ABC’s ‘The Bachelor’ Up by 1.0 million viewers topped the time period

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ABC Delivers its Top Numbers in 7 Weeks in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49 and Wins the Night Among Key Women Demos for the Second Straight Week.


“The Bachelor” is Up by 1.0 Million Viewers and by 9% in Adults 18-49 Over its Week-Ago Premiere, Drawing the Series’ Most-Watched 2nd Episode in 11 Seasons.

“The Bachelor” Wins its Time Period and Stands as Monday’s No. 1 Program in Women 18-34 for the Second Consecutive Week

At 10pm, ABC’s “Castle” Sees its Audience Grow by 1.7 Million Viewers and 24% in Adults 18-49 Over its Most Recent Original Telecast, While Hitting Season Highs Among Adults 18-34 and Key Women Demos

Monday Night (8:00-11:00 p.m.)
Growing over the previous week in both Total Viewers and Adults 18-49 for the second week in a row, ABC drew its largest audience (10.2 million) and highest Adults 18-49 (3.3/9) performance on the night in 7 weeks – since 11/23/09.  The Net ranked No. 1 on the night among Women 18-34 (4.2/11) and Women 18-49 (4.7/12) for the 2nd straight week.

“The Bachelor: On the Wings of Love” (8:00-10:00 p.m.)
Airing against original comedies on CBS and original dramas on NBC and Fox, the second episode of ABC’s “The Bachelor” was up by 1.0 million viewers (10.5 million vs. 9.5 million) and by 9% in Adults 18-49 (3.6/9 vs. 3.3/8) over its week ago season premiere. In fact, in its 14th edition, “The Bachelor” turned in its most-watched second episode since April ’03 (11 seasons ago) and the franchise’s 3rd-most-watched second telecast overall.  “The Bachelor” topped the time period premieres of NBC’s “Chuck” and “Heroes” from 8:00-10:00pm by 4.5 million viewers and by 57% in the key young adult sales demo (6.0 million & 2.3/6 in Adults 18-49). 

“The Bachelor” dominated its time period and ranked as Monday’s No. 1 TV program among Women 18-34 (4.8/12) for the second consecutive week with a season-high performance for the Net.

Against stiff competition, “The Bachelor” gained audience during each half-hour from 8:00-10:00pm, building by 1.9 million viewers (9.8 million to 11.7 million) and by 31% in Adults 18-49 (3.2/8 to 4.2/10) from start to finish.

“Castle” (10:00-11:00 p.m.)
Taking second in the 10 o’clock hour to CBS’ veteran drama “CSI: Miami”, ABC’s “Castle” was up by 1.7 million viewers (9.5 million vs. 7.8 million) and by 24% in Adults 18-49 (2.6/7 vs. 2.1/5) over its most-recent original telecast (12/7/09).   

“Castle” hit season highs among Adults 18-34 and key Women demos:  W18-34 and W18-49 (tie). 

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 34% currently, from 29% at the same point in 2009. 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: data and information provided by ABC. – Nielsen Media Research (Fast Affiliate, Live + Same Day Ratings), 1/11/10.)