ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" Tops CBS' "How I Met Your Mother" Finale as Monday's #1 TV Show for the 3rd Week Running/"Castle" Marks Most-Watched Repeat in 3 Years

ABC Monday Prime (8-11pm - 11.6 million and 1.8/5 in AD18-49): With DWTS and a repeat Castle, ABC ranked a strong #2 on Monday in Total Viewers, pacing within 300k viewers of NBC with originals of The Voice and Blacklist by 6% (11.6 million vs. 11.9 million) and topping CBS with the 1-hour series finale of How I Met Your Mother on the night by 2.9 million viewers (8.7 million). In addition, ABC beat Fox's original drama lineup by 29% in Adults 18-49 (1.8/5 vs. 1.4/4).

Dancing with the Stars (8-10pm - 13.7 million and 2.2/6 in AD18-49): From 8-10pm, up against the high-rated series finale of How I Met Your Mother (8-9pm), ABC's Dancing with the Stars stood as Monday's most-watched TV show for the 3rd week running, topping NBC's The Voice in head-to-head competition by 1.6 million viewers (13.7 million vs. 12.1 million). Among young adults in the time period, ABC's DWTS beat Fox's original dramas (Bones/The Following) by 57% in Adults 18-49 (2.2/6 vs. 1.4/4) and by 50% in Adults 18-34 (1.5/5 vs.1.0/3).

· Despite the big competition, DWTS held even with its Adult 18-49 rating on the same night last year (2.2/6 on 4/1/13) and jumped 25% in Adults 18-34 (1.5/5 vs. 1.2/3). In addition, the show held even with its week-ago Fast Affiliate Adult 18-49 rating.

Castle (10-11pm - 7.4 million and 1.1/3 in AD18-49): During the 10 o'clock hour, ABC's repeat Castle took second place with its most-watched encore in nearly 3 years - since 4/25/11.

Quick Take for Monday, March 31, 2014 (Fast Affiliate Live +Same Day Ratings)

ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" is Monday's Most-Watched TV Show, Leading NBC's "The Voice" Head to Head by 1.6 Million Viewers

At 10pm, ABC's "Castle" Scores Most-Watched Encore Telecast in Nearly 3 Years

Monday Night (8:00-11:00 p.m. - 11.6 million and 1.8/5 in AD18-49):

With "DWTS" and a repeat "Castle," ABC ranked a strong No. 2 on Monday in Total Viewers, pacing within 300,000 viewers of NBC with originals of "The Voice" and "Blacklist" (11.6 million vs. 11.9 million) and topping CBS with the 1-hour series finale of "How I Met Your Mother" on the night by 2.9 million viewers (8.7 million). In addition, ABC beat Fox's original drama lineup by 29% in Adults 18-49 (1.8/5 vs. 1.4/4).

"Dancing with the Stars" (8:00-10:00 p.m. - 13.7 million and 2.2/6 in AD18-49):

From 8:00-10:00 p.m. up against the high-rated series finale of "How I Met Your Mother" (8:00-9:00 p.m.), ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" stood as Monday's most-watched TV show for the 3rd week running, topping NBC's "The Voice" in head-to-head competition by 1.6 million viewers (13.7 million vs. 12.1 million). Among young adults in the time period, ABC's "DWTS" beat Fox's original dramas ("Bones"/"The Following") by 57% in Adults 18-49 (2.2/6 vs. 1.4/4) and by 50% in Adults 18-34 (1.5/5 vs. 1.0/3).

· Despite the big competition, "DWTS" held even with its Adult 18-49 rating on the same night last year (2.2/6 on 4/1/13) and jumped 25% in Adults 18-34 (1.5/5 vs. 1.2/4). In addition, the show held even with its week-ago Fast Affiliate Adult 18-49 rating.

"Castle" (10:00-11:00 p.m. - 7.4 million and 1.1/3 in AD18-49):

During the 10 o'clock hour, ABC's repeat "Castle" took second place with its most-watched encore in nearly 3 years - since 4/25/11.

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 49% currently, from 47% at the same point in 2013. 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, 3/31/14.