‘Designated Survivor’ Posts Big Live+3 Ratings Gains On Premiere Wednesday
A lot of people had put ABC’s new Kiefer Sutherland drama series Designated Survivor on its DVR/VOD list. More than 5 million of them. The 10 PM drama has emerged as the biggest Live+3 gainer so far this season in total viewers among new and returning series with +5.3 million viewers, surpassing the season premiere of CBS’ venerable comedy The Big Bang Theory (+4.43 million). This is the biggest viewer L3 gain since the debut of ABC’s How To Get Away With Murder in September 2014.
In adults 18-49, Designated Survivor gained +1.5 rating in the first three days of playback, the biggest for a new series this season and second overall to Big Bang‘s 1.6. Designated Survivor‘s 18-49 L3 lift, which topped NBC This Is Us‘ +1.4, tied Fox’s mega hit Empire as the biggest gain for any new TV series debut in two years, since ABC’s HTGAWM (+1.9 on 9/25/15).
The big lift has improved the standing of Designated Survivor, which had a solid but not remarkable Live+Same Day debut (2.2 in 18-49, 10 million). In L3, it overtook Empire as Wednesday’s most-watched program by 1.4 million viewers (13.9 million). The ABC drama also edged Fox’s Lethal Weapon to rank as the highest-rated series premiere of the night among adults 18-49 (3.7 vs. 2.9 rating) after being tied in L+SD. Beyond the L3 ratings, Designated Survivor has added an additional +0.25 rating points in Multiplatform + 3 Day viewing, bringing its 3-day MP average to a 3.95 adults 18-49 rating.
Designated Survivor also posted the biggest % Live+3 lifts on Wednesday, +68% in 18-49 and +53 in viewers. Honorable mention for NBC veteran Law & Order, whose 18th (!) season premiere logged the night’s second largest demo % gain, growing +61% to a 2.9 in 18-49.
Here is L+3 data for the Wednesday series:
…………………………….18-49 total viewers
……………………………..L+SD L+3 % lift L+SD L+3 % lift
NBC
Blindspot 1.3 2.0 +54% 6082 8284 +36%
Law & Order: SVU 1.8 2.9 +61% 7818 10531 +35%
Chicago PD 1.6 2.4 +50% 6874 9829 +43%
ABC
The Goldbergs 2.0 2.6 +30% 6900 8351 +21%
Speechless 2.0 2.6 +30% 7384 9165 +24%
Modern Family 2.6 3.8 +46% 8238 11111 +35%
Black-ish 2.0 2.7 +35% 6394 8417 +32%
Designated Survivor 2.2 3.7 +68% 1040 15317 +53%
Fox
Lethal Weapon 2.2 2.9 + 32% 7932 1099 +27%
Empire 4.2 5.5 +31% 10868 13927 +28%
CBS
Survivor 2.3 2.8 +22% 9449 11138 +18%
Big Brother 2.0 2.6 +30% 6308 7721 +22%
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