ABC's Monday Is Up Over Last Year/"Castle" Holds Its Premiere Rating and Grows 16% Year to Year

ABC Monday Prime 8-11pm (12.2 million and 2.1/6): ABC finished as the #2 net on Monday night in Total Viewers, outdrawing Fox by 4.7 million viewers and CBS by 5.4 million viewers. ABC was up from the same night last year by 4% in Total Viewers and by 5% in Adults 18-49 (11.7 million and 2.0/5 on 10/1/12).

DWTS 8-10pm (12.8 million and 2.0/5): ABC's Dancing with the Stars stood as the 2nd most-watched TV show of the evening to The Voice, topping Fox's dramas in the 2-hour time period by 5.3 million viewers and CBS' comedies by 5.6 million viewers. Bill Nye was the second celebrity dancer to be eliminated from the competition this season.

Castle 10-11pm (10.9 million and 2.2/6): Building 10% on its Adult 18-49 lead-in at 10pm, ABC's Castle held even with its week-earlier season premiere and was up 16% over its performance on the same night last year (1.9/5 on 10/1/12). In the hour, Castle beat CBS' Hostages (6.0 million and 1.5/4) by even wider margins week to week, leading by 82% in Total Viewers and by 47% in Adults 18-49. Live + 3 Day Ratings: Last week's season opener of ABC's Castle gained nearly a full Adult 18-49 rating point in the L+3 numbers, going from a 2.3 rating to a 3.2 rating (+0.9 rating points) and also added 3.4 million viewers to its next-day totals (going from 11.5 million to 14.9 million).

Quick Take for Monday, September 30, 2013 (Fast Affiliate Live +Same Day Ratings)

ABC Improves Year to Year by 4% in Total Viewers and by 5% in Adults 18-49

ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" Leads Fox's Dramas by 5.3 Million Viewers and CBS' Comedies by 5.6 Million Viewers

ABC's "Castle" Builds on its Lead-in and Grows 16% in Adults 18-49 Year to Year

Monday Night (8:00-11:00 p.m. - 12.2 million and 2.1/6 AD18-49)

ABC finished as the No. 2 net on Monday night in Total Viewers, outdrawing Fox by 4.7 million viewers (7.5 million) and CBS by 5.4 million viewers (6.8 million). ABC was up from the same night last year by 4% in Total Viewers and by 5% in Adults 18-49 (11.7 million and 2.0/5 on 10/1/12).

"Dancing with the Stars" (8:00-10:00 p.m. - 12.8 million and 2.0/5 AD18-49)

ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" stood as the 2nd-most-watched TV show of the evening to "The Voice," topping Fox's dramas in the 2-hour time period by 5.3 million viewers (7.5 million) and CBS' comedies by 5.6 million viewers (7.2 million). Bill Nye was the second celebrity dancer to be eliminated from the competition this season.

"Castle" (10:00-11:00 p.m. - 10.9 million and 2.2/6 AD18-49)

Building 10% on its Adult 18-49 lead-in at 10:00 p.m., ABC's "Castle" held even with its week-earlier season premiere and was up 16% over its performance on the same night last year (1.9/5 on 10/1/12). In the hour, "Castle" (10.9 million, 2.2/6 and 2.9/7) beat CBS' Hostages (6.0 million, 1.5/4 and 2.0/5) by even wider margins week to week, leading by 82% in Total Viewers, by 47% in Adults 18-49 and by 45% in Adults 25-54. Live + 3 Day Ratings: Last week's season opener of ABC's Castle gained a full Adult 18-49 rating point in the L+3 numbers, going from a 2.2 rating to a 3.2 rating and also added 3.4 million viewers to its next-day totals (going from 11.5 million to 14.9 million).

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, 9/30/13.