ABC's Revenge Returns at #1 in the 10pm Hour/Don't Trust the B--- Holds Up in Week 2

via press release

With a mix of repeat and original comedies leading to the victorious return of Revenge at 10pm (first original telecast since February), ABC ran a strong #2 on Wednesday to a 2-hour Idol-driven Fox, beating CBS by 20% and doubling NBC’s night of all-original programming (+100%).   The Net matched its strongest Wednesday since February in viewers and young adults – since 2/29/12.  Continuing to produce improving year-to-year returns on the evening, ABC was up over an all-original schedule on the year-ago Wednesday in Viewers (+15%) and Adults 18-49 (+9%).

At 8pm, ABC’s repeat The Middle was up over its last replay airing by double digits in viewers (+24%) and young adults (+30%).

Surging over its repeat The Middle lead-in at 8:30pm, ABC’s Suburgatory crushed its NBC freshman comedy competition in its slot, defeating Best Friends Forever by 81% in Total Viewers and by 122% in Adults 18-49. For the 6th straight first-run telecast, the ABC freshman comedy outdelivered the second half of Survivor: One World with Adults 18-34 (+38%) and Women 18-34 (+50%).  Spiking by 20% week to week, Suburgatory achieved a 10-week high with Adults 18-34 – since 2/8/12. The ABC freshman comedy marked double-digit year-over-year growth for ABC in the half-hour, jumping by 12% in viewers and by 25% in young adults over original comedy programming on the same night last year.

ABC’s Modern Family doubled its lead-in at 9pm  to finish as Wednesday’s top-rated scripted program in Adults 18-49.  In addition, Modern Family beat American Idol head to head in the half hour to qualify as Wednesday’s #1 TV show in Adults 18-34 and Men 18-34.  Building year to year, ABC’s Modern Family grew over its year-ago broadcast by 5% in Adults 18-49.

During the 9:30pm half-hour, ABC’s Don’t Trust The B--- in Apartment 23 ranked #2 to the conclusion of Idol across all key Adult demos (AD18-34/AD18-49/AD25-54).  Don’t Trust The B--- in Apartment 23 showed impressive retention of its week-ago debut in Total Viewers (96%), Adults 18-34 (92%), Adults 18-49 (90%), Adults 25-54 (91%) and Women 18-49 (100%). The new ABC comedy improved its time period year to year in viewers (+6%) and young adults (+13%), outpacing original comedy programming on the same night last year.

During the 10 o’clock hour, returning to original for its first time in nearly 2 months (since 2/29/12), ABC’s Revenge came back with a definitive first-place finish among Total Viewers, Adults 18-49 and Adults 25-54.  In fact, ABC’s Revenge towered over NBC’s original Law & Order: SVU in Total Viewers (+33%), Adults 18-49 (+53%) and Adults 25-54 (+45%).  The ABC freshman drama generated big year-to-year time-period gains in Total Viewers (+81%), Adults 18-49 (+35%) and Adults 25-54 (+38%), rising sharply over first-run programming on the same night last year.  Topping its last original, Revenge attracted ABC’s largest audience to the hour since the middle of the Feb Sweep – since 2/15/12.