ABC's "Happy Endings" Catches NBC's "Go On" and Beats "The New Normal"

Shifting back to a 1-hour format (from last week's 2-hour debut) against an original of CBS' top-rated NCIS, ABC's The Taste tied Fox's first-run installments Raising Hope in Adults 18-49 and drew 33% more overall viewers. In addition, the new ABC cooking competition finished #2 in the hour with Adults 25-54.

At 9pm, ABC's Happy Endings tied NBC's Go On for the first time ever in Adults 18-49. The ABC comedy held the distinct edge in Adults 18-34, leading the NBC comedy by 50%.

Building 8% at 9:30pm, a second episode of Happy Endings beat NBC's The New Normal by 18% in Adults 18-49. In addition, the ABC comedy earned its 2nd-highest Adult 18-34 rating this season.

Gaining broad primetime exposure during the 10 o'clock hour, a special encore of ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live, featuring Matt Damon hijacking Kimmel's late-night show, improved the time period year to year by 20% in Adults 18-49. The repeat JKL broadcast ranked #1 among Men 18-34 versus its original competition on CBS (Vegas) and NBC (Dateline).

Quick Take for Tuesday, January 29, 2013 (Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Ratings)

ABC's "The Taste" Ties Fox's "Raising Hope" in Adults 18-49 and Leads in Viewers

At 9pm, ABC's "Happy Endings" Catches NBC's "Go On" in Adults 18-49 For the First Time, and at 9:30pm Defeats "The New Normal" by 18%

Gaining Broad Prime Exposure, a Special 10pm Encore of "Jimmy Kimmel Live," Featuring Matt Damon, Improves its Time Slot by 20% Year to Year in Adults 18-49

"The Taste" (8:00-9:00 p.m.)

Shifting back to a 1-hour format (from last week's 2-hour debut) against an original of CBS' top-rated "NCIS" in the 8 o'clock hour, ABC's "The Taste" tied Fox's first-run installments of "Raising Hope" in Adults 18-49 (1.6/4) and drew 33% more overall viewers (4.8 million vs. 3.6 million). In addition, the new ABC cooking competition finished No. 2 in the hour with Adults 25-54.

"Happy Endings" (9:00-9:30 p.m.)

At 9:00 p.m., ABC's "Happy Endings" caught NBC's "Go On" for the first time in Adults 18-49 (1.2/3). The ABC comedy held the distinct edge in Adults 18-34, leading the NBC comedy by 50% (1.2/4 vs. 0.8/3).

"Happy Endings" (9:30-10:00 p.m.)

Gaining 8% at 9:30 p.m., a second episode of "Happy Endings" beat NBC's "The New Normal" by 18% in Adults 18-49 (1.3/3 vs. 1.1/3). In addition, the ABC comedy earned its 2nd-highest Adult 18-34 rating this season.

"Jimmy Kimmel Live" (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

Gaining broad primetime exposure during the 10 o'clock hour, a special encore of ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live," featuring Matt Damon hijacking Kimmel's late-night show, improved the time period year to year by 20% in Adults 18-49 (1.2/3 vs. 1.0/3 on 1/31/12). The repeat "JKL" broadcast ranked No. 1 among Men 18-34 (0.9/3-tie) versus its original competition on CBS ("Vegas" - 0.9/3) and NBC ("Dateline" - 0.4/2).

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), 01/29/13.