to Year - Scandal and HTGAWM Again Track as Week's Top 2 Dramas in AD18-49

Live + Same Day Fast Affiliate Results:

Please Note: Last week, all 3 of ABC's Thursday dramas went up 1-tenth from the preliminary to National Adult 18-49 ratings and also added Total Viewers. Therefore, please use Fast Affiliate numbers for both weeks in any comparisons (listed below).

ABC Thursday Prime (8-11pm - 10.4 million and 3.0/9 in AD18-49): Up against CBS' Thursday Night Football, ABC remained the dominant non-sports net on Thursday in Total Viewers (10.4 million) and Adults 18-49 (3.0/9). For the 2nd week in a row, the Net delivered the Top 3 entertainment shows on the night (which included series debuts of Fox's drama Gracepoint and NBC's comedies Bad Judge/A to Z) with How to Get Away with Murder (11.8 million and 3.2/10), Scandal (10.4 million and 3.3/10) and Grey's (9.1 million and 2.6/8). Each of the ABC dramas delivered strong retention of their big week-ago openers in the Fast Affiliate Adult 18-49 numbers: Grey's 86% (2.6 rtg. vs. 3.0 rtg.), Scandal 87% (3.3 vs. 3.8) and How to Get Away with Murder 84% (3.2 vs. 3.8). For perspective, NBC's The Blacklist retained a lesser 82% of its week-earlier premiere Adult 18-49 audience this past Monday (3.4 vs. 2.8 - L+SD Nationals)

· ABC's Scandal and How to Get Away with Murder are once again tracking as the week's Top 2 dramas in Adults 18-49.

· For the 2nd consecutive week, ABC's Thursday was up from the year-ago night (8.6 million and 2.8/8, which included Scandal's season opener) in Total Viewers (+21%) and Adults 18-49 (+7%).

...more to follow, including L3 and L7 projections

ABC Dominates its Non-Sports Competition on Thursday Night - L3 and L7 Projections

Thursday Night (10/2/14) - ABC Total Viewer and Adult 18-49 Projections

Grey's Anatomy: Live + 3 = 14.2 million/3.8 rating and Live + 7 = 15.3 million/4.1 rating

Scandal: Live + 3 = 15.2 million/4.7 rating and Live + 7 = 16.0 million/4.9 rating

How to Get Away with Murder: Live + 3 = 17.2 million/4.6 rating and Live + 7 = 18.0 million/4.8 rating

Live + Same Day Fast Affiliate Results:

Please Note: Last week, all 3 of ABC's Thursday dramas went up 1-tenth from the preliminary to National Adult 18-49 ratings and also added Total Viewers. Therefore, please use Fast Affiliate numbers for both weeks in any comparisons (listed below).

ABC Thursday Prime (8-11pm - 10.4 million and 3.0/9 in AD18-49): Up against CBS' Thursday Night Football, ABC remained the dominant non-sports net on Thursday in Total Viewers (10.4 million) and Adults 18-49 (3.0/9). For the 2nd week in a row, the Net delivered the Top 3 entertainment shows on the night (which included series debuts of Fox's drama Gracepoint and NBC's comedies Bad Judge/A to Z) with How to Get Away with Murder (11.8 million and 3.2/10), Scandal (10.4 million and 3.3/10) and Grey's (9.1 million and 2.6/8). Each of the ABC dramas delivered strong retention of their big week-ago openers in the Fast Affiliate Adult 18-49 numbers: Grey's 87% (2.6 rtg. vs. 3.0 rtg.), Scandal 87% (3.3 vs. 3.8) and How to Get Away with Murder 84% (3.2 vs. 3.8). For perspective, NBC's The Blacklist retained a lesser 82% of its week-earlier premiere Adult 18-49 audience this past Monday (2.8 vs. 3.4 - L+SD Nationals)

· ABC's Scandal and How to Get Away with Murder are once again tracking as the week's Top 2 dramas in Adults 18-49.

· For the 2nd consecutive week, ABC's Thursday was up from the year-ago night (8.6 million and 2.8/8, which included Scandal's season opener) in Total Viewers (+21%) and Adults 18-49 (+7%).

Grey's Anatomy (8-9pm - 9.1 million and 2.6/8 in AD18-49): At 8pm, Grey's ranked as the #1 non-sports program, beating runner-up Fox's Bones by 44% in Total Viewers (9.1 million vs. 6.3 million) and by 73% in Adults 18-49 (2.6/8 vs. 1.5/5). The 9th season ABC medical drama continued to improve its new time period year to year (5.8 million and 1.6/5 on 10/3/13).

Scandal (9-10pm - 10.4 million and 3.3/10 in AD18-49): Surging from its lead-in during the 9pm hour, ABC's Scandal more than doubled Fox's debut of Gracepoint (4.8 million and 1.2/3) and towered over NBC's comedy debuts (Bad Judge/A to Z = 5.3 million and 1.3/4).

· Scandal was up over the year-ago telecast of Grey's in the hour (9.6 million and 3.1/9).

How to Get Away with Murder (10-11pm - 11.8 million and 3.2/10 in AD18-49): Gaining viewers from its lead-in at 10pm, ABC's How to Get Away with Murder held strong triple-digit advantages over NBC's Parenthood in Total Viewers (+168% - 11.8 million vs. 4.4 million) and Adults 18-49 (+146% - 3.2/10 vs. 1.3/4). The week's #1 10pm show, HTGAWM leads its nearest competition in the final hour of primetime by 14% in Adults 18-49 (NBC's Blacklist this past Monday = 2.8/8).

· Impressively, How to Get Away with Murder was up over the year-ago season opener of Scandal by 1.3 million viewers in the hour (11.8 million vs. 10.5 million on 10/3/13).

Quick Take for Thursday, October 2, 2014 (Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Ratings)

ABC Dominates its Non-Sports Competition on Thursday and Gains Year to Year

"Grey's" Beats Fox's "Bones" by 73% in Adults 18-49 and Continues to Grow its Hour

ABC's "Scandal" More than Doubles its NBC and Fox Debut Competition at 9pm

"How to Get Away With Murder" Tops the Year-Ago Premiere of "Scandal" By 1.3 Million Viewers and Tracks as the Week's No. 1 10pm Show in Adults 18-49

Thursday Night (10/2/14) - ABC Total Viewer and Adult 18-49 Projections

"Grey's Anatomy:" Live + 3 = 14.2 million/3.8 rating and Live + 7 = 15.3 million/4.1 rating

"Scandal:" Live + 3 = 15.2 million/4.7 rating and Live + 7 = 16.0 million/4.9 rating

"HTGAWM:" Live + 3 = 17.2 million/4.6 rating and Live + 7 = 18.0 million/4.8 rating

Live + Same Day Fast Affiliate Results:

ABC Thursday Prime (8:00-11:00 p.m. - 10.4 million and 3.0/9 in AD18-49):

Up against CBS' Thursday Night Football, ABC remained the dominant non-sports net on Thursday in Total Viewers (10.4 million) and Adults 18-49 (3.0/9). For the 2nd week in a row, the Net delivered the Top 3 entertainment shows on the night (which included series debuts of Fox's drama "Gracepoint" and NBC's comedies "Bad Judge"/"A to Z") with "How to Get Away with Murder," "Scandal" and "Grey's." Each of the ABC dramas delivered strong retention of their big week-ago openers in the Fast Affiliate Adult 18-49 numbers: "Grey's" 87%, "Scandal" 87% and "How to Get Away with Murder" 84%. For perspective, NBC's "The Blacklist" retained a lesser 82% of its week-earlier premiere Adult 18-49 audience this past Monday.

· ABC's "Scandal" and "How to Get Away with Murder" are once again tracking as the week's Top 2 dramas in Adults 18-49.

· For the 2nd consecutive week, ABC's Thursday was up from the year-ago night (8.6 million and 2.8/8, the night of "Scandal's" season opener) in Total Viewers (+21%) and Adults 18-49 (+7%).

"Grey's Anatomy" (8:00-9:00 p.m. - 9.1 million and 2.6/8 in AD18-49):

At 8:00 p.m., "Grey's Anatomy" ranked as the No. 1 non-sports program, beating runner-up Fox's "Bones" by 44% in Total Viewers (9.1 million vs. 6.3 million) and by 73% in Adults 18-49 (2.6/8 vs. 1.5/5). The 9th season ABC medical drama continued to improve its new time period year to year (5.8 million and 1.6/5 on 10/3/13).

"Scandal" (9:00-10:00 p.m. - 10.4 million and 3.3/10 in AD18-49):

Surging from its lead-in during the 9:00 p.m. hour, ABC's "Scandal" more than doubled Fox's debut of "Gracepoint" (4.8 million and 1.2/3) and towered over NBC's comedy debuts ("Bad Judge"/"A to Z" = 5.3 million and 1.3/4).

· "Scandal" was up over the year-ago telecast of "Grey's" in the hour (9.6 million and 3.1/9).

"How to Get Away with Murder" (10:00-11:00 p.m. - 11.8 million and 3.2/10 in AD18-49):

Adding viewers from its lead-in at 10:00 p.m., ABC's "How to Get Away with Murder" held strong triple-digit advantages over NBC's "Parenthood" in Total Viewers (+168% - 11.8 million vs. 4.4 million) and Adults 18-49 (+146% - 3.2/10 vs. 1.3/4). The week's No. 1 10:00 p.m. show, "HTGAWM" leads its nearest competition in the final hour of primetime by 14% in Adults 18-49 (NBC's "The Blacklist" this past Monday = 2.8/8).

· Impressively, "How to Get Away with Murder" was up over the year-ago season opener of "Scandal" by 1.3 million viewers in the hour (11.8 million vs. 10.5 million on 10/3/13).

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 48% 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.

Projections Rationale:

Lifts vs. L+SD are based on the 2013-14 season for premiere telecast or an average for originals (excluding the premiere).

Returning shows: Profile based on same show (either premiere or averages for originals).

New Series: Based on similar series.

Source: The Nielsen Company, Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Ratings, 10/2/14.