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CBS won the night last night, mostly with the NCAA Basketball Championship. The preliminary rating for the night matches last year’s mark, although the individual program ratings for CBS Monday (two comedy repeats and the basketball game) will be adjusted significantly as the time zone viewing is sorted out on this unusually formatted night. The Voice and Dancing with the Stars each went down a notch this week, while FOX got a little life out of the return of Bones.
Nightly Primetime Average
Monday NBC CBS ABC FOX
04.02.2012 3.5 5.1 2.6 2.4 THIS WEEK
03.26.2012 3.7 1.9 2.9 1.6 LAST WEEK
04.04.2011 1.1 5.1 4.1 1.3 LAST YEAR
Preliminary ratings for CBS show a 5.1 rating with Adults 18-49 from 8-11 pm, the same as the official rating for the comparable night last year. Repeats of 2 Broke Girls (2.5 rating) at 8:00 and Two and a Half Men (2.6) at 8:30 are inflated because the ratings contain west coast viewing of the NCAA championship game. The game itself is currently averaging a 6.4 rating, although that number is certain to rise in the official nationals when the time zone viewing is properly aligned. Last night’s Kentucky victory over Kansas, which tried to mount a late-game comeback again, will probably end up slightly exceeding the audience for last year’s championship. Last year on this night: Big Bang Theory repeat (2.2), Rules of Engagement repeat (1.9) and NCAA Basketball Championship (7.1).
CBS Mon High Low 2.27 3.05 3.12 3.19 3.26 4.02
How I Met Your 4.9 3.4 3.6 2.0R 1.9R 3.5 1.9R
2 Broke Girls 7.1 3.5 3.8 2.1R 2.1R 3.5 2.1R 2.5R
2.5 Men 10.7 3.6 3.6 2.1R 2.1R 3.8 2.2R 2.6R
Mike & Molly 4.8 2.9 2.9 1.8R 1.9R 3.1 1.9R
Hawaii Five-O 3.4 2.5 2.5 1.5R 1.6R 2.5 1.6R
NBC’s The Voice took a hit from the NCAA on CBS, down to a preliminary 4.1 rating from 8-10 pm. The rating will probably go up to a 4.2 or maybe a 4.3 in the official nationals, still a new season low. Smash turned in another 2.2 rating in the preliminary fast nationals. It declined to a 2.1 last week in the official nationals. Last year on this night: Chuck repeat (0.6), The Event (1.3) and Harry’s Law (1.4).
NBC Mon High Low 2.27 3.05 3.12 3.19 3.26 4.02
The Voice 6.7 4.5 5.4 6.2 5.2 4.6 4.5 4.1*
Smash 3.8 2.1 2.3 2.7 2.4 2.2 2.1 2.2*
The Sing-Off 1.9 1.3
Who’s Still St 1.7 1.5
Fear Factor 3.5 2.3
Playboy Club 1.6 1.2
Rock Center 1.6 0.7
Dancing with the Stars fell again this week, down four tenths of a rating point in one week (down 12.5%) and down seven tenths since this cycle’s premiere (down 20%), now below a 3 rating. The ballroom reality competition show last night is down a brutal 40% from the same night last year against the NCAA championship. Last year on this night, ABC averaged a 4.1 rating: Dancing with the Stars (4.7) and Castle (2.8).
ABC Mon High Low 2.27 3.05 3.12 3.19 3.26 4.02
Dancing Stars 4.0 2.8
You Deserve It 1.7 0.8
The Bachelor 2.7 2.4 2.6 2.5 2.9
Dancing Stars 3.5 3.2 3.5 3.2 2.8*
Castle 3.2 2.0 2.1 1.4R — 2.3 2.3 2.2*
FOX had somewhat welcome news last night with the return of Bones to the schedule. A 2.5 rating at 8 pm is nothing to get too excited about, but it is a safe number for the veteran series to maintain going forward. Any potential benefit to House from the lead-in was mitigated by basketball coverage on CBS — moving back to 9 pm, House turned in a 2.2 rating, not much better than the 2.1 it did at 8 pm two weeks ago. Last year on this night, FOX averaged a 1.3 rating with repeats of House (1.4) and Chicago Code (1.2).
FOX Mon High Low 2.27 3.05 3.12 3.19 3.26 4.02
Terra Nova 3.1 2.1
Bones 2.5*
House 3.9 2.1 — — 1.1R 2.1 2.2*
Alcatraz 3.3 1.5 — 1.8 1.6 1.6 1.5
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