ABC's "Castle" Finale Wins at 10pm, Marking 6-Month Highs and its Most-Watched Season Ever

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

Featuring DWTS and Castle against all-original competition, ABC qualified as Monday's most-watched TV net for the 8th week in a row, outdrawing CBS by 5.3 million viewers (8-10pm comedies/Hawaii Five-0), NBC by 5.9 million viewers (The Voice Monday finale/Smash) and Fox by 8.4 million viewers (Bones/House). Among Adults 18-49, ABC defeated Fox's drama lineup on the night by 30%.

The most-watched TV show on Monday, ABC's Dancing with the Stars jumped to the top its 2-hour slot for the 8th straight week, beating runner-up NBC's The Voice finale in head-to-head competition by a resounding 5.5 million viewers. In addition, the broad-appealing dance competition dominated Fox's dramas in the slot among Adults 18-49 (+30%) and made ABC the #2 broadcaster with Teens 12-17 and Kids 2-11.

On its in its 4th season finale, ABC's Castle won the 10 o'clock hour in Total Viewers, Adults 18-49 and Adults 25-54, registering as the most-watched TV series in the time period for its 6th consecutive broadcast, leading CBS' Hawaii Five-0 by solid margins (by a best-ever +3.4 million viewer advantage). Also in the hour, Castle outdelivered NBC's Smash by its biggest-ever advantages with Total Viewers (+114%), Adults 18-49 (+32%) and Adults 25-54 (+50%). In addition, the ABC drama marked its 5th time in 6 telecasts to stand as Monday's most-watched scripted series.

· Building week to week to week Total Viewers (+14%), in Adults 18-49 (+9%) and Adults 25-54 (+13%), ABC's Castle closed out its season with its strongest performance in more than 6 months - since 10/31/11.

· Growing its overall audience (+8%) for its 2nd straight season, Castle produced the series' most-watched season ever.

Quick Take for Monday, May 7, 2012 (Fast Affiliate Live+ Same Day Ratings)

ABC is Monday's Most-Watched Net for the 8th Straight Week

Monday's No. 1 Program in Total Viewers, ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" Outdraws NBC's "The Voice" Monday Finale by a Resounding 5.5 Million Viewers

Fourth-Season Finale of ABC's "Castle" Leads the 10pm Hour with its Strongest Numbers Since October in Total Viewers, Adults 18-49 and Adults 25-54

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

Featuring "DWTS" and "Castle" against all-original competition, ABC (14.9 million) qualified as Monday's most-watched TV net for the 8th week in a row, outdrawing CBS by 5.3 million viewers (9.6 million -8:00-10:00 p.m. comedies/"Hawaii Five-0"), NBC by 5.9 million viewers (9.0 million - "The Voice" Monday finale/"Smash") and Fox by 8.4 million viewers (6.5 million - "Bones"/"House"). Among Adults 18-49, ABC defeated Fox's drama lineup on the night by 30% (2.6/7 vs. 2.0/6).

"Dancing with the Stars" (8:00-10:00 p.m.)

The most-watched TV show on Monday, ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" jumped to the top its 2-hour slot for the 8th straight week, beating runner-up NBC's "The Voice" finale in head-to-head competition by a resounding 5.5 million viewers (16.0 million vs. 10.5 million). In addition, the broad-appealing dance competition dominated Fox's dramas in the slot among Adults 18-49 (+30% - 2.6/7 vs. 2.0/6) and made ABC the No. 2 broadcaster with Teens 12-17 and Kids 2-11.

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

On its 4th season finale, ABC's "Castle" won the 10 o'clock hour in Total Viewers, Adults 18-49 and Adults 25-54, registering as the most-watched TV series in the time period for its 6th consecutive broadcast, leading CBS' "Hawaii Five-0" by solid margins (by a best-ever +3.4 million viewer advantage - 12.6 million vs. 9.2 million). Also in the hour, "Castle" outdelivered NBC's "Smash" by its biggest-ever advantages in Total Viewers (+114% - 12.6 million vs. 5.9 million), Adults 18-49 (+32% - 2.5/7 vs. 1.9/5) and Adults 25-54 (+50% - 3.6/8 vs. 2.4/6). In addition, the ABC drama marked its 5th time in 6 telecasts to stand as Monday's most-watched scripted series.

· Building week to week in Total Viewers (+14%), Adults 18-49 (+9%) and Adults 25-54 (+13%), ABC's "Castle" closed out its season with its strongest performance in more than 6 months - since 10/31/11.

· Growing its overall audience (+8% - 12.0 million vs. 11.1 million) for its 2nd straight season, "Castle" produced the series' most-watched season ever.

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 44% currently, from 41% 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), 5/1/12.