“How To Get Away With Murder” has added a record-breaking Live+3 Day DVR haul to what was already a tremendous premiere.
The September 25 premiere of “How To Get Away With Murder” added 6 million viewers after three days of playback, which ABC is calling the largest-ever total viewer increase in Live+3 for a network telecast. Your previous record-holder? A January 2014 telecast of “Blacklist,” which NBC likes to note has a disproportionate number of the largest-ever DVR audience bumps.
The DVR boost took “How To Get Away With Murder” from 14.3 million viewers in Live+SD to 20.3 million in Live+3. “HTGAWM” also got a sizable DVR bump among adults 18-49, rising 1.9 ratings points, or 49 percent, to a 5.8 key demo rating, up from a 3.9 Live+SD rating that was already a triumph. While it wasn't the largest volume gain in the key demo of any show from last week — two “Big Bang Theory” episodes both added 2.0 ratings points — it was the biggest freshman gainer in volume. It also moved “Murder” up to second among scripted programs for last week in Live+3 numbers for the 18-49 demo, behind only those episodes of “Big Bang Theory.”
So yeah. ABC is pleased.
And how did the rest of ABC's lineup do with Thursday DVR figures? And what happened with FOX's “Bones”?
Let's take a look…
*** The rest of ABC's lineup did well. “Scandal” rose 36 percent in the 18-49 demo, adding 1.4 to a 3.9 L+SD rating, bringing its key demo rating to a 5.3 thus far. “Scandal” also added 3.4 million viewers, rising from 12.2 million Live+SD viewers to 15.6 million. Both the 15.6 million viewers and 5.3 key demo rating are, predictably, series Live+3 highs for “Scandal.”
*** While “Grey's Anatomy” couldn't come close to setting series highs — Duh — it did rise 30 percent overall to 13.1 million viewers in Live+3, making it the show's most watched Live+3 episode since October 2012. “Grey's Anatomy” also rose 45 percent in the 18-49 demo, hitting a 4.5 Live+3 rating in the key demo.
*** Since this is the last season for “Parenthood,” little things like ratings don't especially matter, but the departing NBC family drama got a 64 percent Live+3 bump in the 18-49 demo, tied with FOX's “Red Band Society” for Premiere Week's biggest percentage gain. “Parenthood” went from a 1.4 key demo rating in Live+SD to a 2.3 key demo rating in Live+3.[Hoping for first all alone, NBC is claiming 66 percent growth, saying that the gain was from a 1.38 to a 2.29.] The audience for the “Parenthood” premiere also went up to 6.51 million.
*** Finally, FOX's “Bones” rose 38 percent in the key demo, going from a 1.6 Live+SD to a 2.2 rating among adults 18-49 for Live+3.
*** CBS' Thursday Night Football telecast got no DVR bump at all.
Anything stand out here?