ABC's black-ish Grows Week to Week - ABC Claims 4 of Wednesday's Top 5 Shows After Empire

Live + Same Day Results:

ABC Wednesday Prime (8-11pm - 6.1 million and 1.8/6 in AD18-49): After Fox's Empire, ABC aired 4 of the Top 5 next-highest-rated TV series on Wednesday with Modern Family (2.7/8), The Goldbergs (2.1/7 - 1-tenth ahead of Survivor), The Middle (1.9/7) and black-ish (1.9/6). Modern Family continued to narrow the Adult 18-49 gap with Empire on the night, trimming it by another 2-tenths of a rating point week to week (-2.3 points vs -2.5 points). ABC took 2nd place to Fox on Wednesday in Adults 18-49, moving 13% ahead of CBS (1.8/6 vs. 1.6/5) and beating NBC by 29% (1.4/4).

· Earning 2nd to Empire in the 9:30pm half-hour among young adults, ABC's black-ish grew by 6% week to week in Adults 18-49.

· At 10pm, ABC's Nashville (1.1/3) held steady week to week in Adults 18-49, tying CBS' Code Black (1.1/4) and closing the gap with NBC's Chicago PD (1.5/5), as the NBC and CBS dramas dropped week to week. Please Note: Nashville is one of ABC's biggest gainers in TV playback and delivered a larger L3 lift last week than either of its 10pm drama competitors: Nashville (+64%), Code Black (+53%) and Chicago PD (+47%).

Wednesday (10/7/15) - ABC Total Viewer and Adult 18-49 Projections, including Multiplatform + 35 Days

The Middle: L3 = 9.0 million/2.3 rating, L7 = 9.6 million/2.5 rating and MP+35 = 2.8 rating

The Goldbergs: L3 = 8.8 million/2.7 rating, L7 = 9.5 million/2.9 rating and MP+35 = 3.3 rating

Modern Family: L3 = 11.8 million/3.9 rating, L7 = 13.1 million/4.3 rating and MP+35 = 5.6 rating

Black-ish: Live + 3 = 8.0 million/2.5 rating, L7 = 8.7 million/2.7 rating and MP+35 = 3.4 rating

Nashville: Live + 3 = 6.9 million/1.6 rating, L7 = 7.6 million/1.7 rating and MP+35 = 2.3 rating

Quick Take for Wednesday, October 7, 2015 (Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Ratings)

ABC Ranks Second on Wednesday in Adults 18-49, Leapfrogging over CBS

"The Middle" Nearly Catches CBS' "Survivor" to Rank No. 1 in the 8pm Half-Hour

ABC's "The Goldbergs" Builds on Its Lead-in to Win Its 8:30pm Time Slot

"Modern" Is the Night's No. 2 TV Series, Cutting the Gap with "Empire" Once Again

"black-ish" Is the Night's Only Program to Post Week-to-Week Growth

ABC's "Nashville" Holds Steady While Its NBC and CBS Competition Decline

Wednesday (10/07/15) - ABC Total Viewer and Adult 18-49 Projections:

"The Middle": L3 = 9.0 million/2.3 rating, L7 = 9.6 million/2.5 rating and MP+35 = 2.8 rating

"The Goldbergs": L3 = 8.8 million/2.7 rating, L7 = 9.5 million/2.9 rating and MP+35 = 3.3 rating

"Modern Family": L3 = 11.8 million/3.9 rating, L7 = 13.1 million/4.3 rating and MP+35 = 5.6 rating

"black-ish": Live + 3 = 8.0 million/2.5 rating, L7 = 8.7 million/2.7 rating and MP+35 = 3.4 rating

"Nashville": Live + 3 = 6.9 million/1.6 rating, L7 = 7.6 million/1.7 rating and MP+35 = 2.3 rating

Live + Same Day Results:

ABC Wednesday Prime (8:00-11:00 p.m. - 6.1 million and 1.8/6 in AD18-49):

After Fox's "Empire," ABC aired 4 of the Top 5 next-highest-rated TV series on Wednesday with "Modern Family" (2.7/8), "The Goldbergs" (2.1/7 vs. 2.0/7 - 1-tenth ahead of CBS' "Survivor"), "The Middle" (1.9/7) and "black-ish" (1.9/6). "Modern Family" continued to narrow the Adult 18-49 gap with "Empire" on the night, trimming it by another 2-tenths of a rating point week to week (-2.3 points vs -2.5 points). ABC took 2nd place to Fox on Wednesday in Adults 18-49, moving 13% ahead of CBS (1.8/6 vs. 1.6/5) and beating NBC by 29% (1.4/4).

· ABC's "The Middle" ran neck-and-neck with CBS' "Survivor" as the No. 1 series in the 8:00 p.m. half-hour among Adults 18-49 (pacing within 1-tenth of a rating point and tied in audience share - 1.9/7 vs. 2.0/7), while beating the first half-hours of Fox's "Rosewood" by 27% (1.5/6) and NBC's "The Mysteries of Laura" by 73% (1.1/4).

· Building on its Adult 18-49 lead-in (+11%), "The Goldbergs" won its 8:30 p.m. slot by 5% over "Survivor" (2.1/7 vs. 2.0/7).

· At 9:00 p.m., opposite the first half-hour of "Empire," ABC's "Modern Family" spiked over its lead-in by 29% in Adults 18-49 (2.7/8), standing 1 full rating point ahead of CBS' "Criminal Minds (1.7/5) and 1.2 rating points ahead of NBC's "Law & Order: SVU" (1.5/5).

· Earning 2nd to "Empire" in the 9:30 p.m. half-hour among young adults, ABC's "black-ish" (1.9/6) was the only program of the night to grow week to week in Adults 18-49 (+6%).

· At 10:00 p.m., ABC's "Nashville" (1.1/3) held steady week to week in Adults 18-49, tying CBS' "Code Black" (1.1/4) and closing the gap with NBC's "Chicago P.D." (1.5/5), as the NBC and CBS dramas dropped week to week. Please Note: "Nashville" is one of ABC's biggest gainers in TV playback and delivered a larger L3 lift last week than either of its 10:00 p.m. drama competitors: "Nashville" (+64%), "Code Black" (+53%) and "Chicago P.D." (+47%).

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.

A note about DVR penetration: DVR penetration in the Nielsen sample is currently at 48% 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 Nielsen measure to gauge the size of the TV audience.

Source: The Nielsen Company, Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Ratings for 10/7/15.