ABC earned second place to an Idol-driven Fox on Thursday among Adults 18-49, beating CBS’ all-original schedule by 7%.
In viewers and young adults, ABC scored its best Thursday results since mid-January – since 1/13/11.
The Net rose over the year-ago night, also an evening of original programming (FlashForward/Grey’s/Private Practice on 4/1/11), by double-digit percentages in both Total Viewers (+17%) and Adults 18-49 (+24%)
From 8-9pm against American Idol and original comedies on CBS (Big Bang Theory/Rules of Engagement), ABC’s Spring Wipeout topped NBC’s comedies (Community/Perfect Couples) by wide margins in viewers (+186%) and young adults (+90%). In addition, the wide-appealing unscripted series made the #2 broadcaster in the hour with Kids 2-11.
Despite facing the move of Idol into the time period this year, the ABC unscripted series continued to produce double-digit year-to-year percentage growth in the hour with Total Viewers (+26%) and Adults 18-49 (+27%), over an original programming on the year-ago evening (4/1/10).
Finishing as Thursday’s #1 scripted TV show for the 2nd straight week, a musical episode of ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy won Thursday’s 9 o’clock hour in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, beating Fox’s Idol-fueled debut of Mobbed by 26% and CBS’ original CSI by a best-ever 71% in the key young adult sales demo. In fact Grey’s qualified as the #1 scripted series in the slot in Adults 18-49 for its 18th straight original broadcast this season.
Building its numbers for the 2nd week running and marking to best-since-season-premiere results, Grey’s jumped over the prior week by 2.4 million viewers and by 30% in Adults 18-49. The ABC medical drama achieved a 6-month high in viewers and young adults, marking its strongest performance since its season premiere in September – since 9/23/10.
Grey’s was up sharply over its year-ago original telecast (on 4/1/10), gaining 28% in Total Viewers and by 37% in Adults 18-49
ABC’s Private Practice finished in a near-tie for #1 in the 10pm hour among Adults 18-49, pacing within 1-tenth of a rating point and tied in audience share with The Mentalist. ABC’s Private Practice won the hour among Adults 18-34, beating The Mentalist by 18%. In addition for its 17th consecutive first run telecast, the ABC drama registered as the #1 scripted TV show in the 10 o’clock hour with key Women (W18-34/W18-49).
Among Adults 18-34 and Adults 18-49, Private Practice posted a 12-week high – since 1/6/11.
(source: ABC)
