ABC Wins 3rd Straight Thursday - Scandal Hits 6-Week High and Murder a 3-Week High

ABC Thursday Prime (8-11pm - 9.2 million and 2.8/9 in AD18-49): ABC won its 3rd straight November Sweep Thursday in Adults 18-49, outdistancing 2nd-place CBS by 22% (2.8/9 vs. 2.3/7). The Network nearly tripled the young adult deliveries for NBC (+180% - 1.0/3) and Fox (+180% - 1.0/3).

· ABC was up for the 2nd week in viewers (+2%) and young adults (+4%). In Adults 18-49, Scandal (+10%) and How to Get Away with Murder (+4%) posted week-to-week gains. Scandal delivered a 6-week high (since 10/2/14) and HTGAWM hit a 3-week high (since 10/23/14).

· ABC's Scandal (3.2/9), Murder (2.9/9) and Grey's (2.4/7) continued their run as Thursday's Top 3 dramas in Adults 18-49 (over CBS' Elementary, NBC's Parenthood and Fox's Bones and Gracepoint). In addition, Scandal and HTGAWM trailed only CBS' The Big Bang Theory as the top-rated series of the night and are once again tracking as the week's top broadcast dramas in Adults 18-49.

· From 10-11pm, ABC's How to Get Away with Murder (2.9/9) beat its combined drama competition for the 3rd consecutive week in Adults 18-49, topping CBS' Elementary by 142% (1.2/4) and NBC's Parenthood by 190% (1.0/3).

· The Net improved sharply from the year-ago November Sweep Thursday (7.1 million and 2.1/6 on 11/14/13), jumping 30% in viewers and 33% in young adults. And season to date, ABC's Thursday is growing by double digits from the same point last year in Total Viewers (+29%) and Adults 18-49 (+21%) for its top numbers on the night in 5 years - since the comparable weeks of the 2009-10 season. ABC's HTGAWM and Scandal stand as the season's Top 2 broadcast dramas in the key young adult sales demo, respectively.

Quick Take for Thursday, November 13, 2014 (Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Ratings)

ABC Wins 3rd Straight Thursday of the November Sweep in Adults 18-49, Jumping 33% from the Year-Ago Night and Adding 4% Week to Week

From 8-9pm, ABC's "Grey's" Doubles Fox's "Bones" Among Adults 18-49

"Scandal" Grows to 6-Week Highs and Improves on its Year-Ago Telecast

For the 3rd Straight Week, "How to Get Away with Murder" Beats its Combined 10pm Drama Competition on NBC and CBS in Adults 18-49 and is Up for the 2nd Week

Thursday Night (11/13/14) - ABC Total Viewer and Adult 18-49 Projections

"Grey's Anatomy:" Live + 3 = 12.9 million/3.5 rating and Live + 7 = 14.0 million/3.8 rating

"Scandal:" Live + 3 = 14.6 million/4.6 rating and Live + 7 = 15.3 million/4.8 rating

"HTGAWM:" Live + 3 = 13.4 million/4.2 rating and Live + 7 = 14.1 million/4.4 rating

Live + Same Day Fast Affiliate Results:

ABC Thursday Prime (8:00-11:00 p.m. - 9.2 million and 2.8/9 in AD18-49):

ABC won its 3rd straight November Sweep Thursday in Adults 18-49, outdistancing 2nd-place CBS by a season-best 22% (2.8/9 vs. 2.3/7). The Network nearly tripled the young adult deliveries for NBC (+180% - 1.0/3) and Fox (+180% - 1.0/3). ABC was up for the 2nd week in viewers (+2%) and young adults (+4%).

· ABC's "Scandal" (3.2/9), "Murder" (2.9/9) and "Grey's" (2.4/7) continued their run as Thursday's Top 3 dramas in Adults 18-49 (over CBS' "Elementary," NBC's "Parenthood" and Fox's "Bones" and "Gracepoint"). In addition, "Scandal" and "HTGAWM" paced behind only CBS' "The Big Bang Theory" as the top-rated series of the night.

· The Net improved sharply from the year-ago November Sweep Thursday (7.1 million and 2.1/6 on 11/14/13), jumping 30% in viewers and 33% in young adults. And season to date, ABC's Thursday is growing by double digits from the same point last year in Total Viewers (+29%) and Adults 18-49 (+21%) for its top numbers on the night in 5 years - since the comparable weeks of the 2009-10 season. ABC's "HTGAWM" and "Scandal" stand as the season's Top 2 broadcast dramas in the key young adult sales demo, respectively.

"Grey's Anatomy" (8:00-9:00 p.m. - 8.3 million and 2.4/7 in AD18-49):

At 8:00 p.m., opposite "Big Bang," ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" gained viewers week to week (+2%) and held steady in Adults 18-49. "Grey's" outdrew its drama competition in the hour (Fox's "Bones") by 2.8 million viewers (8.3 million vs. 5.5 million) and doubled it in Adults 18-49 (+100% - 2.4/7 vs. 1.2/4).

"Scandal" (9:00-10:00 p.m. - 10.0 million and 3.2/9 in AD18-49):

At 9:00 p.m., ABC's "Scandal" jumped up to take full control of its hour in Adults 18-49 (3.2/9), outdelivering CBS' comedies by a best-yet 68% ("Two and a Half Men"/"The McCarthys" = 1.9/6), while quadrupling both NBC's comedies ("Bad Judge"/"A to Z" = 0.8/2) and Fox's "Gracepoint" (0.8/2). It also won its slot in Total Viewers (10.0 million).

· The ABC drama grew week to week in Total Viewers (+2%) and Adults 18-49 (+10%) to earn 6-week highs - since 10/2/14. It also built on its own year-ago telecast at 10:00 p.m. (9.0 million and 2.9/9 on 11/14/13) by double digits in viewers (+11%) and young adults (+10%).

"How to Get Away with Murder" (10:00-11:00 p.m. - 9.2 million and 2.9/9 in AD18-49):

From 10:00-11:00 p.m., ABC's "How to Get Away with Murder" (2.9/9) beat its combined drama competition for the 3rd consecutive week in Adults 18-49, topping CBS' "Elementary" by 142% (1.2/4) and NBC's "Parenthood" by 190% (1.0/3). The new ABC drama was the most-watched TV show overall in the slot for the 3rd week running (9.2 million).

· "Murder" remained even week to week in Total Viewers and was up in Adults 18-49 (+4%) to hit a 3-week high - since 10/23/14. In addition, it topped "Scandal" in the hour on the year-ago night in viewers and equaled it in Adults 18-49.

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, 11/13/14.