ABC Wins 5th Straight Thursday in AD - Murder Finale Dominates 9-11pm

Thursday (02/27/15) - ABC Total Viewer and Adult 18-49 Projections

Grey's Anatomy: Live + 3 = 11.6 million/3.3 rating and Live + 7 = 12.6 million/3.5 rating

HTGAWM: Live + 3 = 14.6 million/4.5 rating and Live + 7 = 15.6 million/4.8 rating

Live + Same Day Results:

ABC Thursday Prime (8-11pm - 8.5 million and 2.6/8 in AD18-49): Coming off its strong February Sweep victory on the night, ABC won its 5th straight Thursday in Adults 18-49 (2.6/8), leading runner-up CBS by 18% (2.2/7), 3rd-place Fox by 73% (1.5/5) and 4th-place NBC by 136% (1.1/4).

· ABC's 2-hour season finale of How to Get Away with Murder and Grey's Anatomy finished as Thursday's Top 2 dramas in Adults 18-49. Murder was also the night's #2 TV show, behind only CBS' Big Bang Theory (tied w/lead-out The Odd Couple).

· On average season to date, ABC's Thursday delivery is up by double digits in Total Viewers (+22%) and Adults 18-49 (+21%), marking a 5-year high in viewers and a 4-year high in young adults - since the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons, respectively.

Grey's Anatomy (8-9pm - 7.5 million and 2.2/7 in AD18-49): At 8pm against The Big Bang Theory and The Odd Couple, ABC's Grey's Anatomy beat Fox's American Idol for the 2nd week in a row in Adults 18-49 (+5% - 2.2/7 vs. 2.1/7). Also in the hour, Grey's once again more than doubled NBC's The Slap in viewers (+108% - 7.5 million vs. 3.6 million) and more than tripled it in Adults 18-49 (+214% - 2.2/7 vs. 0.7/2).

How to Get Away with Murder (9-11pm - 9.0 million and 2.8/9 in AD18-49): Building on its lead-in at 9pm and building from its first hour to second hour, ABC's season finale of How to Get Away with Murder dominated its 2-hour time period, leading its nearest competition (CBS) by 43% in Total Viewers (9.0 million vs. 6.3 million) and by 87% in Adults 18-49 (2.8/9 vs. 1.5/5). In fact in its regular 10pm time period, the ABC freshman series beat its combined CBS and NBC competition in the hour for the 5th straight week for in the key sales demo (+61% - 2.9/9 vs. 1.8/6).

· Despite not having Scandal as a lead-in, How to Get Away with Murder was up for the 3rd week in Total Viewers (9.0 million vs. 8.9 million) and was steady with last week's Fast Affiliate Adult 18-49 number (2.8/9), marking its most-watched telecast since its mid-season return in January - since 1/29/15. The show was up week to week in the 10p hour with Adults 18-49 (2.9/9 vs. 2.8/9 - Fast Affiliate vs. Fast Affiliate).

· The season finale of HTGAWM was the most social series on broadcast Thursday with 269,193 tweets, up 91% week to week. Overall, the show delivered 2 million tweets during its freshman season making it ABC's second most social series to Scandal.

Quick Take for Thursday, February 26, 2015 (Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Program Ratings)

ABC Wins its 5th Consecutive Thursday Night Among Adults 18-49

ABC's "Grey's" Defeats Fox's "Idol" for the 2nd Week in a Row with Adults18-49

Season Finale of "How to Get Away With Murder" Dominates its 2-Hour Slot, Drawing the Drama's Biggest Audience Since its Mid-Season Return in January

Thursday (02/26/15) - ABC Total Viewer and Adult 18-49 Projections

"Grey's Anatomy:" Live + 3 = 11.6 million/3.3 rating and Live + 7 = 12.6 million/3.5 rating

"HTGAWM:" Live + 3 = 14.6 million/4.5 rating and Live + 7 = 15.6 million/4.8 rating

Live + Same Day Results:

ABC Thursday Prime (8:00-11:00 p.m. - 8.5 million and 2.6/8 in AD18-49):

Coming off its strong February Sweep victory on the night, ABC won its 5th straight Thursday in Adults 18-49 (2.6/8), leading runner-up CBS by 18% (2.2/7), 3rd-place Fox by 73% (1.5/5) and 4th-place NBC by 136% (1.1/4).

· ABC's 2-hour season finale of "How to Get Away with Murder" and "Grey's Anatomy" finished as Thursday's Top 2 dramas in Adults 18-49. Murder was also the night's No. 2 TV show, behind only CBS' "The Big Bang Theory" (tied w/lead-out "The Odd Couple").

· On average season to date, ABC's Thursday delivery is up by double digits in Total Viewers (+22%) and Adults 18-49 (+21%), marking a 5-year high in viewers and a 4-year high in young adults - since the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons, respectively.

"Grey's Anatomy" (8:00-9:00 p.m. - 7.5 million and 2.2/7 in AD18-49):

At 8:00 p.m. against "The Big Bang Theory" and "The Odd Couple," ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" beat Fox's "American Idol" for the 2nd week in a row in Adults 18-49 (+5% - 2.2/7 vs. 2.1/7). Also in the hour, "Grey's" once again more than doubled NBC's "The Slap" in viewers (+108% - 7.5 million vs. 3.6 million) and more than tripled it in Adults 18-49 (+214% - 2.2/7 vs. 0.7/2).

"How to Get Away with Murder" (10:00-11:00 p.m. - 9.0 million and 2.8/9 in AD18-49):

Building on its lead-in at 9:00 p.m. and gaining from its first hour to second hour, ABC's season finale of "How to Get Away with Murder" dominated its 2-hour time period, leading its nearest competition (CBS) by 43% in Total Viewers (9.0 million vs. 6.3 million) and by 87% in Adults 18-49 (2.8/9 vs. 1.5/5). In fact in its regular 10 o'clock hour, the ABC freshman series beat its combined CBS and NBC competition for the 5th straight week in the key sales demo (+61% - 2.9/9 vs. 1.8/6).

· Despite not having "Scandal" as a lead-in, "How to Get Away with Murder" was up for the 3rd week in Total Viewers (9.0 million vs. 8.9 million) and held steady with last week's Fast Affiliate Adult 18-49 number (2.8/9), marking its most-watched telecast since its mid-season return in January - since 1/29/15. The show was up week to week in the 10:00 p.m. hour with Adults 18-49 (2.9/9 vs. 2.8/9 - Fast Affiliate vs. Fast Affiliate).

· The season finale of "HTGAWM" was the most-social series on broadcast Thursday with 269,193 tweets, spiking 91% week to week. Overall, the show delivered 2.0 million tweets during its freshman season, making it ABC's 2nd-most-social series to "Scandal."

A note about DVR penetration: DVR penetration in the Nielsen sample is currently at 49% in U.S. TV Homes. More viewers are watching shows on their own timetables, which are increasingly not reflected in the overnight Live + Same Day numbers. As a result, the Live + 7 Day ratings are the most accurate measure to gauge the size of the TV audience.

Projections Rationale:

Lifts vs. L+SD are based on the 2014-15 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, 02/26/15.