Fast National ratings for Monday, September 15, 2014.
The 19th season premiere for ABC's “Dancing with the Stars” came in well below last September's return, but still dominated Monday night overall. ABC's “Castle” repeat in the 10 p.m. hour allowed FOX to move up for a primetime tie thanks to the season finale for “MasterChef.”
“Dancing” was down by 23 percent from last fall's premiere, but a much acceptable eight percent from the most recently spring return. ABC wants to emphasize that this was the most watched series telecast since May. And of course it was.
CBS was second overall for the night thanks to a rising installment of “Under the Dome,” while the “USA vs. the World” special episode of “American Ninja Warrior” carried NBC to third among young viewers.
On to the numbers…
Among adults 18-49, ABC and FOX both averaged a 2.0 rating for Monday night, tops in the key demographic. NBC was a close third with a 1.8 key demo rating, followed by CBS' 1.3 key demo rating. The CW averaged a 0.4 key demo rating.
Overall, ABC ruled with an estimated 11.37 million viewers and a 7.6 rating/12 share for Monday primetime. CBS was second with 5.84 million viewers and a 3.9/6, followed closely by FOX's 3.2/5 and 5.48 million viewers and NBC's 5.16 million viewers and 3.0/5. The CW averaged 1.02 million viewers and a 0.7/1 for the night.
8 p.m. – “Dancing with the Stars” started primetime in first for ABC with 13.15 million viewers and a 2.3 rating among adults 18-49 for the 8 p.m. hour. CBS' repeats of “The Big Bang Theory” and “Mom” finished second with 5.58 million viewers and fourth with a 1.1 key demo rating. The start of FOX's “MasterChef” finale averaged 5.34 million viewers and a 1.9 key demo rating, topping the 4.6 million viewers and 1.5 key demo rating for the star of NBC's “American Ninja Warrior” special. The CW's repeats of “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” averaged 1.04 million viewers and a 0.4 key demo rating.
9 p.m. – The second hour of the “Dancing with the Stars” premiere averaged 13.95 million viewers and a 2.5 rating among adults 18-49 to lead 9 p.m. for ABC. FOX's “MasterChef” finale jumped up to second with 5.63 million viewers and a 2.1 key demo rating, leading the 5.1 million viewers and 1.9 key demo rating for NBC's “American Ninja Warrior. Repeats of “Two and a Half Men” and “The Big Bang Theory” averaged 4.98 million viewers and a 1.2 key demo rating for CBS. The CW's new “America's Next Top Model” lost a few viewers to 993,000 viewers and was steady with a 0.4 key demo rating.
10 p.m. – A repeat of “Castle” led the 10 p.m. hour overall for ABC with 7.01 million viewers, but finished third with a 1.1 key demo rating. CBS' “Under the Dome” rose to 6.97 million viewers and a 1.6 rating among adults 18-49, both good for second. NBC's “American Ninja Warrior” special was third with 5.77 million viewers and won the hour with a 2.1 key demo rating.
All ratings information comes from preliminary Fast National Nielsen data, which includes live and same-day DVR viewing. All numbers are subject to change.