Fast National ratings for Monday, April 7, 2014.
The University of Connecticut never trailed for a second in Monday night's NCAA Championship Game, but despite the lack of drama, the conclusion of March Madness gave CBS easy ratings wins, easing past both “The Voice” on NBC and ABC's “Dancing with the Stars.”
Despite all of that competition, there was still room for FOX's “Bones” to improve week-to-week and for “The Following” to add a few viewers. And boosted by “The Voice,” NBC's “American Dream Builders” doubled its dismal Sunday performances.
In fact, the basketball game had almost no impact on ratings for “Dancing” or “The Voice” either, reminding us once again at how separate the passionate sports audience often is from the regular primetime audience.
Keeping in mind, of course, that this represents time period data and will surely change, at least for CBS, on to the numbers…
Among adults 18-49, CBS averaged a 4.9 rating for Monday night, easily winning the key demographic. NBC was second with a 2.8 key demo rating, comfortably ahead of ABC's 1.8 key demo rating. FOX was fourth with a 1.5 rating in the key demo, with The CW's 0.3 key demo rating lagging well behind.
Overall, CBS averaged an estimated 14.61 million viewers and an 8.7 rating/13 share for Monday primetime, topping the 12.11 million viewers and 7.9/12 for ABC. NBC was a respectable third with 9.66 million viewers and a 5.9/9, topping FOX's 3.4/5 and 5.47 million viewers. The CW averaged 792,000 viewers and a 0.6/1 for the night.
8 p.m. – “Dancing with the Stars” led the 8 p.m. hour overall for ABC with 13.55 million viewers, coming in third with a 2.0 rating among adults 18-49. NBC's “The Voice” was second with 11.525 million viewers and won the hour with a 3.2 key demo rating. A repeat of “The Big Bang Theory” (9.85 million and a 3.0 key demo) and NCAA Championship pre game (6.63 million and a 2.1 key demo) placed CBS in third overall and in second in the key demo. FOX's “Bones” averaged 6.48 million viewers and a 1.6 key demo rating in fourth, topping the 966,000 viewers and 0.3 key demo rating for The CW's “Star-Crossed.”
9 p.m. – The start of the basketball game won the hour with 16.68 million viewers and a 5.5 rating among adults 18-49. ABC's “Dancing with the Stars” still improved to 14.2 million viewers in second and a 2.1 key demo rating in third, compared to the 11.99 million viewers and 3.6 key demo rating for NBC's “The Voice.” On FOX, “The Following” averaged 4.45 million viewers and a 1.4 key demo rating. The CW's repeat of “The Tomorrow People” averaged 618,000 viewers and a 0.2 key demo rating.
10 p.m. – CBS' college basketball won the 10 p.m. hour with 18.905 million viewers and a 6.5 rating among adults 18-49. A repeat of “Castle” averaged 8.58 million viewers and a 1.3 key demo rating on ABC, compared to the 5.47 million viewers and 1.6 key demo rating for “American Dream Builders” on NBC.
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.