ABC Wins Tuesday with "The Taste" Debut and "Private Practice" Finale

Info on ABC's Tuesday, ahead of the regular press release.

With the debut of The Taste and the series finale for Private Practice, ABC won Tuesday in Adults 18-49, leading by double digits over NBC (+19%), Fox (+19%) and CBS (+27%).

ABC's The Taste opened a strong #1 from 8-10pm among Adults 18-49, beating original comedy programming on Fox by 38% and NBC by 47%. In fact the new show ranked #1 in each half hour and gained young adult audience throughout its premiere. The Taste earned ABC's strongest non-sports Adult 18-49 rating in the 2-hour slot since November - since 11/27/12. Among Adults 18-49, The Taste is ABC's top in-season unscripted debut in nearly 2 years and the 2nd highest on any net since The X-Factor opened in September 2011 - since 3/6/11 and 9/22/11, respectively.

Spiking week to week in Total Viewers (+27%) and Adults 18-49 (+25%), ABC's Private Practice closed out with show's highest numbers in 14 weeks - since 10/9/12.

Quick Take for Tuesday, January 22, 2013 (Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Ratings)

ABC Wins Tuesday in Adults 18-49 with "The Taste" Opening as the No. 1 TV Show

Leading Each Half-Hour and Building from 8-10pm, "The Taste" Dominates Among Adults 18-49 and Stands as ABC's Top In-Season Unscripted Debut in Nearly 2 Years

ABC's Series Finale of "Private Practice" Surges Week to Week by 27% in Viewers and by 25% in Adults 18-49 to Close Out at 15-Week Highs

Tuesday Night (8:00-11:00 p.m.)

With the debut of "The Taste" and the series finale of "Private Practice," ABC won Tuesday in Adults 18-49 (1.9/5), leading by double digits over NBC (+19% - 1.6/4), Fox (+19% - 1.6/4) and CBS (+27% - 1.5/4).

"The Taste" (8:00-10:00 p.m.)

ABC's "The Taste" opened a strong No. 1 from 8:00-10:00 p.m. among Adults 18-49 (2.2/6), beating original comedy programming on Fox by 38% (1.6/4) and NBC by 47% (1.5/4). In fact it was Tuesday's top-rated TV show, ranking No. 1 in each half hour and gaining young adult audience throughout its premiere. "The Taste" earned ABC's strongest non-sports Adult 18-49 rating in the 2-hour slot since November (since 11/27/12) and was up over the "Dancing" premiere in September (2.1/6 on 9/25/12).

· Among Adults 18-49, "The Taste" is ABC's top in-season unscripted debut in nearly 2 years and the 2nd highest on any net since "The X-Factor" opened in September 2011 - since 3/6/11 and 9/22/11, respectively.

"Private Practice" (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

Spiking week to week in Total Viewers (+27% - 5.2 million vs. 4.1 million) and Adults 18-49 (+25% - 1.5/4 vs. 1.2/3), ABC's "Private Practice" closed out with the show's highest numbers in 15 weeks - since 10/9/12.

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 47% currently, from 43% at the same point in 2012. 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.

Source: The Nielsen Company (Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Ratings), 01/22/13.