NBC dominated the broadcast networks on the first Monday of the summer season with a 1.9 rating from 8-11 pm, although NBC will come in behind ESPN which aired Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat (that rating to be released later today along with the other cable networks). America’s Got Talent scored a 2.7 preliminary rating from 8-9 pm, the top-rated network program last night (although down from a 3.2 in the same hour last week and down from the nearest comparable episode last year, a 4.3 rating from 8-10 pm on Tuesday, May 31, 2011). American Ninja Warrior settled down to a 2.0 from 9-10 pm (still beating the broadcast competition in the hour but down from last week’s 2.4 premiere rating). A repeat Grimm at 10 pm (0.9 rating) finished in second place behind a repeat Hawaii Five-O on CBS. The 1.9 rating from 8-11 pm was up sharply from a third-place 1.1 rating last year on the same night: Minute to Win It repeat (0.9), Law & Order Criminal Intent (1.0) and Law & Order Los Angeles (1.5).
ABC struggled to a second-place 1.5 rating for the night. The Bachelorette was leveled by AGT, averaging a 1.8 rating from 8-10 pm (down from a 2.4 last week and down from a 2.2 on the same night last year). A repeat Castle averaged a 0.8 rating at 10 pm, finishing third in the hour. Last year on this night, ABC averaged a first-place 2.3 rating with Bachelorette (2.2) and Extreme Makeover Weight Loss Edition (2.4).
CBS finished in third place with a 1.2 rating from 8-11 pm with repeats of its normal schedule: How I Met Your Mother (1.1), 2 Broke Girls (1.1), Two and a Half Men (1.3), Mike & Molly (1.2) and Hawaii Five-O (1.2). Last year on this night, CBS was also in third place with a slightly higher 1.4 rating from 8-11 pm repeats: How I Met Your Mother (1.4), Mad Love (1.3), Two and a Half Men (1.6), Mike & Molly (1.6) and Hawaii Five-O (1.3).
FOX finished in fourth place with a 0.8 rating from two House repeats (0.7 at 8 pm and 0.8 at 9 pm). Last year was very similar on this night: 0.9 rating from 8-10 pm also with two repeat House episodes (each a 0.9 rating).
