ABC Wins Thursday with "Scandal" Posting Best-Ever Season Finale Numbers

ABC Thursday Prime (8-11pm - 7.3 million and 2.2/7 in AD18-49): With a repeat Grey's at 8pm, an original Grey's at 9pm and Scandal at 10pm with its best-ever season finale numbers, ABC won Thursday for the 2nd week in a row among Adults 18-49 (2.2/7). Scandal was Thursday's dominant #1 TV show in Adults 18-49.

Scandal (10-11pm - 10.5 million and 3.4/10 in AD18-49): Spiking over its lead-in at 10pm (+36%), ABC's season finale of Scandal (3.4/10) dominated its hour, beating NBC's season finale of Parenthood by 162% (1.3/4). It was also the most-watched TV show overall in the hour. Scandal was up by double digits week to week in Total Viewers (+14%) and Adults 18-49 (+13%), drawing its 2nd-largest-ever audience and tying its 2nd-highest young adult number. Scandal equaled the highest Adult 18-49 number for any 10pm drama telecast on any net since October - since 10/3/13.

· Scandal was up over its year-ago finale (9.1 million and 3.2/9 on 5/16/13) by 15% in Total Viewers and by 6% in Adults 18-49, marking the show's strongest season finale.

· On average, Scandal finished up 39% in Total Viewers (11.5 million vs. 8.3 million) and 43% in Adults 18-49 (4.0/12 vs. 2.8/8) to post its best-ever season, while also qualifying as TV's fastest growing returning series.

Quick Take for Thursday, April 17, 2014 (Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Ratings)

ABC Finishes No. 1 on Thursday in Adults 18-49 for the 2nd Straight Week, with The Season Finale of "Scandal" Ranking as the Night's Dominant No. 1 TV Show

"Grey's" More than Triples its Lead-in to Win the 9pm Hour by 67% in Adults 18-49

ABC's "Scandal" Surges to Deliver its Strongest-Ever Season Finale Numbers

ABC Thursday Prime (8:00-11:00 p.m. - 7.3 million and 2.2/7 in AD18-49):

Featuring a repeat "Grey's" at 8:00 p.m., an original "Grey's" at 9:00 p.m. and "Scandal" at 10:00 p.m. with its best-ever season finale numbers, ABC won Thursday for the 2nd week in a row among Adults 18-49 (2.2/7). "Scandal" was Thursday's dominant No. 1 TV show in Adults 18-49 (3.4/10).

"Grey's Anatomy" (9:00-10:00 p.m. - 8.1 million and 2.5/8 in AD18-49):

More than tripling its Adult 18-49 lead-in at 9:00 p.m. (+213%), ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" (2.5/8) shot up to win its hour by impressive margins, outdelivering CBS' season finale of "The Crazy Ones" by 67% (1.5/5) and Fox with "American Idol" and "Surviving Jack" by 67% (1.5/5). The ABC drama was also the most-watched TV show overall in the hour (8.1 million). Despite a lower lead-in, "Grey's" held steady with its week-ago Fast Affiliate Adult 18-49 rating.

· In its 10th season, "Grey's Anatomy" is up over the same point last year in both Total Viewers (+6%) and Adults 18-49 (+5%), delivering its best results in 4 and 3 years, respectively - since the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons.

"Scandal" (10:00-11:00 p.m. - 10.5 million and 3.4/10 in AD18-49):

Spiking over its lead-in at 10:00 p.m. (+36%), ABC's season finale of "Scandal" (3.4/10) dominated its hour in Adults 18-49, beating NBC's season finale of "Parenthood" by 162% (1.3/4). It also made ABC the most-watched TV network overall in the final hour of the night (10.5 million). "Scandal" was up by double digits week to week in Total Viewers (+14%) and Adults 18-49 (+13%), drawing its 2nd-largest-ever audience and tying its 2nd-highest young adult number. "Scandal" equaled the highest Adult 18-49 number for any 10:00 p.m. drama telecast on any net since October - since 10/3/13.

· "Scandal" was up over its year-ago finale (9.1 million and 3.2/9 on 5/16/13) by 15% in Total Viewers and by 6% in Adults 18-49, marking the show's strongest season finale.

· The "Scandal" finale delivered 697,436 tweets (up +101% from the prior week for the 2nd-highest number for any episode), amassing over 7 million tweets during its 3rd season run.

· On average during 2013-14, "Scandal" finished up 39% in Total Viewers (11.5 million vs. 8.3 million) and 43% in Adults 18-49 (4.0/12 vs. 2.8/8) to post its best-ever season, while also qualifying as TV's fastest growing returning series.

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 49% currently, from 47% at the same point in 2013. 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, 04/17/14. Nielsen Social, total tweets, as dated.