TV Ratings: ‘Dancing,’ NCAA Championship let ABC, CBS split Monday

Fast National ratings for Monday, April 4, 2011.
The ugly, sloppy NCAA Tournament finale between Butler and UConn dominated Monday night among young viewers for CBS, but older viewers remained captivated by ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars,” leading to a primetime split.
Among adults 18-49, CBS averaged a 5.0 rating for the night, beating ABC’s 4.0 rating in the key demographic. FOX was a distant third with a 1.3 rating, followed by NBC’s 1.1 rating and the 0.3 rating for The CW.
Overall, though, ABC averaged an estimated 18.15 million viewers and an 11.4 rating/17 share to rule primetime. CBS was far back in second with an 8.6/13 and 14.39 million viewers. NBC took third with 3.0/5 and nearly 4.6 million viewers, with FOX’s 2.6/4 and 4.155 million viewers close behind. The CW trailed with a 0.5/1 and 771,000 viewers.
8 p.m. – ABC kicked off primetime in first with 20.4 million viewers and a 4.3 rating among adults 18-49 for “Dancing with the Stars.” CBS’ repeats of “The Big Bang Theory” and “Rules of Engagement” averaged 8.49 million viewers and a 2.6 demo rating in second. FOX’s “House” repeat averaged 4.435 million viewers in third, beating the 2.46 million viewers for NBC’s “Chuck” repeat. The CW’s “90210” repeat was fifth with 862,000 million viewers.
9 p.m. – “Dancing with the Stars” improved to 22.37 million viewers and a 4.8 demo rating in the 9 p.m. hour, obviously down compared to last week. CBS’ NCAA Finals coverage averaged 16.03 million viewers for second and won the hour with a 5.4 rating in the key demo. NBC was third with 3.93 million viewers and a 1.2 demo rating for a new episode of “The Event.” FOX’s “Chicago Code” repeat did a nearly identical 3.88 million viewers and a 1.2 demo rating. In fifth, a CW repeat over “Gossip Girl” averaged 680,000 viewers.
10 p.m. – Butler and UConn averaged 18.66 million viewers and a 6.8 demo rating to win the 10 p.m. hour for CBS with ease. ABC’s new “Castle” averaged 11.695 million viewers and a 2.9 demo for second. NBC’s “Harry’s Law” season finale averaged only 7.4 million viewers and a 1.3 rating in the key demo.
All ratings information comes from preliminary Fast National Nielsen data, which includes live and same-day DVR viewing. All numbers are subject to change, particularly in the case of live events.
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