>CBS Monday continues to dominate, FOX launches Alcatraz solidly, and NBC benefits in the early part of the evening by saluting Betty White (but Rock Center gives back all the gains).
Nightly Primetime Average
Monday CBS FOX ABC NBC
01.16.2012 3.8 3.3 2.4 2.2
01.17.2011 3.6 2.7 2.3 2.0
Back in originals, CBS returned to first place Monday night. The four 8-10 pm comedies and Hawaii Five-O were in the lower end of this season’s ranges (held down by some unusually successful older-skewing competition on NBC celebrating Betty White), but the 3.8 Adult 18-49 rating for CBS from 8-11 pm last night was still up from the 3.6 rating on the same night last year: How I Met Your Mother (3.9), Rules of Engagement (3.3), Two and a Half Men (4.6), Mike & Molly (3.7) and Hawaii Five-O (2.9).
CBS Mon High Low 1212 1219 1226 01.2 01.9 1.16
How I Met Your 4.9 3.9 — 2.1R 1.8R 3.9 2.2R 4.4*
2 Broke Girls 7.1 4.2 4.2 2.6R 1.9R 4.4 2.4R 4.5*
2.5 Men 10.7 4.5 4.7 2.3R 2.4R 4.5 2.3R 4.6*
Mike & Molly 4.8 3.7 4.0 2.2R 2.1R 3.8 2.3R 3.8*
Hawaii Five-O 3.4 2.7 2.8 1.8R 1.6R 2.9 1.6R 2.8*
FOX successfully launched Alcatraz with two episodes from 8-10 pm after relentless on-air promotion during the recent NFL playoff games. The 3.3 rating for Alcatraz was relatively stable by half hour (3.2… 3.3… 3.3… 3.2), indicating FOX got them to the show early and held them. The premiere for Alcatraz is higher than Terra Nova‘s, and a realistic expectation is that Alcatraz settles in at a high-2 rating (maybe a 2.8) rather than the low-2 that Terra Nova ended up with as the dinosaurs and visual effects played less of a role in later weeks. Last year on this night, FOX averaged a 2.7 rating with House (3.5) and Lie to Me (1.8).
FOX Mon High Low 1212 1219 1226 01.2 01.9 1.16
Terra Nova 3.1 2.1 2.1 2.2* — — — —
Alcatraz 3.3 3.3 3.3*
House 3.9 2.5 1.3R — 0.8R 1.2R 1.2R —
ABC’s The Bachelor bounced back a bit to its premiere level, but still below last year’s cycle. Last year on this night (Monday, January 17, 2011), ABC averaged a 2.3 rating: The Bachelor (2.7) and Castle repeat (1.4).
ABC Mon High Low 1212 1219 1226 01.2 01.9 1.16
Dancing Stars 4.0 2.8 — — — — — —
You Deserve It 1.7 0.8 0.9 0.9* 0.8 — — —
The Bachelor 2.4 2.4 2.4 2.2 2.4*
Castle 3.2 2.0 0.9R 1.0R 0.7R — 2.3 2.3*
NBC had a promising start to the evening last night with Betty White’s 90th Birthday special (2.7) from 8:00-9:30 pm and the premiere of the hidden camera Betty White’s Off Their Rockers (2.6) from 9:30-10:00 pm. In the 8-10 pm time period, NBC beat The Bachelor, but all momentum was lost at 10 pm by Brian Williams and Rock Center (1.3). Sure, the 1.3 (if it holds in the official nationals) will be a series high for the struggling news magazine, but it is still less than half the 18-49 audience for time period winner Hawaii Five-O. Last year on this night, NBC averaged a 2.0 with its regular schedule of Chuck (2.1), The Cape (1.8) and Harry’s Law (2.2).
NBC Mon High Low 1212 1219 1226 01.2 01.9 1.16
The Sing-Off 1.9 1.3 — — — — — —
Who’s Still Standing? 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.6 —
Fear Factor 3.5 2.3 3.5 2.5 1.5R 2.4 2.3 —
Playboy Club 1.6 1.2
Rock Center 1.2 0.7 1.1 1.2 0.8 1.1 0.7 1.3*
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