Fast National ratings for Monday, February 24, 2014.
Even without Winter Olympics coverage from Sochi, NBC extended its recent run of ratings domination with a big return for “The Voice” and an easy hourly win for “The Blacklist.”
Without the Olympics, “The Bachelor” was able to regain some of its lost audience, which also boosted overall viewership for “Castle.”
CBS’ comedy lineup came back with a solid “How I Met Your Mother” number, but much lower numbers for the rest of the Monday block, which were down double-digits.
The return of original programming meant another drop for FOX’s sputtering “The Following,” which is now well below lead-in “Almost Human” overall and tied with the freshman drama in the key demo.
And, finally, “Star-Crossed” was down a tiny bit from last week’s premiere, settling in right at the usual “Hart of Dixie” number.
On to the numbers…
Among adults 18-49, NBC averaged a robust 4.2 rating for Monday night, dominating in the key demographic. ABC was far back in second with a 2.2 key demo rating, followed closely by CBS’ 2.1 key demo rating and the 1.6 key demo rating for FOX. The CW averaged a 0.3 key demo rating for the night.
Overall, NBC averaged an estimated 14.25 million viewers and an 8.4 rating/13 share for Monday primetime. ABC was a distant second with 8.34 million viewers and a 5.5/9, topping CBS’ 4.6/7 and 7.19 million viewers. FOX’s 5.14 million viewers and 3.2/5 finished fourth, while The CW averaged 844,000 viewers and a 0.6/1 for the night.
8 p.m. – The latest season premiere of “The Voice” started primetime in first with 14.81 million viewers and a 4.2 rating among adults 18-49 for NBC. CBS was second with “How I Met Your Mother” (9.25 million and a 3.6 key demo) and a big drop to “2 Broke Girls” (7.9 million and a 2.5 key demo rating). ABC’s “The Bachelor” finished third with 8.13 million viewers and a 2.4 key demo rating, easily beating the 5.695 million viewers and 1.6 key demo rating for FOX’s “Almost Human.” The CW drew 1.12 million viewers and a 0.3 key demo rating for the second episode of “Star-Crossed.”
9 p.m. – “The Voice” got a big bump in its second hour, rising to 16.66 million viewers and a 5.1 rating among adults 18-49 for NBC. ABC’s “The Bachelor” stepped up to second with 8.15 million viewers and a 2.5 key demo rating. CBS followed with “Mike & Molly” (8.12 million and a 2.1 key demo) and “Mom” (7.2 million and a 1.9 key demo). FOX’s “The Following” averaged only 4.58 million viewers and a 1.6 key demo rating. On The CW, a repeat of “Beauty and the Beast” averaged 565,000 viewers and a 0.2 key demo rating.
10 p.m. – NBC wrapped up its primetime sweep with 11.28 million viewers and a 3.1 rating among adults 18-49 for “The Blacklist.” [For all of the stability for “Blacklist” — it’s far above where “Revolution” was for last year’s spring return — it still posts a steep half-hour drop and was down to 10.3 million and a 2.8 key demo in the 10:30 half-hour.] ABC’s “Castle” was second with 8.74 million viewers and a 1.7 key demo rating. CBS’ “Intelligence,” which rose with reduced competition in recent weeks, was back down to 5.35 million viewers and a 1.2 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.