ABC's TGIT Delivers Thursday's Dominant Entertainment Shows for 3rd Straight Week

Live + Same Day Results:

ABC Thursday Prime (8-11pm - 8.0 million and 2.3/8 in AD18-49): ABC (8.0 million and 2.3/8) was Thursday's non-sports leader for the 3rd week running opposite CBS' NFL coverage (Indianapolis-Houston), outdelivering NBC's drama lineup (5.2 million and 1.2/4) by widening margins of 54% in Total Viewers and by 92% in Adults 18-49 and once again more than doubling Fox's dramas (4.6 million and 1.1/4) in Adults 18-49 (+109%). ABC's TGIT lineup won the night across key Women (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54) and delivered its closest finish this season in Adults 18-49 with CBS on Thursday. ABC's Thursday lineup exhibited strong week to week retention, holding 92% of last week's Adult 18-49 rating and 100% of its audience share (2.3/8 vs. 2.5/8).

· For the 3rd straight Thursday this season, ABC's TGIT schedule produced the Top 3 entertainment shows of the night in Adults 18-49 with Grey's Anatomy (2.1/8), Scandal (2.6/8) and How to Get Away with Murder (2.1/7).

· Live + 3 Ratings for Last Week: ABC's Thursday dramas stood as the night's Top 3 gainers in TV playback in Adults 18-49, with each show picking up at least +1.5 rating points: Scandal (+1.6 rating points) ranked #1, while Grey's Anatomy and How to Get Away with Murder (+1.5 rating points) both tied for #2. In fact, Scandal posted a bigger gain in its second week this season with young adults (+1.6 rating points vs. +1.5 rating points for the prior week's premiere) and Total Viewers (+3.85 million vs. +3.77 million) to deliver new highs in L+3 playback lift.

· In the 9pm hour on Thursday, ABC's Scandal increased its winning advantage over NBC's The Blacklist to 73% in Adults 18-49 (2.6/8 vs. 1.5/5), rising substantially from its 56% lead the prior week. In addition, Scandal is tracking as the week's 2nd-highest-rated drama in Adults 18-49, further closing the gap with Fox's Empire (-2.5 vs. -2.7).

Thursday (10/08/15) - ABC Total Viewer and Adult 18-49 Projections, including Multiplatform + 35 Days

Grey's Anatomy: L3 = 12.2 million/3.2 rating, L7 = 13.1 million/3.4 rating and MP+35 = 4.4 rating

Scandal: L3 = 12.9 million/3.9 rating, L7 = 13.6 million/4.1 rating and MP+35 = 5.2 rating

HTGAWM: L3 = 11.4 million/3.4 rating, L7 = 12.2 million/3.6 rating and MP+35 = 4.5 rating

Quick Take for Thursday, October 8, 2015 (Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Ratings)

ABC's TGIT Lineup Towers Over its Non-Sports Competition for 3rd Straight Week

"Grey's" Builds its Lead Over "Heroes Reborn" and Overshadows "Bones"

"Scandal" Beats NBC's "The Blacklist" by 73%, Up from 56% the Prior Week

"HTGAWM" More than Doubles NBC's "The Player" for the 3rd Week in a Row

Thursday (10/08/15) - ABC Viewer and Adult 18-49 Projections, including Multiplatform + 35 Days

"Grey's Anatomy": L3 = 12.2 million/3.2 rating, L7 = 13.1 million/3.4 rating and MP+35 = 4.4 rating

"Scandal": L3 = 12.9 million/3.9 rating, L7 = 13.6 million/4.1 rating and MP+35 = 5.2 rating

"HTGAWM": L3 = 11.4 million/3.4 rating, L7 = 12.2 million/3.6 rating and MP+35 = 4.5 rating

Live + Same Day Results:

ABC Thursday Prime (8:00-11:00 p.m. - 8.0 million and 2.3/8 in AD18-49):

ABC (8.0 million and 2.3/8) was Thursday's non-sports leader for the 3rd week running opposite CBS' NFL coverage (Indianapolis-Houston), outdelivering NBC's drama lineup (5.2 million and 1.2/4) by widening margins of 54% in Total Viewers and by 92% in Adults 18-49 and once again more than doubling Fox's dramas (4.6 million and 1.1/4) in Adults 18-49 (+109%). ABC's TGIT lineup won the night across key Women (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54) and delivered its closest finish this season in Adults 18-49 with CBS on Thursday. ABC's Thursday schedule exhibited strong week-to-week retention, holding 92% of last week's Adult 18-49 rating and 100% of its audience share (2.3/8 vs. 2.5/8).

· For the 3rd straight Thursday this season, ABC's TGIT schedule produced the Top 3 entertainment shows of the night in Adults 18-49 with "Grey's Anatomy" (2.1/8), "Scandal" (2.6/8) and "How to Get Away with Murder" (2.1/7).

Live + 3 Ratings for Last Week: ABC's Thursday dramas stood as the night's Top 3 gainers in TV playback in Adults 18-49, with each show picking up at least +1.5 rating points: "Scandal" (+1.6 rating points) ranked No. 1, while "Grey's" and "Murder" (+1.5 rating points) tied for No. 2. In fact, "Scandal" posted a bigger gain in its second week this season with young adults (+1.6 rating points vs. +1.5 rating points for the prior week's premiere) and Total Viewers (+3.85 million vs. +3.77 million) to deliver new highs in L+3 playback lift.

"Grey's Anatomy" (8:00-9:00 p.m. - 8.1 million and 2.1/8 in AD18-49):

At 8:00 p.m., ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" widended its lead over NBC's "Heroes Reborn" in Total Viewers (+84% - 8.1 million vs. 4.4 million) and Adults 18-49 (+75% - 2.1/8 vs. 1.2/4), while once again dominating Fox's "Bones" in the hour (5.8 million and 1.3/4) in Total Viewers (+40%) and Adults 18-49 (+62%).

"Scandal" (9:00-10:00 p.m. - 8.7 million and 2.6/8 in AD18-49):

Building on its lead-in at 9:00 p.m., ABC's "Scandal" increased its winning advantage over NBC's "The Blacklist" to 73% in Adults 18-49 (2.6/8 vs. 1.5/5), rising substantially from its 56% lead the prior week. "Scandal" also outdrew "The Blacklist" by 1.8 million viewers (8.7 million vs. 6.9 million), building on its 1.3 million viewer advantage the prior week. Also in the hour, the ABC drama scored strong triple-digit advantages over Fox's "Sleepy Hollow" (3.4 million and 1.0/3) in Total Viewers (+156%) and Adults 18-49 (+160%).

· "Scandal" is tracking as the week's 2nd-highest-rated drama in Adults 18-49, further closing the gap with Fox's "Empire" (-2.5 vs. -2.7).

"How to Get Away with Murder" (10:00-11:00 p.m. - 7.2 million and 2.1/7 in AD18-49):

At 10:00 p.m., ABC's "How to Get Away with Murder" more than doubled its NBC drama competition for the 3rd week in a row, outperforming "The Player" by a best-yet 133% in Adults 18-49 (2.1/7 vs. 0.9/3). "Murder" also outdrew "The Player" by 64% in Total Viewers (7.2 million vs. 4.4 million).

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 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, 10/08/15.