Primetime Ratings: ABC Wins Big with ‘Dancing With the Stars’
Reality competition had average of 21.1 million viewers
By David Tanklefsky -- Broadcasting & Cable, 3/17/2009 1:32:06 PM
ABC won the Monday night primetime ratings race easily thanks to a two-hour episode of Dancing With the Stars that drew the highest ratings and biggest total audiences on the night.
The first hour of Dancing at 8 p.m. earned a 4.9/14 and averaged 20 million viewers. Fox’s hit drama House was close behind in ratings (4.8/13) but well behind in total audience (12.8 million). CBS finished in third with The Big Bang Theory (3.7/11) and How I Met Your Mother (3.8/10) pulling a 3.8/10 on the hour. A re-run of NBC’s Chuck delivered a 1.3/4 for the network while the CW came in just behind at 1.1/3 with a new episode of Gossip Girl.
ABC distanced themselves from the rest of the field at 9 with the second hour of Dancing With the Stars delivering a 5.7/14 and 22 million average viewers. Two and a Half Men (4.8/12) and Rules of Engagement (4.0/10) on CBS moved the network up into second place for the hour. 24 on Fox was next at 3.7/9. The CW jumped into fourth place at 1.2/3 for One Tree Hill. NBC was fifth at 1.1/3 with a re-run of Heroes.
In the 10 p.m. hour CBS took the lead at 3.8/10 for CSI: Miami. Castle on ABC earned a 3.1/8. NBC finished off an all re-run night with Medium at 1.3/4.
Overall ABC earned a 4.6/12 and averaged 17.9 million viewers. Fox earned a 4.2/11 with 12 million viewers. CBS finished third at 4.0/11 followed by NBC at 1.3/3. The CW came in fifth with a 1.1/3.
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