"Grey's" Is Up and "Scandal" Posts Best-Ever Repeat Numbers

With a mix of original and repeat programming, ABC ranked #2 on Thursday in Adults 18-49 to an Idol-led Fox, outperforming NBC's all-original lineup on the night by 54%.

More than doubling its Adult 18-49 lead-in (+150%) and building week to week at 9pm, ABC's Grey's Anatomy won its hour to finish as Thursday's #1 drama. During the 9 o'clock hour, Grey's moved past Fox's Idol-driven Glee by 11% and beat NBC's original comedies by 88% (The Office/1600 Penn). Grey's was up over last week's Fast Affiliate numbers in Total Viewers (+2%) and Adults 18-49 (+3%). In addition, the ABC drama gained among Women 18-34 (+5%) to deliver its highest rating since October 4, 2012 .

A repeat of ABC's Scandal won the 10 o'clock hour among Adults 18-49, besting CBS' Elementary replay by 20% and NBC's first-run Rock Center with Brian Williams by 125%. In fact, Scandal was the #1 series in its slot for its 6th consecutive broadcast with young adults. In Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, Scandal marked its highest repeat numbers ever. Continuing to improve its time period year to year, the Scandal replay more than doubled the year-ago Private Practice repeat in viewers (+104%) and young adults (+125%).

Quick Take for Thursday, January 24, 2013 (Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Ratings)

More than Doubling its Lead-in at 9pm, ABC's "Grey's" Moves Ahead of Fox's "Idol"-led "Glee" to Finish as Thursday's No. 1 Drama in Adults 18-49

"Grey's Anatomy" is Up Week to Week in Viewers and Young Adults, While Earning its Highest Women 18-34 Rating Since the Beginning of October

Posting its Best-Ever Repeat Results, ABC's "Scandal" Wins the 10pm Hour Among Adults 18-49 and Greatly Improves its Time Period Year to year

Thursday Night (8:00-11:00 p.m.) With a mix of original and repeat programming, ABC ranked No. 2 on Thursday in Adults 18-49 (2.0/5-tie) to an "Idol"-led Fox, outperforming NBC's all-original lineup on the night by 54% (1.3/4).

"Grey's Anatomy" (9:00-10:00 p.m.)

More than doubling its Adult 18-49 lead-in (+150%) at 9:00 p.m. and building week to week, ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" won its hour to finish as Thursday's No. 1 drama. During the 9 o'clock hour, "Grey's" (3.0/8) moved past Fox's "Idol"-driven "Glee" by 11% (2.7/7) and beat NBC's original comedies by 88% ("The Office"/"1600 Penn" = 1.6/4).

· "Grey's" was up over last week's Fast Affiliate numbers in Total Viewers (+2% - 8.9 million vs. 8.7 million) and Adults 18-49 (+3% - 3.0/8 vs. 2.9/7). In addition, the ABC drama gained among Women 18-34 (+5%) to deliver its highest rating since October 4, 2012.

"Scandal" (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

A repeat of ABC's "Scandal" won the 10 o'clock hour among Adults 18-49 (1.8/5), besting CBS' "Elementary" replay by 20% (1.5/4) and NBC's first-run "Rock Center with Brian Williams" by 125% (0.8/2). "Scandal" was the No. 1 series in its slot for its 6th consecutive broadcast with young adults.

· In Total Viewers (5.7 million) and Adults 18-49 (1.8/5), "Scandal" marked its highest-ever repeat numbers, topping its previous encore highs by 58% and 100%, respectively (3.6 million and 0.9/3 on 01/03/13).

· Continuing to improve its time period year to year, the "Scandal" replay more than doubled the year-ago "Private Practice" repeat (2.8 million and 0.8/2 on 1/26/12) in viewers (+104%) and young adults (+125%).

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, 01/24/13.