ABC's "Castle" Scores Double-Digit Increases to Stand as Monday's Top Series

Some early info on ABC's Monday, ahead of the regular press release.

Featuring The Bachelor and Castle, ABC led the network pack on Monday, beating runner-up CBS by 1.1 million viewers and by 5% in Adults 18-49.

· ABC marked its most-watched Monday since November - since 11/21/11.

ABC's The Bachelor ran a strong #2 against regular competition from 8-10pm with Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, while finishing #1 among all key Women demographics (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54). In addition, The Bachelor beat out its original unscripted competition on NBC (Who's Still Standing?/Fear Factor) during the 2-hour time period, leading by 1.4 million viewers and by 16% in Adults 18-49. The ABC unscripted show qualified as Monday's #1 TV series across the Women demos.

Building on its lead-in, ABC's Castle finished as the #1 regular program during the 10 o'clock hour among Total Viewers and Adults 18-49 to stand as Monday's most-watched TV series overall. In the hour, the ABC drama essentially tripled the delivery of NBC's Rock Center With Brian Williams in viewers (+216%) and young adults (+188%).

· On its first original in 5 weeks (on 12/5/11), Castle jumped by double-digits over its last first-run telecast with Total Viewers (+21%) and Adults 18-49 (+15%).

· Castle rose over its performance on the same night last year by 8% with viewers and by 10% with young adults.

Quick Take for Monday, January 9, 2012 (Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Ratings)

ABC Beats CBS on Monday by 1.1 Million Viewers and by 5% in Adults 18-49

ABC's "The Bachelor" is No. 1 in its Time Period and Stands as Monday's No. 1 Series Across All Key Women Demos

ABC's "Castle" Finishes as the No. 1 Series at 10pm, Posting Double-Digit Increases Over Its Most-Recent Original in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49

Monday Night (8:00-11:00 p.m.)

Featuring "The Bachelor" and "Castle," ABC led the network pack on Monday, beating runner-up CBS by 1.1 million viewers (8.1 million vs. 7.0 million) and by 5% in Adults 18-49 (2.2/5 vs. 2.1/5).

· ABC marked its most-watched Monday since November - since 11/21/11.

"The Bachelor" (8:00-10:00 p.m.)

ABC's "The Bachelor" ran a strong No. 2 against regular competition from 8:00-10:00 p.m. with Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, while finishing No. 1 among all key Women demographics (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54). In addition, "The Bachelor" beat out its original unscripted competition on NBC ("Who's Still Standing?"/"Fear Factor") during the 2-hour time period, leading by 1.4 million viewers (7.2 million vs. 5.8 million) and by 16% in Adults 18-49 (2.2/5 vs. 1.9/5). The ABC unscripted show was Monday's No. 1 TV series across the Women demos.

"Castle" (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

Building on its lead-in, ABC's "Castle" finished as the No. 1 regular program during the 10 o'clock hour among Total Viewers and Adults 18-49 to stand as Monday's most-watched TV series overall. In the hour, the ABC drama essentially tripled the delivery of NBC's "Rock Center With Brian Williams" in viewers (+216% - 9.8 million vs. 3.1 million) and young adults (+188% - 2.3/6 vs. 0.8/2).

· On its first original in 5 weeks (8.1 million and 2.0/5 on 12/5/11), "Castle" jumped by double-digits over its last first-run telecast with Total Viewers (+21%) and Adults 18-49 (+15%).

· "Castle" rose over its performance on the same night last year by 8% with viewers and by 10% with young adults (9.1 million and 2.1/5 on 1/10/11).

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 43% currently, from 38% at the same point in 2011. 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), 1/9/12.