Primetime Ratings: ABC Tops on Soft Broadcast Night

ABC took top broadcast ratings Sunday on the strength of The Bachelorette, the network scoring a 1.3 in adults 18-49, per the Nielsen overnights, with a 4 share. That was a wee bit better than NBC’s 1.2/4 on a night when the NBA playoffs and the Roots mini-series drew viewers to cable.

The Bachelorette rated a 1.6 across two hours, down 20% from its premiere, then Mistresses did a 0.7, down 22% last summer’s premiere.

NBC had Stanley Cup hockey action across prime, the Pittsburgh Penguins versus the San Jose Sharks, for its 1.2. Last year’s opener gave NBC a 1.8 on the night.

CBS and Fox had a 0.7/2. CBS aired two Scorpion repeats, then Person of Interest at 0.8, down 11%. Fox had So You Think You Can Dance at 1.0, down 17% from its debut last June, while Houdini & Doyle slid 17% to 0.5.

CW scored a 0.3/1 with the movie Memorial Day.

Michael Malone

Michael Malone, senior content producer at B+C/Multichannel News, covers network programming, including entertainment, news and sports on broadcast, cable and streaming; and local broadcast television. He hosts the podcasts Busted Pilot, about what’s new in television, and Series Business, a chat with the creator of a new program, and writes the column “The Watchman.” He joined B+C in 2005. His journalism has also appeared in The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Playboy and New York magazine.