Fast National ratings for Monday, May 30, 2011.
Memorial Day is always a slow night for TV viewership and the second week of ABC’s “Bachelorette” took a big drop, but it still led into a solid premiere for “Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition” and helped the network win Monday.
Among adults 18-49, ABC averaged a 2.2 rating for the night, comfortably ahead of CBS’ 1.4 rating in the key demographic. NBC’s 1.1 rating and the 0.9 rating for FOX followed. The CW averaged a 0.2 rating for the night.
Overall, ABC averaged an estimated 7.08 million viewers and a 4.5 rating/8 share. CBS was second with a 3.5/6 and 5.48 million viewers, barely holding off the 3.3/5 and 5.175 million viewers for NBC. FOX was a distant fourth with a 2.1/3 and 3.32 million viewers. The CW averaged 560,000 viewers and a 0.4/1.
[As always for the summer months, any scripted programming should be assumed to be in repeats unless a new episode is specified.]
8 p.m. – “The Bachelorette” averaged 6.65 million viewers and a 1.9 rating among adults 18-49 to give ABC the 8 p.m. hour. CBS was second with 4.36 million viewers and a 1.3 demo rating for episodes of “How I Met Your Mother” and “Mad Love.” NBC’s “Minute to Win It” averaged 3.85 million viewers, just ahead of the 3.39 million viewers for FOX’s “House.” The CW averaged 584,000 for “90210.”
9 p.m. – The second hour of “The Bachelorette” improved to 7.525 million viewers and a 2.3 key demo rating, keeping ABC in first for the 9 p.m. hour. [Obviously “The Bachelorette” plummeted from last week’s premiere, but we’ll see how many people attempt to compare an in-season post-“Dancing with the Stars” airing to a Memorial Day stand-alone airing. That would seem pointless.] CBS’ “Two and a Half Men” and “Mike & Molly” were second with 6.33 million viewers and a 1.6 demo rating. NBC’s “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” — not a new episode, but an NBC premiere — averaged 5.21 million viewers in third. FOX’s “House” was fourth with 3.25 million viewers, still far ahead of the 535,000 viewers for The CW’s “Gossip Girl.”
10 p.m. – ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition” premiere held onto 7.06 million viewers and a 2.3 demo rating to top the 10 p.m. hour. NBC’s new (but out-of-sequence) “Law & Order: Los Angeles” was second with 6.47 million viewers and a 1.4 demo rating. CBS trailed with 5.76 million viewers for a “Hawaii Five-0” repeat.
All ratings information comes from preliminary Fast National Nielsen data, which includes live and same-day DVR viewing. All numbers are subject to change.