Designated Survivor posted strong live ratings for its premiere last Wednesday but it looks like many people were in the mood to sample it later because it made a strong showing via VOD & DVR ratings.
The show 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’ 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 the pivotal 18-49 demo, 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 How To Get Away With Murder (+1.9 on 9/25/15).
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.
It has only been a week since the premieres kicked off but Designated Survivor is positioning itself as one to beat.
