ABC's Thursday is Up - Grey's Hits Best-Since-Premiere Rating

Live + Same Day Results:

ABC Thursday Prime (8-11pm - 8.0 million and 2.3/8 in AD18-49): For the 5th consecutive Thursday this season against Thursday Night Football on CBS, ABC (8.0 million and 2.3/8) finished as the dominant non-sports network, outrunning drama lineups on NBC (4.8 million and 1.1/4) by 67% in Total Viewers and 109% in Adults 18-49 and Fox (4.4 million and 1.0/3) by 82% in Total Viewers and 130% in Adults 18-49. ABC at least doubled the Adult 18-49 delivery of both NBC and Fox for the 2nd week in a row. The Net continued to rank #1 on Thursday across key Women demos (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54) and with big TV playback from its TGIT dramas will substantially diminish the Adult 18-49 gap with CBS on the night.

· ABC's Thursday was up week to week in Total Viewers (+4%) and Adults 18-49 delivery (+5%).

· For the 5th straight week this season, ABC's TGIT lineup produced the Top 3 entertainment programs on Thursday in Adults 18-49 with Grey's Anatomy (2.4/8), Scandal (2.5/8) and How to Get Away with Murder (2.0/7).

Live + 3 Ratings for Last Thursday (10/15/15): ABC's Thursday dramas were the night's top gainers in TV playback with Adults 18-49, adding 1.2-1.4 rating points after 3 days of TV playback: Grey's Anatomy (+1.2 points -> 3.5 rating), Scandal (+1.4 points -> 3.8 rating) and How to Get Away with Murder (+1.4 points -> 3.4 rating). In fact last week's telecast of How to Get Away with Murder posted its biggest-ever L+3 gain, catapulting +70% over its L+SD rating to deliver a 3.4 in Adults 18-49 (up from a 2.0 rating).

Please Note: Last week, Grey's and Scandal each adjusted up 1-tenth in the National ratings.

· At 8pm, ABC's Grey's was up for the 2nd week with Adults 18-49 (+4% - 2.4/8 vs. 2.3/8) to a best-since-premiere number - since 9/24/15. Grey's doubled its drama competition in the hour for the 2nd week running on both NBC (Heroes Reborn = 1.1/4) and Fox (Bones = 1.2/4).

· At 9pm, Scandal grew week to week in Adults 18-49 (+4% - 2.5/8 vs. 2.4/7), beating NBC's The Blacklist by a best-of-season 79% (1.4/4) and more than tripling Fox's Sleepy Hollow (+213% - 0.8/3).

· At 10pm for the 5th week in a row, Murder bested NBC's The Player by strong triple-digit percentages in Adults 18-49 (+150% - 2.0/7 vs. 0.8/3). The ABC drama held even week to week in Adults 18-49 and increased in Total Viewers (+1%). The show was also up in Adults 18-34 (+6%), Men 18-34 (+43%) and Men 18-49 (+20%), hitting a best-since-premiere rating on the latter measure.

Thursday (10/22/15) - ABC Viewer and Adult 18-49 Projections, including Multiplatform + 35 Days

Grey's Anatomy: L3 = 14.5 million/3.6 rating, L7 = 15.7 million/3.9 rating and MP+35 = 5.0 rating

Scandal: L3 = 12.9 million/3.8 rating, L7 = 13.6 million/4.0 rating and MP+35 = 5.1 rating

HTGAWM: L3 = 11.2 million/3.2 rating, L7 = 12.2 million/3.5 rating and MP+35 = 4.4 rating

Quick Take for Thursday, October 22, 2015 (Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Ratings)

ABC's Thursday is Up and Continues to Dominate its Entertainment Competition

The 250th Episode of "Grey's" Grows to a Best-Since-Premiere Performance

"Scandal" Gains Adults 18-49 and Beats "The Blacklist" by a Best-of-Season 79%

"HTGAWM" Grows Week to Week in Total Viewers, Adults 18-34 and Key Men

Thursday (10/22/15) - ABC Viewer and Adult 18-49 Projections, including Multiplatform + 35 Days

"Grey's": L3 = 14.5 million/3.6 rating, L7 = 15.7 million/3.9 rating and MP+35 = 5.0 rating

"Scandal": L3 = 12.9 million/3.8 rating, L7 = 13.6 million/4.0 rating and MP+35 = 5.1 rating

"HTGAWM": L3 = 11.2 million/3.2 rating, L7 = 12.2 million/3.5 rating and MP+35 = 4.4 rating

Live + Same Day Results:

ABC Thursday Prime (8:00-11:00 p.m. - 8.0 million and 2.3/8 in AD18-49):

For the 5th consecutive Thursday this season against Thursday Night Football on CBS, ABC (8.0 million and 2.3/8) finished as the dominant non-sports network, outrunning drama lineups on NBC (4.8 million and 1.1/4) by 67% in Total Viewers and 109% in Adults 18-49 and Fox (4.4 million and 1.0/3) by 82% in Total Viewers and 130% in Adults 18-49. ABC at least doubled the Adult 18-49 deliveries of both NBC and Fox for the 2nd week in a row. The Net continued to rank No. 1 on Thursday across key Women demos (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54) and with big TV playback from its TGIT dramas will substantially diminish the Adult 18-49 gap with CBS on the night.

· ABC's Thursday was up week to week in Total Viewers (+4%) and Adults 18-49 delivery (+5%).

· For the 5th straight week, ABC's TGIT lineup produced the Top 3 entertainment programs on Thursday in Adults 18-49.

Live + 3 Ratings for Last Thursday (10/15/15): ABC's Thursday dramas were the night's top gainers in TV playback with Adults 18-49, adding 1.2-1.4 rating points after 3 days of TV playback: "Grey's Anatomy" (+1.2 points -> 3.5 rating), "Scandal" (+1.4 points -> 3.8 rating) and "How to Get Away with Murder" (+1.4 points -> 3.4 rating). In fact last week's telecast of "How to Get Away with Murder" posted its biggest-ever L+3 gain, catapulting +70% over its L+SD rating to deliver a 3.4 in Adults 18-49 (up from a 2.0 rating).

"Grey's Anatomy" (8:00-9:00 p.m. - 8.9 million and 2.4/8 in AD18-49):

At 8:00 p.m., ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" was up for the 2nd week with Adults 18-49 (+4% - 2.4/8 vs. 2.3/8) to a best-since-premiere number - since 9/24/15. The show also gained 5% in viewers for its most-watched telecast since its season opener. In Adults 18-49, "Grey's" doubled its drama competition in the hour for the 2nd week running on both NBC ("Heroes Reborn" = 1.1/4) and Fox ("Bones" = 1.2/4). "Grey's" celebrated its 250th episode.

"Scandal" (9:00-10:00 p.m. - 8.3 million and 2.5/8 in AD18-49):

Building on its lead-in at 9:00 p.m., ABC's "Scandal" grew week to week in Adults 18-49 (+4% - 2.5/8 vs. 2.4/7), beating NBC's "The Blacklist" by a best-of-season 79% (1.4/4) and more than tripling Fox's "Sleepy Hollow" (+213% - 0.8/3). In addition, "Scandal" was up in viewers (+2%) with 1.8 million more watching than "The Blacklist" (8.3 million vs. 6.5 million).

"How to Get Away with Murder" (10:00-11:00 p.m. - 6.9 million and 2.0/7 in AD18-49):

At 10:00 p.m. for the 5th week in a row, ABC's "How to Get Away with Murder" bested NBC's "The Player" by strong triple-digit percentages in Adults 18-49 (+150% - 2.0/7 vs. 0.8/3).

· The ABC drama held even week to week in Adults 18-49 and increased in Total Viewers (+1%). The show was also up in Adults 18-34 (+6%), Men 18-34 (+43%), Men 18-49 (+20%) and Men 25-54 (+15%), hitting a best-since-premiere ratings on the latter two measures.

A note about DVR penetration: DVR penetration in the Nielsen sample is currently at 48% 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 2015-16 season averages 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, 10/22/15.