Primetime Ratings Report for the Week of May 12, 2014 (Based on National Live + Same Day Program Ratings)

ABC Wins its 5th Straight Week in Adults 18-49, Posting its Most-Watched Non-Oscar Week Since November and a 9-Week High with Young Adults

ABC is Monday's Most-Watched Net for the 5th Consecutive Week

ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" is Up Week to Week and Year to Year

ABC's "Castle" Season Finale Spikes 31% in Adults 18-49 to Tie a 6-Month High

"S.H.I.E.L.D." Finale is Up in Adults 18-49 and Boosts its Hour by 82% Year to Year

ABC's Freshman Season Finale of "The Goldbergs" Gains 15% in Adults 18-49

"The Middle" Spikes 19% in Adults 18-49 to Post a 3-Week High

ABC's "Suburgatory" Finale Grows by 23% Week to Week Among Adults 18-49

"Modern Family" Logs its 2nd-Straight Week of Growth in Viewers and Young Adults

ABC's "Nashville" Season Finale Builds to its Largest Audience Since January

ABC's "Grey's" Finale Grows to 11-Week Highs in Total Viewers and Adults 25-54

ABC's "Black Box" Dominates CBS' "Elementary" Finale with Key Women

ABC is No. 1 on Each of the Final 7 Fridays of the Season in Adults 18-49,

"Shark Tank" Closes Out its Best-Ever Season in Viewers and Young Adults

"Barbara Walters: Her Story" Delivers a 2-Year High in its Time Slot with Viewers

ABC Dominates the Final Sunday of the Season in Adults 18-49, Winning All 4 Sundays of the Sweep and Growing 5% May to May

ABC's "America's Funniest Home Videos" Finishes Out its 24th Season at No. 1 in its Hour in Adults 18-49 for 4 Weeks Straight and Equals a Season High

ABC's "Billboard Music Awards" is Sunday's No. 1 TV Show, with its Most-Watched Telecast in 13 Years, an 11-Year High in Adults 18-49 and a 10-Year High in Teens

Week No. 34

ABC won the final complete week of the 2013-14 season (w/o 5/12/14) by 20% in Adults 18-49 over runner-up CBS (1.8/6 vs. 1.5/5), finishing No. 1 for the 5th week in a row and continuing its longest winning streak in 7-1/2 years - since a six-week stretch at the start of the 2006-07 season. The Net has now ranked No. 1 on 7 of the last 12 weeks in the key young adult sales demo, and, on average since the end of the Winter Olympics, ABC ranks as the top-rated TV network by a margin of 5% over CBS (Most Current data for 2/24-5/18/14): ABC (2.3/7), CBS (2.2/7), NBC (2.0/6) and Fox (1.7/5).

· ABC grew week to week in Total Viewers (+14% - 7.2 million vs. 6.3 million) and was up for the 3rd straight week in Adults 18-49 (+6% - 1.8/6 vs. 1.7/5), delivering its most-watched non-Oscar week since November and a 9-week high in young adults - since w/o 11/18/13 and 3/10/14, respectively.

Rankings: The Net aired 5 of the Top 20 TV programs in Adults 18-49, including 3 of the Top 8: "Billboard Music Awards" - No. 3, "Modern Family" - No. 4, "Grey's Anatomy" - No. 8, "DWTS" - No. 15 and "Castle" - No. 19. For the 9th week running, ABC's "Dancing" stood as TV's most-watched unscripted series overall. Also for the 8th week in a row, "DWTS" outperformed both editions of "American Idol" in Adults 18-49. ABC's "Barbara Walters: Her Story" finished as the week's No. 1 news program in key Adults (AD18-49/AD25-54).

Monday

ABC finished as Monday's most-watched TV network for the 5th week running, outdrawing runner-up NBC by 20% (13.1 million vs. 10.9 million). In addition, the Net took 2nd on the night in Adults 18-49 (2.2/6), beating Fox with "Bones" and "24: Live Another Day" by 22% (1.8/5) and CBS' lineup by 69% (1.3/4). ABC was the only net up over the prior Monday, as "Dancing" and "Castle" spiked week to week in Adults 18-49, surging 21% and 31%, respectively. ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" semi-finals was the night's most-watched TV program overall.

"Dancing with the Stars" (8:00-10:01 p.m. - 14.4 million and 2.3/7 in AD18-49):

From 8:00-10:01 p.m., ABC's "DWTS" stood as the night's most-watched TV series for the 9th week in a row, topping NBC's "The Voice" head to head by 3.3 million viewers (14.4 million vs. 11.1 million). 2014 Olympic Gold Medalist, Charlie White, was eliminated in the semi-finals.

· "Dancing" grew week to week in viewers (+10%) and young adults (+21%). In addition, "DWTS" was up over the same night last year (05/13/13) in Total Viewers (+8%) and Adults 18-49 (+15%), building year to year for the 6th time in its last 7 telecasts.

"Castle" (10:01-11:00 p.m. - 10.6 million and 2.1/6 in AD18-49):

During the 10 o'clock hour, ABC's season finale of "Castle" shot up week to week in Total Viewers (+18%) and Adults 18-49 (+31%), drawing its largest overall audience and equaling its best young adult performance in 6 months - since 11/4/13. Standing as Monday's most-watched scripted telecast on its finale, the ABC drama ranked No. 1 in the hour in Total Viewers, Women 18-34 and Women 18-49 (tie), also posting its best numbers since November in key Women - since 11/4/13.

· On average this season, "Castle" grew its overall audience by 3% (12.6 million vs. 12.2 million), marking the series' most-watched season overall.

Tuesday

"Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." (8:00-9:01 p.m. - 5.4 million and 2.0/7 in AD18-49):

During the 8 o'clock hour opposite season finale competition, ABC's first season finale of "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." was up 5% week to week in Adults 18-49, matching its 2nd-highest number in the hour in 9 weeks - since 3/11/14.

· Against the season finale of CBS' "NCIS," NBC's "The Voice" and Fox's "Glee" finale, "S.H.I.E.L.D." ranked No. 2 in its hour across all key Men (M18-34/M18-49/M25-54), while finishing as the No. 1 scripted series in its slot with Men 18-34 on all 22 original airings in its first season. On average during its freshman season, the new ABC drama was Tuesday's No. 1 TV show with key Men (M18-34/M18-49).

· "S.H.I.E.L.D." improved its time period by 82% in Adults 18-49 year to year, surging over the same night last year with original programming (1.1/4 for "Wipeout" on 5/14/13).

"The Goldbergs" (9:01-9:31 p.m. - 4.3 million and 1.5/5 in AD18-49):

During the 9:00 p.m. half-hour, ABC's freshman season finale of "The Goldbergs" was up 15% week to week in Adults 18-49 to earn its 2nd-highest rating since the beginning of April - since 4/1/14. The ABC comedy also increased over the prior week in Adults 18-34 (+11%) and Women 18-49 (+23%).

· On the night, ABC's freshman finale of "The Goldbergs" tied NBC's freshman finale of "About a Boy" (9:30-10:00 p.m.) in Adults 18-49 (1.5/5 vs. 1.5/4 - pacing within 1-tenth and leading in share). In fact in the Live + 7 Day ratings, "The Goldbergs" will move well ahead of "About a Boy," as the ABC comedy gets a much bigger average increase this season from its Live + Same Day number than the NBC comedy (+0.9 rating or 53% vs. +0.5 rating or 25%).

"Trophy Wife" (9:31-10:00 p.m. - 2.8 million and 0.9/3 in AD18-49):

During the 9:30 p.m. half-hour, ABC's "Trophy Wife" finale was up week to week by 12% in Total Viewers and by 29% in Adults 18-49.

"Celebrity Wife Swap" (10:00-11:00 p.m. - 2.8 million and 0.9/3 in AD18-49):

At 10:00 p.m. against drama finales on CBS and NBC, "Celebrity Wife Swap" held steady week to week in Adults 18-49 and was up for the 2nd consecutive week with Women 18-49 (+8%) to tie a season high.

Wednesday

ABC once again delivered Wednesday's No. 1 TV program in Adults 18-49, with "Modern Family" ranking as the evening's top-rated show for its 9th-consecutive original airing. During primetime, ABC's "Modern Family" (3.2/10) outdelivered the top shows on each of the other nets by strong margins, beating CBS' "Criminal Minds" finale by 19% (2.7/8), Fox's "American Idol" by 52% (2.1/6) and NBC's "L&O: SVU" by 100% (1.6/5). Building 13% week to week in Adults 18-49, the Net equaled a 6-week high on the night - since 4/2/14.

· The Net ranked No. 1 on the night for the 2nd week in a row with Women 18-34.

"The Middle" (8:00-8:30 p.m. - 7.1 million and 1.9/7 in AD18-49):

At 8:00 p.m., ABC's "The Middle" increased week to week by 8% in viewers and by 19% in young adults, hitting a 3-week high with in Adults 18-49 - since 4/23/14.

"Suburgatory" (8:30-9:00 p.m. - 5.2 million and 1.6/5 in AD18-49):

At 8:30 p.m., the finale of ABC's "Suburgatory" grew 23% week to week in Adults 18-49.

"Modern Family" (9:00-9:31 p.m. - 9.1 million and 3.2/10 in AD18-49):

Doubling its Adult 18-49 lead-in at 9:00 p.m. (+100%), ABC's "Modern Family" (3.2/10) dominated its half-hour, leading CBS' "Criminal Minds" finale by 23% (2.6/8), Fox's "American Idol" by 60% (2.0/6) and NBC's "L&O: SVU" by 129% (1.4/4).

· "Modern Family" was up for the 2nd week in a row with Total Viewers (+6%) and Adults 18-49 (+10%).

"Mixology" (9:31-10:00 p.m. - 4.0 million and 1.3/4 in AD18-49):

In the 9:30 p.m. half-hour, ABC's "Mixology" was up 5% in Total Viewers and held even with the prior week in Adults 18-49 (1.3/4).

"Nashville" (10:00-11:00 p.m. - 5.2 million and 1.3/4 in AD18-49):

During the 10 o'clock hour, the season finale of ABC's "Nashville" was up for the 2nd-consecutive week in Total Viewers (+11%) and gained 8% in Adults 18-49, drawing its biggest audience since January and a 6-week high in young adults - since 1/29/14 and 4/2/14, respectively.

· On average during its sophomore season, "Nashville" grew its overall audience from its freshman season (7.0 million vs. 6.9 million).

· "Nashville" is ABC's biggest percentage gainer this season from TV Playback and Top 3 among all broadcast series, with originals jumping up 80% from a 1.5 L+SD rating to a 2.7 Live + 7 Day Adult 18-49 rating.

Thursday

With a repeat "Grey's Anatomy" at 8:00 p.m., the season finale of "Grey's" at 9:00 p.m. and "Black Box" at 10:00 p.m., ABC won Thursday in Women 18-34 to rank as the No. 1 broadcaster on the night for the 12th week in a row.

· ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" was the No. 2 TV series of the night in Adults 18-49, behind only CBS' "The Big Bang Theory" finale, beating the "Idol-Thursday" finale.

"Grey's Anatomy" (9:00-10:00 p.m. - 8.9 million and 2.6/8 in AD18-49):

Nearly quadrupling its Adult 18-49 lead-in at 9:00 p.m. (+271%), ABC's season finale of "Grey's Anatomy" shot up to dominate its hour by 30% over Fox's finale of "Idol-Thursday" (2.6/8 vs. 2.0/6). The ABC drama also won its hour over "Idol" in Total Viewers, Adults 18-34 and Adults 25-54.

· "Grey's" was up over the prior week by 13% in Total Viewers and by 4% in Adults 18-49 to draw its biggest audience since its mid-season return in February - since 2/27/14. Among Adults 25-54, the show was up 7% to hit an 11-week high - since 2/27/14.

· On average, "Grey's Anatomy" finished out its 10th season with gains in both Total Viewers (+10% - 12.1 million vs. 11.0 million) and Adults 18-49 (+5% - 4.3/12 vs. 4.1/11), delivering its highest numbers in 4 and 3 years, respectively - since the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons. "Grey's" is the 2013-14 season's No. 1 broadcast drama in Adults 18-49 (tie) and Adults 18-34.

"Black Box" (10:00-11:00 p.m. - 4.3 million and 1.1/4 in AD18-49):

In the 10:00 p.m. hour, ABC's "Black Box" beat the final hour of NBC's "Rosemary's Baby" mini-series by 16% in Total Viewers (4.3 million vs. 3.7 million) and tied in Adults 18-49 rating (1.1/4). In addition, the ABC drama ranked as the No. 1 broadcast program in the hour with Women 18-34 (tie) and Women 18-49, leading CBS' "Elementary" finale by 83% and 13%, respectively.

Friday

With "Shark Tank" shifting back an hour for its season finale at 8:00 p.m. (last year's finale aired at 9:00 p.m.) and "Barbara Walters: Her Story" from 9:00-11:00 p.m., ABC won its 4th straight Friday of the May Sweep in Adults 18-49, finishing No. 1 on the night for the 7th consecutive week and beating NBC's original line-up by 45% (1.6/6 vs. 1.1/4). ABC also won the night in Total Viewers, Adults 18-34 and Adults 25-54. The Net posted its most-watched Friday of the season.

· "Barbara Walters: Her Story" was the No. 1 TV show of the night in Total Viewers (9.5 million) and Adults 25-54 (2.3/7) and ranked No. 2 in Adults 18-49 (1.6/6), behind only "Shark Tank." This season, "Shark Tank" finished as Friday's No. 1 regular TV series on 26 of its 28 original telecasts in Adults 18-49.

"Shark Tank" (8:00-9:00 p.m. - 6.7 million and 1.7/7 in AD18-49):

The "Shark Tank" season finale shot to the top of the 8 o'clock hour and delivered a season high for ABC in the time period with Adults 18-49. In fact, the show turned in ABC's highest young adult rating in Friday's 8:00 p.m. hour since November 2012 - since 11/9/12. "Shark Tank" was up from its year-ago telecast in the hour (5.1 million and 1.3/5 in AD18-49 on 5/17/13) in Total Viewers (+31%) and Adults 18-49 (+31%). Please Note: Last year's finale aired at 9:00 p.m., coming out of the 8:00 p.m. "Shark Tank." And compared to 3 years ago, when the "Shark Tank" finale last aired in the 8:00 p.m. hour (5.0 million and 1.3/5 in AD18-49 on 5/13/11), the show was up by 34% in Total Viewers and by 31% in Adults 18-49.

· On average during its 5th season, "Shark Tank" delivered double-digit growth in Total Viewers (+16%), Adults 18-49 (+14%) and Adults 18-34 (+20%), scoring its best-ever season across all 3 Nielsen measures and marking its 3rd straight year of young adult gains.

"Barbara Walters: Her Story" (9:00-11:00 p.m. - 9.5 million and 1.6/6 in AD18-49):

From 9:00-11:00 p.m., ABC's "Barbara Walters: Her Story" dominated its 2-hour slot in Total Viewers, Adults 18-49 and Adults 25-54, delivering the Net's biggest overall audience in the time period in nearly 2 years - since 6/15/12.

Sunday

With the season closer of "America's Funniest Home Videos" and the "2014 Billboard Music Awards," ABC dominated the final Sunday of the season/May Sweep in Adults 18-49 (No. 1 in all 8 half-hours), more than doubling CBS with its season finales (+121% - 3.1/10 vs. 1.4/4). In fact, the Net won all 4 Sundays of the May Sweep in Adults 18-49 and on average was up 5% on the night May to May (2.1/7 vs. 2.0/6). ABC was also the most-watched network overall on the evening, outdrawing CBS (+7% - 9.8 million vs. 9.2 million). ABC's "Billboard Music Awards" was the No. 1 TV show of the night in viewers.

· Excluding only the night of the Academy Awards, ABC marked its strongest Sunday since November in viewers and young adults - since 11/24/13.

"America's Funniest Home Videos" (7:00-8:00 p.m. - 6.8 million and 1.6/6 in AD18-49):

Building its overall audience by 8% week to week (6.8 million vs. 6.1 million) and holding steady in Adults 18-49 (1.6/6), ABC's 24th season finale of "America's Funniest Home Videos" drew its biggest audience in 8 weeks (since 3/23/14) an equaled a season high with young adults. The ABC video clip show ranked No. 1 in the hour for the 4th week in a row with Adults 18-49.

"2014 Billboard Music Awards" (8:00-11:00 p.m. - 10.7 million and 3.5/10 in AD18-49):

ABC's 3-hour telecast of the "2014 Billboard Music Awards" delivered an across-the-board win, topping its 8:00-11:00 p.m. time slot in Total Viewers, all key Adults (AD18-34/AD18-49/AD25-54) and Teens 12-17.

· Surging by 1.2 million viewers year to year (10.7 million vs. 9.5 million) to deliver its 2nd year of growth, the "Billboard Music Awards" scored its most-watched telecast in 13 years and equaled an 11-year high in Adults 18-49 - since 2001 and 2003, respectively. In addition, the annual show was also up for the 2nd year with Teens 12-17 (+6%) to deliver its top rating in 10 years - since 2004.

· "The Billboard Music Awards" was Sunday's No. 1 most social program with 5,450,160 tweets, shooting up 25% year to year (vs. 4,358,169 tweets on 5/19/13) for its highest number ever.

WEEK NO. 34: ADULTS 18-49 TOTAL VIEWERS
No.1 ABC 1.8 No.1 CBS 8,190,000
No.2 CBS 1.5 No.2 ABC 7,200,000
No.3 NBC 1.4 No.3 NBC 5,390,000
No.4 FOX 1.2 No.4 FOX 4,170,000
No.5 CW 0.5 No.5 CW 1,430,000

Source: The Nielsen Company, National, Live+ Same Day Program Ratings for week of 05/12/14. Nielsen Social, total tweets, as dated.