"Scandal" Opens Season 3 at Series Highs, up +71% Year to Year and +13% Ahead of Its Previous Best

Scandal Season 3 Premiere (10-11pm - 10.5 million and 3.6/10 in AD18-49): Building on its Grey's lead-in by best-ever margins in viewers (+12%) and young adults (+20%), ABC's Scandal opened its 3rd season at series highs in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49. In Adults 18-49, Scandal was up 71% over its year-ago season premiere (2.1/6 on 9/27/12) and surpassed its previous series highs by 13% (3.2/9 set on its final two telecasts last season). Scandal was the #2 TV show of the night in Adults 18-49, behind only CBS' The Big Bang Theory.

Scandal Premieres in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49:

Season 1 (4/5/12) = 7.3 million and 2.0/6

Season 2 (9/27/12) = 6.7 million and 2.1/6

Social Activity: The Scandal premiere delivered 712,877 tweets, which is the show's highest social delivery to date and stood as the #1 most social series on Thursday night. The premiere is up +22% from May's season finale (583,111 tweets) and up +714% from last fall's premiere (87,525 tweets).

ABC's Thursday is Up Year to Year/Grey's Marks its Most Watched Telecast in 1 Year/Scandal Opens at Series Highs

ABC Thursday Prime (8-11pm - 8.5 million and 2.8/8 in AD18-49): Featuring a Scandal recap special, Grey's Anatomy and the 3rd season premiere of Scandal (opened at series highs), ABC ran neck-and-neck with CBS' all-original lineup for #1 Adults 18-49 (2.8/8 vs. 2.9/9), while defeating originals on Fox by 56% (1.8/5) and on NBC by 75% (1.6/5). The Net was up 8% over the year-ago night in Adults 18-49 (2.6/7 on 10/4/12), delivering its strongest non-sports Thursday since the beginning of November - since 11/01/12.

Scandal: The Secret is Out special (8-9pm - 5.7 million and 1.6/5 in AD18-49): Starting off the night at 8pm, ABC's Scandal: The Secret is Out series recap special beat out NBC's comedies by strong margins (Parks and Recreation/Welcome to the Family series debut = 3.4 million and 1.3/4) in Total Viewers (+68%) and Adults 18-49 (+23%).

Grey's Anatomy (9-10pm - 9.4 million and 3.0/8 in AD18-49): At 9pm, ABC's Grey's Anatomy nearly doubled its Adult 18-49 lead-in (+88%) to lead its hour by 11% over CBS' comedies (The Crazy Ones/Two and a Half Men = 2.7/7), by 76% over NBC's comedies (Sean Saves the World debut/The Michael J Fox Show = 1.7/5) and by 88% over Fox's Glee (1.6/5). Grey's was up over its week-earlier season premiere in Total Viewers to deliver the series' most-watched telecast in almost 1 year - since 10/18/12.

Scandal Season 3 Premiere (10-11pm - 10.5 million and 3.6/10 in AD18-49): Building on its Grey's lead-in by best-ever margins in viewers (+12%) and young adults (+20%), ABC's Scandal opened its 3rd season at series highs in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49. In Adults 18-49, Scandal was up 71% over its year-ago season premiere (2.1/6 on 9/27/12) and surpassed its previous series highs by 13% (3.2/9 set on its final two telecasts last season). Scandal was the #2 TV show of the night in Adults 18-49, behind only CBS' The Big Bang Theory. Scandal generated ABC's best numbers for a Thursday 10pm series telecast since January 2010 in viewers and since November 2010 in young adults - since 1/14/10 and 11/4/10, respectively.

Scandal Social Activity: The Scandal premiere delivered 712,877 tweets, which was the show's highest social delivery to date and stood as the #1 most social series on Thursday night. The premiere was up 22% from May's season finale (583,111 tweets) and up 714% from last fall's premiere (87,525 tweets).

Quick Take for Thursday, October 3, 2013 (Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Ratings)

ABC is Up over the Year-Ago Night with its Top Non-Sports Thursday Since Last Fall

ABC's "Scandal" Recap Special Beats NBC's Original Comedies From 8-9pm

"Grey's Anatomy" Posts the Series' Most-Watched Telecast in Nearly 1 Year

"Scandal" Opens its 3rd Season at Series Highs with a 71% Increase Year to Year

ABC Thursday Prime (8:00-11:00 p.m. - 8.5 million and 2.8/8 in AD18-49):

Featuring a "Scandal" recap special, "Grey's Anatomy" and the 3rd season premiere of "Scandal" (opened at series highs), ABC ran neck-and-neck with CBS' all-original lineup for No. 1 Adults 18-49 (2.8/8 vs. 2.9/9), while defeating originals on Fox by 56% (1.8/5) and on NBC by 75% (1.6/5).

· The Net was up 8% over the year-ago night in Adults 18-49 (2.6/7 on 10/4/12), delivering its strongest non-sports Thursday since the beginning of November - since 11/01/12.

"Scandal: The Secret is Out" (8:00-9:00 p.m. - 5.7 million and 1.6/5 in AD18-49)

Starting off the night at 8:00 p.m., ABC's "Scandal: The Secret is Out" series recap special beat out NBC's comedies in the hour by strong margins ("Parks and Recreation"/"Welcome to the Family" series debut = 3.4 million and 1.3/4) in Total Viewers (+68%) and Adults 18-49 (+23%).

"Grey's Anatomy" (9:00-10:00 p.m. - 9.4 million and 3.0/8 in AD18-49)

At 9:00 p.m., ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" nearly doubled its Adult 18-49 lead-in (+88%) to lead its hour by 11% over CBS' comedies ("The Crazy Ones"/"Two and a Half Men" = 2.7/7), by 76% over NBC's comedies ("Sean Saves the World" debut/"The Michael J Fox Show" = 1.7/5) and by 88% over Fox's "Glee" (1.6/5).

· "Grey's" was up over its week-earlier season premiere in Total Viewers to deliver the series' most-watched telecast in almost 1 year - since 10/18/12.

"Scandal" (10:00-11:00 p.m. - 10.5 million and 3.6/10 in AD18-49):

Building on its "Grey's" lead-in by best-ever margins in viewers (+12%) and young adults (+20%), ABC's "Scandal" opened its 3rd season at series highs in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49. In Adults 18-49, "Scandal" spiked 71% over its year-ago season premiere (2.1/6 on 9/27/12) and surpassed its previous series highs by 13% (3.2/9 set on its final two telecasts last season). "Scandal" was the No. 2 TV show of the night in Adults 18-49, behind only CBS' "The Big Bang Theory."

· "Scandal" generated ABC's best numbers for a Thursday 10:00 p.m. series telecast since January 2010 in viewers and since November 2010 in young adults - since 1/14/10 and 11/4/10, respectively.

"Scandal" Social Activity: The "Scandal" premiere delivered 712,877 tweets, which was the show's highest social delivery to date and stood as the No. 1 most social series on Thursday night. In fact, it delivered the highest number of tweets for any broadcast series telecast this season. The premiere was up 22% from May's season finale (583,111 tweets) and up 714% from last fall's premiere (87,525 tweets).

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 48% currently, from 45% 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, 10/03/13.