ABC’s Opener of MARVEL’S AGENTS of S.H.I.E.L.D. is TV’s #1 Drama Debut in 4 Years!

In the 8pm hour, ABC‘s series debut of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. opened a strong #1 in the time period with Adults 18-49, defeating NBC’s Tuesday premiere of The Voice by 15% and CBS’ season premiere of NCIS by 35%, to qualify as TV’s highest rated drama debut in nearly 4 years – since 11/3/09. It was Tuesday’s #1 TV show in Adults 18-49 (tie) and across all key Men demographics (M18-34/M18-49/M25-54). Despite the strong competition, the self-starting ABC drama gained young adults from its first half-hour to it second half-hour.

Please Note: On top of its big Live + Same Day numbers, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is expected to get a big lift from TV playback, considering its young-skewing audience. Well ahead of its debut this past weekend, the new show surpassed 1 million Facebook fans.

The season’s #1 new comedy in Adults 18-49, the series premiere of The Goldbergs at 9pm beat Fox’s New Girl by 52% and topped last fall’s premiere of Happy Endings in the half-hour hour by 78%. It was TV’s top-rated comedy debut in over 1 year and ABC’s highest-rated in 2 years – since 9/11/12 and 10/11/11, respectively.

At 9:30pm among Adults 18-49, the debut of ABC’s Trophy Wife defeated Fox’s The Mindy Project by 53% and outdelivered the year-ago fall premiere of Don’t Trust the B—- in Apt 23 by 35%.

…more to come

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Quick Take for Tuesday, September 24, 2013
(Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Ratings)

• Up 45% Year to Year, ABC Delivers its Best Season Opening Tuesday in 3 Years
• Ranking No. 1 on the Night, ABC’s Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Qualifies as TV’s Top-Rated Drama Premiere in Nearly 4 Years
• ABC’s The Goldbergs is TV’s Highest-Rated Comedy Debut in Over 1 Year
• Trophy Wife Dominates its Comedy Competition on Fox and Boosts its Time Slot
• Lucky 7 Grows over ABC’s Most-Recent Drama Premiere in the Time Period

Tuesday Night (8:00-11:00 pm)
With its Tuesday debuts, ABC was up by 45% in Adults 18-49 over the year-ago night (2.9/8 vs. 2.0/6) to deliver its strongest performance on the opening Tuesday of a season in 3 years – since 9/21/10.

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (8:00-9:00 pm)
In the 8:00 p.m. hour, ABC’s series debut of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. opened a strong No. 1 in the time period with Adults 18-49 (4.6/14), defeating NBC’s Tuesday premiere of The Voice by 15% (4.0/12) and CBS’ season premiere of NCIS by 35% (3.4/10), to qualify as TV’s highest rated drama debut in nearly 4 years – since 11/3/09. It was also Tuesday’s No. 1 TV show in Adults 18-49 (tie) and across all key Men demographics (M18-34/M18-49/M25-54). And despite the strong competition, the self-starting ABC drama gained young adults from its first half-hour to its second half-hour.

Please Note: On top of its big Live + Same Day numbers, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is expected to get a big lift from TV playback, considering its young-skewing audience. Well ahead of its debut this past weekend, the new show surpassed 1 million Facebook fans.

The Goldbergs (9:00-9:30 pm)
The season’s No. 1 new comedy in Adults 18-49 and the top-rated comedy of the night, ABC’s series premiere of The Goldbergs (3.2/9) at 9:00 p.m. beat Fox’s New Girl by 52% (2.1/6) and topped last fall’s premiere of Happy Endings in the half-hour hour by 78% (1.8/5 on 10/23/12). It ranked as TV’s top-rated comedy debut in over 1 year and ABC’s highest-rated in 2 years – since 9/11/12 and 10/11/11, respectively. In addition, The Goldbergs posted ABC’s highest rating in the half-hour with entertainment programming since Fall 2011 – since 11/22/11.

Trophy Wife (9:30-10:00 pm)
At 9:30 p.m. among Adults 18-49, the debut of ABC’s Trophy Wife (2.3/6) defeated Fox’s The Mindy Project by 53% (1.5/5) and outdelivered the year-ago fall premiere of Don’t Trust the B—- in Apt 23 by 35% (1.7/4 on 10/23/12).

Lucky 7 (10:00-11:00 pm)
During the 10 o’clock hour, ABC’s debut of Lucky 7 was up over the Net’s most-recent drama premiere in the time period by 8% in Adults 18-49 (1.3/4 vs. 1.2/3 for Body of Proof on 2/19/13).

A note about increasing DVR penetration and year-to-year rating comparisons: Year-to-year rating comparisons based on the Live + Same Day data stream are distorted by the level of DVR penetration in the Nielsen sample, which has jumped up to 48% currently, from 45% at the same point in 2012. More viewers are watching shows on their own timetables, which may not be reflected in the overnight next day numbers. The only truly valid year-to-year comparison would be one based on the Live + 7 Day metric, once those stats are released by Nielsen.

Source: The Nielsen Company (Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Ratings), 09/24/13.

via ABC Press Release

Wizard World Comic Con Plans Massive Expansion in 2014, Adding Seven New Cities to the Largest Comic Con Tour Ever

Wizard World, Inc. (OTCBB:WIZD), the world’s largest pop culture convention series is announcing a large-scale expansion to its already largest Comic Con Tour. Fans of movies, TV, cosplay, comics, graphic novels, toys, games, sci-fi, sports entertainment, music and more across the U.S. will now be treated to a whopping 15 events in 2014, potentially with room for additional expansion.

“We’ve had such an overwhelmingly positive reaction to all our 2013 events, both first-year and existing shows, that it was obvious what the fans were telling us – ‘We want more!’”

Wizard World promises to continue bringing top-level celebrities for autographs, photo ops and panel programming as well as top rated TV show and blockbuster film and game releases to engage with the Comic Con audience. Additionally, while industry trends show artists exhibition areas shrinking at many other convention show floors, Wizard World has a strong commitment to including leading and up-and-coming comic book artists and writers from the U.S. and from all over the world. Over a dozen countries’ top talent have been represented at Wizard World 2013 events including Canada, Mexico, Spain, Great Britain, France, Italy, Philippines, Turkey, Singapore, Croatia, Brazil, Saudi Arabia and more.

Fans can expect to see community fueled costume contests, evening panel programming, live video streaming, top industry exhibitors, retailers, fan groups and exclusive attractions (like the Frank Frazetta pop-up museum collection) that are staples of the Wizard World experience, providing memorable and long-lasting experiences for attendees of all ages.

Eight cities from the 2013 schedule return next year: Portland, Ore. (Jan. 24-26, Oregon Convention Center); New Orleans (Feb. 7-9, Ernest N. Morial Convention Center); St. Louis (April 4-6, America’s Center); Philadelphia (June 19-22, Pennsylvania Convention Center); Chicago (Aug. 21-24, Donald E. Stephens Convention Center); Nashville, Tenn. (Sept. 26-28, Music City Center); Austin, Texas (Oct. 11-12, Austin Convention Center); and Columbus, Ohio (Oct. 31-Nov. 2, Greater Columbus Convention Center).

The tour has expanded to include the following new shows: Sacramento, Calif. (March 7-9, Sacramento Convention Center); Louisville, Ky. (March 28-30, Kentucky International Convention Center); Minneapolis (May 2-4, Minneapolis Convention Center); Atlanta (May 30-June 1, Georgia World Congress Center); San Antonio (Aug. 1-3, Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center); Richmond, Va. (Sept. 12-14, Greater Richmond Convention Center) and Tulsa, Okla. (Nov., 7-9, Cox Business Center).

“Our mantra has been, ‘Give the fans a great experience, give the celebrities and creators a great experience, take care of our exhibitors, and eveyone will want to come back,'” said John Macaluso, Wizard World CEO and Chairman. “We’ve had such an overwhelmingly positive reaction to all our 2013 events, both first-year and existing shows, that it was obvious what the fans were telling us – ‘We want more!’”

Wizard World Comic Con events bring together thousands of fans of all ages to celebrate the best in pop-fi, pop culture, movies, graphic novels, comics, toys, video gaming, television, sci-fi, gaming, original art, collectibles, contests and more. Three events in the coming months conclude the 2013 slate: Columbus, Ohio (Sept. 20-22); Nashville, Tenn. (Oct. 18-20); and Austin, Texas (Nov. 22-24).

About Wizard World
Wizard World (OTCBB:WIZD) produces Comic Cons and pop culture conventions across North America that celebrate graphic novels, comic books, movies, TV shows, gaming, technology, toys and social networking. The events often feature celebrities from movies and TV, artists and writers, and events such as premieres, gaming tournaments, panels, and costume contests.

The full event schedule can be found at www.wizardworld.com.

Wizard World 2013 Schedule
September 20-22 – Wizard World Ohio Comic Con
October 18-20 – Wizard World Nashville Comic Con
November 22-24 – Wizard World Austin Comic Con

Wizard World 2014 Schedule
January 24-26 – Wizard World Portland Comic Con
February 7-9 – Wizard World New Orleans Comic Con
March 7-9 – Wizard World Sacramento Comic Con
March 28-30 – Wizard World Louisville Comic Con
April 4-6 – Wizard World St. Louis Comic Con
May 2-4 – Wizard World Minneapolis Comic Con
May 30-June 1 – Wizard World Atlanta Comic Con
June 19-22 – Wizard World Philadelphia Comic Con
August 1-3 – Wizard World San Antonio Comic Con
August 21-24 – Wizard World Chicago Comic Con
September 12-14 – Wizard World Richmond Comic Con
September 26-28 – Wizard World Nashville Comic Con
October 11-12 – Wizard World Austin Comic Con
October 31-November 2 – Wizard World Ohio Comic Con
November 7-9 – Wizard World Tulsa Comic Con

via Wizard World Press Release

The Marvel Universe Comes to ABC during Telecast of Marvel’s IRON MAN 2 on September 17

Broadcast Premiere of the Full-length Trailer for Marvel’s Thor: The Dark World Plus All New Promos for Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and a Special Look at Marvel’s Iron Man 3

The Marvel Universe is coming to ABC. When ABC airs Marvel‘s Iron Man 2 on Tuesday, September 17 (8:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT), it will feature the broadcast premiere of the full-length, uncut trailer for Marvel’s highly anticipated epic adventure Thor: The Dark World. Marvel’s Thor: The Dark World releases in U.S. theaters on November 8th and stars Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Stellan Skarsgård, Idris Elba, Christopher Eccleston, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Kat Dennings, Ray Stevenson, Zachary Levi, Tadanobu Asano and Jaimie Alexander with Rene Russo and Anthony Hopkins as Odin.

New promos of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. will also be showcased during the broadcast of Marvel’s Iron Man 2. Additionally, in celebration of Marvel’s Iron Man 3, now available on HD Digital and also on Blu-ray(TM) September 24th, there will be a special behind-the-scenes look at the film during the broadcast.

The same day as the ABC broadcast on September 17th, in a coordinated roadblock of support for Marvel’s Thor: The Dark World across Disney, the trailer and other new content from the film will be featured on the Disney Channel, Disney XD, Disney Parks Blog, ESPNEWS, ESPNU, Radio Disney, ABC Family’s Social Media Pages, Disney.com and Disney Stores.

Fans will also be alerted to more brand-new, exclusive looks at Marvel’s Thor: The Dark World airing during the season premiere of the ABC fall series, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.EL.D. Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. premieres Tuesday, September 24 at 8:00 PM (ET/PT) on ABC.

ABOUT MARVEL’S THOR: THE DARK WORLD
Marvel’s “Thor: The Dark World” continues the big-screen adventures of Thor, the Mighty Avenger, as he battles to save Earth and all the Nine Realms from a shadowy enemy that predates the universe itself. In the aftermath of Marvel’s “Thor” and “Marvel’s The Avengers,” Thor fights to restore order across the cosmos…but an ancient race led by the vengeful Malekith returns to plunge the universe back into darkness. Faced with an enemy that even Odin and Asgard cannot withstand, Thor must embark on his most perilous and personal journey yet, one that will reunite him with Jane Foster and force him to sacrifice everything to save us all.

Starring Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Stellan Skarsgård, Idris Elba, Christopher Eccleston, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Kat Dennings, Ray Stevenson, Zachary Levi, Tadanobu Asano and Jaimie Alexander with Rene Russo and Anthony Hopkins as Odin, Marvel’s Thor: The Dark World is directed by Alan Taylor, produced by Kevin Feige, p.g.a., from a story by Don Payne and Robert Rodat and screenplay by Christopher L. Yost and Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely, and is based on Marvel’s classic Super Hero Thor, who first appeared in the comic book Journey into Mystery  #83 in August, 1962.

Thor: The Dark World is presented by Marvel Studios. The executive producers are Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Craig Kyle, Alan Fine, Nigel Gostelow and Stan Lee. The film releases November 8, 2013, and is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

About Marvel Entertainment
Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of over 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media over seventy years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing and publishing. For more information visit marvel.com.

via ABC Press Release