Quick Take for Thursday, Sept. 30, 2021 (National Live+3 Day Program Ratings)

Powered by Its Drama Premieres, ABC Is Thursday's Most-Watched Network

'Station 19' Opens With Most-Watched Telecast Since March

'Grey's Anatomy' Premieres as Thursday's No. 1 Entertainment Series

'Grey's' Skyrockets to 2.64 Rating Among Adults 18-49 in Multiplatform Viewing

'Big Sky' Season Premiere Draws Largest Audience Since February

ABC Thursday Primetime (8:00-11:00 p.m. - 6.7 million and 1.0/7 in AD18-49):

Powered by the season premieres of "Station 19," "Grey's Anatomy" and "Big Sky," ABC ranked as Thursday's most-watched entertainment network, leading runner-up NBC by 14% in Total Viewers (6.7 million vs. 5.9 million). ABC was also the night's No. 1 entertainment network with Adults 18-49 (1.0/7), moving into a tie with NBC for first place after placing 1-tenth of a rating point behind in Live+Same Day.

"Station 19" (8:00-9:00 p.m. - 6.7 million and 1.0/8 in AD18-49):

The season five premiere of ABC's "Station 19" outdrew its June finale by 8% in Total Viewers (6.7 million vs. 6.2 million on 6/3/21) to top its final 10 episodes of the prior season and deliver its most-watched telecast since March - since 3/11/21.

"Station 19" ranked as Thursday's No. 2 entertainment show in Total Viewers (6.7 million), behind only ABC's "Grey's Anatomy." In addition, the ABC drama was the most-watched entertainment series in Thursday's 8 p.m. hour, topping NBC's "Law & Order: SVU" by 6% (6.7 million vs. 6.3 million).

After three days of viewing across all linear and digital platforms, "Station 19" delivered a 1.60 rating among Adults 18-49, marking an increase of +111% over its initial Live+Same Day rating. In addition, the ABC drama grew to nearly 8 million Total Viewers (7.9 million) with multiplatform delayed viewing.

"Grey's Anatomy" (9:00-10:01 p.m. - 7.0 million and 1.3/9 in AD18-49):

ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" season premiere was Thursday's No. 1 entertainment series in both Total Viewers (7.0 million) and Adults 18-49 (1.3/9).

"Grey's Anatomy" outperformed its June finale by 3% in Total Viewers (7.0 million vs. 6.8 million on 6/3/21) and outdelivered the final four telecasts of its prior season.

Spiking by +0.5 rating points with Adults 18-49 from Live+Same Day to Live+3 Day, ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" was Thursday's No. 1 gainer in TV playback.

After three days of delayed multiplatform viewing, "Grey's Anatomy" averaged nearly 10 million Total Viewers (9.5 million), almost doubling its Live+Same Day tally (+98%). In addition, the ABC drama skyrocketed +243% among Adults 18-49 to hit a 2.64 rating.

"Big Sky" (10:01-11:00 p.m. - 6.2 million and 0.7/6 in AD18-49):

Moving to a new night, ABC's "Big Sky" opened its second season with its largest audience since February - since 2/16/21. The "Big Sky" season two premiere grew over its May finale by 9% in Total Viewers (6.2 million vs. 5.7 million on 5/18/21) to outdraw its final six telecasts of the prior season.

ABC's "Big Sky" stood as the most-watched entertainment program in Thursday's 10 o'clock hour, leading NBC's "Law & Order: Organized Crime" by 11% in Total Viewers (6.2 million vs. 5.6 million).

Picking up an additional +3.1 million Total Viewers from Live+Same Day to Live+3 Day, "Big Sky" doubled its overall audience after just three days of TV playback (+100% - 3.1 million to 6.2 million) to stand as Thursday's No. 1 broadcast gainer.

With three days of cross-platform viewing, "Big Sky" more than tripled its Live+Same Day rating with an increase of +224% among Adults 18-49. The ABC drama also gained more than +4.0 million viewers over its Live+Same Day average, spiking to 7.4 million Total Viewers in delayed multiplatform viewing.

Source: The Nielsen Company, National Live+3 Day Program Ratings and ABC Multiplatform+3 Day Ratings, 9/30/21.