Primetime Ratings: Bachelor Finale Comes Up Roses For ABC
Post finale "After the Rose" special draws top broadcast ratings for the night
By David Tanklefsky -- Broadcasting & Cable, 3/3/2009 11:53:14 AM
Last night's much-hyped two-hour finale of the Bachelor, followed by a special Bachelor: After the Final Rose pulled big ratings for ABC and propelled them into first place for the night. The network won every time slot on the night.
The Bachelor's first hour earned a 4.9/12 with 14.3 million total viewers. CBS finished second at 8 p.m. with a 4.1/10, airing half-hour episodes of The Big Bang Theory (3.9/10) and How I Met Your Mother (4.2/10). 24 on Fox delivered a third-place 3.1/8. NBC finished fourth at 2.4/6 with Chuck, and the CW was fifth, programming a re-run of Gossip Girl that got a 0.5/1.
In the 9 p.m. hour The Bachelor increased its rating and viewership with a 5.9/13 and 16.6 million viewers. CBS got a 4.4/10 with Two and a Half Men (4.9/11) at 9 and Rules of Engagement (3.9/9) at 9:30. The second hour of 24 on Fox rose to a 3.5/8 but remained in third. NBC was again fourth at 3.2/7 with Heroes. The CW finished fifth at 0.5/1 with a One Tree Hill re-run.
ABC got its biggest numbers at 10, after the Bachelor finale with Bachelor: After the Final Rose which earned a 6.7/16 and topped the night with a 17.4 million viewer average. CBS finished second at 3.8/9 with CSI: Miami. Medium on NBC pulled a 2.4/6 and finished third.
Overall ABC pulled a 5.8/14 with its strongest hour coming at 10 p.m. with the Bachelor post-show. CBS' comedy-filled Monday did a strong 4.1/10 for second place. Fox finished third at 3.3/8. NBC was fourth with a 2.7/6, and the CW finished fifth with a 0.5/1.
