ABC's "Castle" Grows Week to Week and Tops NBC's "Smash" by 49% in Viewers

Some early info on ABC's Monday, ahead of the regular press release.

Up against NBC's The Voice and CBS' original Monday schedule, ABC's combination of The Bachelor and Castle once again defeated Fox's original drama lineup (House/Alcatraz) during prime in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49. In addition, ABC registered as the #2 net on the night with Women 18-34 for the 3rd week running.

· ABC was up over the prior week in viewers (+4%) and young adults (+4%).

Gaining young adult audience from its first to second hour opposite The Voice and CBS' first-run comedy block, ABC's The Bachelor outdelivered Fox's dramas by double-digit percentages in direct competition from 8-10pm in Total Viewers (+25%) and Adults 18-49 (+19%). The ABC unscripted series took second in its time slot with its core audience of Women 18-34, outpacing CBS' comedy block.

Building on its lead-in by 1.6 million viewers in the 10pm hour, ABC's Castle widened its winning advantage over NBC's Voice-fueled Smash to 49% in Total Viewers (up from a 10% advantage the prior week). In addition despite its decided lead-in advantage coming out of The Voice, Castle paced within 2-tenths of an Adult 18-49 rating point of tying Smash and defeated the NBC drama by 13% in Adults 25-54.

· Up week to week by 9% in viewers and by 5% in young adults, ABC's Castle posted its best numbers in 3 weeks - since 1/23/12.

· The ABC drama increased its overall audience from the same night last year by 8%.

Quick Take for Monday, February 20, 2012 (Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Ratings)

ABC's "The Bachelor" Outperforms Fox's Original Dramas By Double-Digits in Both Total Viewers and Adults 18-49

Posting 3-Week Highs in Viewers and Young Adults, ABC's "Castle" Widens its Total Viewer Lead Over NBC's "Smash" to 49%

Monday Night (8:00-11:00 p.m.)

Up against NBC's "The Voice" and CBS' original Monday schedule, ABC's combination of "The Bachelor" and "Castle" once again defeated Fox's original drama lineup ("House"/"Alcatraz") during prime in Total Viewers (8.6 million vs. 6.5 million) and Adults 18-49 (2.4/6 vs. 2.1/5). In addition, ABC registered as the No. 2 net on the night with Women 18-34 for the 3rd week running.

· ABC was up over the prior week (8.3 million and 2.3/6 on 02/13/12) in viewers (+4%) and young adults (+4%).

"The Bachelor" (8:00-10:00 p.m.)

Gaining young adult audience from its first to second hour opposite "The Voice" and CBS' first-run comedy block, ABC's "The Bachelor" outdelivered Fox's dramas by double-digit percentages in direct competition from 8:00-10:00 p.m. in Total Viewers (+25% - 8.1 million vs. 6.5 million) and Adults 18-49 (+19% - 2.5/6 vs. 2.1/5). The ABC unscripted series took second in its time slot with its core audience of Women 18-34, outpacing CBS' comedy block.

"Castle" (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

Building on its lead-in by 1.6 million viewers in the 10:00 p.m. hour, ABC's "Castle" (9.7 million) widened its winning advantage over NBC's "Voice-"fueled "Smash" (6.5 million) to 49% in Total Viewers (up from a 10% advantage the prior week). In addition, despite its decided lead-in advantage coming out of "The Voice," "Castle" paced within 2-tenths of an Adult 18-49 rating point of tying "Smash" and defeated the NBC drama by 12% in Adults 25-54 (2.9/7 vs. 2.6/6).

· Up week to week by 9% in viewers (9.7 million vs. 8.9 million) and by 5% in young adults (2.1/5 vs. 2.0/5), ABC's "Castle" posted its best numbers in 3 weeks - since 1/23/12.

· The ABC drama increased its overall audience from the same night last year by 8% (9.0 million on 2/21/11).

A note about increasing DVR penetration and year-to-year rating comparisons: Year-to-year rating comparisons based on the Live + Same Day data stream are distorted by the level of DVR penetration in the Nielsen sample, which has jumped up to 43% currently, from 39% at the same point in 2011. More viewers are watching shows on their own timetables, which may not be reflected in the overnight next day numbers. The only truly valid year-to-year comparison would be one based on the Live + 7 Day metric, once those stats are released by Nielsen.

Source: The Nielsen Company (Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Ratings), 2/20/12.