Up Year to Year "The Bachelor" Finale Gives ABC Its Top Monday in 1-1/2 Years

As The Bachelor and The Bachelor: After the Final Rose finished as the Top 2 TV shows on Monday, ABC won the night over its nearest competition (Fox) by 61% in Total Viewers and by 84% in Adults 18-49, ranking #1 in all 6 half-hours. The Net won the night for the 3rd time in 4 weeks. ABC was up over the year-ago night by 10% in Total Viewers and by 17% in Adults 18-49. The Net posted its highest rated Monday in 1-1/2 years among Adults 18-49 - since 9/19/11.

Please Note: The Bachelor finale ran from 8-10:07pm and After the Final Rose ran from 10:07-11pm, so the numbers for both programs will adjust in the National ratings this afternoon.

Wrapping with season-highs and dominating its time period, ABC's The Bachelor 17th-season finale was up over last season's finale by 9% in Total Viewers and by 14% in Adults 18-49. The finale spiked over the prior week's telecast in viewers (+18%) and young adults (+18%). On average, The Bachelor finished up over the prior season across key demographics, including in Total Viewers (+3%), Adults 18-49 (+7%), Adults 18-34 (+17%) and Women 18-34 (+19%).

ABC's The Bachelor: After the Final Rose towered over the 10 o'clock hour, beating the combined delivery of CBS and NBC in the hour among viewers (+9%) and young adults (+46%). The Bachelor: After the Final Rose grew over last year's special by 11% in viewers and by 15% in Adults 18-49.

Quick Take for Monday, March 11, 2013 (Fast Affiliate Live+ Same Day Ratings)

Leading All 6 Half-Hours, ABC is No. 1 on Monday In Total Viewers and Adults 18-49 for the 3rd Time in Last 4 Weeks

ABC's "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelor: After the Final Rose" Stand as Monday's Top 2 Programs

Monday's Most Social TV Show, "The Bachelor" Spikes +148% Week to Week and Generates 3.2 Million Tweets This Season

ABC's "The Bachelor" Season Finale Increases from its Year-ago Telecast By 9% in Total Viewers and by 14% in Adults 18-49

At 10pm, ABC's "After the Final Rose" Beats the Combined Deliveries Of CBS and NBC in Total Viewers (+9%) and Adults 18-49 (+46%)

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

As "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelor: After the Final Rose" finished as the Top 2 TV shows on Monday, ABC won the night over its nearest competition (Fox) by 61% in Total Viewers (10.3 million vs. 6.4 million) and by 84% in Adults 18-49 (3.5/9 vs. 1.9/5), ranking No. 1 in all 6 half-hours. The Net won the night for the 3rd time in 4 weeks. ABC was up over the year-ago night by 10% in Total Viewers and by 17% in Adults 18-49 (9.4 million and 3.0/8 on 3/12/12). The Net posted its highest rated Monday in 1-1/2 years among Adults 18-49 - since 9/19/11.

Please Note: "The Bachelor" finale ran from 8:00-10:07 p.m. and "After the Final Rose" ran from 10:07-11:00 p.m., so the numbers for both programs will adjust in the National ratings this afternoon.

"The Bachelor" (8:00-10:00 p.m.) Wrapping with season-highs and dominating its time period, ABC's "The Bachelor" 17th-season finale was up over last season's finale by 9% in Total Viewers (10.0 million vs. 9.2 million) and by 14% in Adults 18-49 (3.3/9 vs. 2.9/8). The finale spiked over the prior week's telecast (8.5 million and 2.8/7 on 3/4/13) in viewers (+18%) and young adults (+18%).

· "The Bachelor" was last night's most social TV show with 616,000 tweets, representing a 148% spike week to week and the most for any telecast of the program this season. During its full season run, "The Bachelor" generated a total of 3.2 million tweets, nearly quadrupling last season's number (+279% over last year's 850,000).

· On average, "The Bachelor" finished up over the prior season across key demographics, including in Total Viewers (+3%), Adults 18-49 (+7%), Adults 18-34 (+17%) and Women 18-34 (+19%).

"The Bachelor: After the Final Rose" (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

ABC's "The Bachelor: After the Final Rose" towered over the 10 o'clock hour, beating the combined delivery of CBS and NBC among viewers (+9% - 11.0 million vs. 10.1 million) and young adults (+46% - 3.8/10 vs. 2.6/7). "The Bachelor: After the Final Rose" grew over last year's special by 11% in viewers and by 15% in Adults 18-49 - 9.9 million and 3.3/8 on 3/12/12.

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 47% currently, from 43% at the same point in 2012. 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), 3/11/13.