ABC Airs Thursday's Top Dramas - American Crime More than Doubles NBC's Slap Premiere at 10pm

ABC Thursday Prime (8-11pm - 7.2 million and 2.0/7 in AD18-49): ABC earned second on Thursday in Adults 18-49 (2.0/7) to CBS, beating Fox with a 2-hour American Idol by 18% (1.7/6) and NBC by 100% (1.0/3). Please Note: On the first Thursday of Daylight Saving Time, overall Adult 18-49 TV usage was down a sharp -7% week to week.

· ABC's Scandal won the 9pm hour and ranked as Thursday's #2 TV show in Adults 18-49 (tie), behind only CBS' top-rated The Big Bang Theory.

· Scandal (2.6/8) and Grey's (2.1/7) were the night's Top 2 dramas in Adults 18-49.

· In the 10pm hour, ABC freshman American Crime more than doubled the time-period premiere of NBC freshman The Slap in Adults 18-49 (+133% - 1.4/5 vs. 0.6/2). The new ABC show also won the hour with Adults 18-34 and across all key Women (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54).

Quick Take for Thursday, March 12, 2015 (Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Ratings)

ABC Airs Thursday's Top Dramas and Finishes a Strong Second in Adults 18-49

ABC's "Grey's" Beats Fox's "Idol" for the 2nd Week Running in Adults 18-49

"Scandal" Wins its Hour in Adults 18-49 and Grows 24% Season to Date

ABC's "American Crime" More Than Doubles NBC's 10pm Premiere of "The Slap"

Thursday (03/12/15) - ABC Total Viewer and Adult 18-49 Projections

"Grey's Anatomy:" Live + 3 = 11.5 million/3.0 rating and Live + 7 = 12.4 million/3.3 rating

"Scandal:" Live + 3 = 12.0 million/3.8 rating and Live + 7 = 12.6 million/4.0 rating

"American Crime:" Live + 3 = 9.4 million/2.2 rating and Live + 7 = 10.1 million/2.4 rating

Live + Same Day Results:

ABC Thursday Prime (8:00-11:00 p.m. - 7.2 million and 2.0/7 in AD18-49):

ABC earned second on Thursday in Adults 18-49 (2.0/7) to CBS, beating Fox with a 2-hour "American Idol" by 18% (1.7/6) and NBC by 100% (1.0/3). Please Note: On the first Thursday of daylight saving time, overall Adult 18-49 TV usage was down a sharp -7% week to week.

· ABC's "Scandal" ranked as Thursday's No. 2 TV show in Adults 18-49 (tie), behind only CBS' top-rated "The Big Bang Theory." In addition, "Scandal" and "Grey's" were the night's Top 2 dramas in Adults 18-49.

"Grey's Anatomy" (8:00-9:00 p.m. - 7.4 million and 2.1/7 in AD18-49):

At 8:00 p.m. against CBS' "The Big Bang Theory" and "The Odd Couple," ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" beat Fox's "American Idol" for the 2nd week in a row among Adults 18-49 (2.1/7 vs. 1.7/6), increasing its winning advantage to a season-best 24% (up from a 9% advantage the prior week).

"Scandal" (9:00-10:00 p.m. - 8.3 million and 2.6/8 in AD18-49):

At 9:00 p.m., ABC's "Scandal" won its hour among Adults 18-49 (2.6/8), beating CBS' comedies (+13% - 2.3/7), NBC's "The Blacklist" (+53% - 1.7/5) and the second hour of Fox's "American Idol" (+53% - 1.7/5). "Scandal" also topped NBC's "The Blacklist" in the hour by 1.0 million viewers (8.3 million vs. 7.3 million).

· On average season to date, "Scandal" is up by 24% in Total Viewers (13.5 million vs. 10.9 million) and by 24% in Adults 18-49 (4.7/14 vs. 3.8/11).

"American Crime" (10:00-11:00 p.m. - 5.8 million and 1.4/5 in AD18-49):

At 10:00 p.m., ABC freshman "American Crime" more than doubled the slot premiere of NBC freshman "The Slap" in Adults 18-49 (+133% - 1.4/5 vs. 0.6/2). The new ABC drama also won the hour in Adults 18-34 and across all key Women demos (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54).

· Based on Live + 3 Day data, ABC's week ago debut of "American Crime" grew to nearly 11.0 million Total Viewers (10.9 million), adding another +2.5 million viewers to its L+SD tally (8.4 million). The new ABC drama built to a 2.7 rating among Adults 18-49, picking up +0.7 rating points (from a 2.0 in L+SD).

A note about DVR penetration: DVR penetration in the Nielsen sample is currently at 49% in U.S. TV Homes. More viewers are watching shows on their own timetables, which are increasingly not reflected in the overnight Live + Same Day numbers. As a result, the Live + 7 Day ratings are the most accurate measure to gauge the size of the TV audience.

Projections Rationale:

Lifts vs. L+SD are based on the 2014-15 season for premiere telecast or an average for originals (excluding the premiere).

Returning shows: Profile based on same show (either premiere or averages for originals).

New Series: Based on similar series.

Source: The Nielsen Company, Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Ratings, 03/12/15.