ABC's CASTLE Is Monday's Most Watched Drama With a Season High

ABC was the most watched TV network on Monday (9.7 million) for the 6th week running (No. 1 in each half-hour) and earned second in Adults 18-49 (1.5/5). "Dancing" ranked as Monday's No. 1 TV program in Total Viewers and the No. 2 series of the evening in Adults 18-49 (tie), behind only NBC's "The Voice." ABC's "Castle" was Monday's most watched drama overall.

"Dancing with the Stars" (8:00-10:00 p.m. - 11.2 million and 1.7/6 in AD18-49):
From 8:00-10:00 p.m., ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" stood as Monday's most watched TV series for the 8th week in a row, besting NBC's "The Voice" by 1.6 million viewers (11.2 million vs. 9.6 million). "Dancing" took second in its 2-hour time period in Adults 18-49 with a 13% advantage over CBS' comedies (1.7/6 vs. 1.5/5). In addition, the ABC unscripted series finished within 2-tenths of "The Voice" in the slot with Adults 18-34. "Dancing" was steady week to week in Adults 18-49 (1.7/6 vs. 1.8/6).

"Castle" (10:01-11:00 p.m. - 6.9 million and 1.1/4 in AD18-49):
During the 10:00 p.m. hour, ABC's "Castle" was the most watched TV series, outdrawing NBC's "Blindspot" for its 7th consecutive broadcast (by a best-ever +21% - 6.9 million vs. 5.7 million). In addition, "Castle" beat out CBS' "Person of Interest" in the hour with Adults 18-49 (+10% - 1.1/4 vs. 1.0/3) "Castle" grew week to week in Total Viewers (+15%) and Adults 18-49 (+10%), hitting a new season high in viewers and tying its best young adult number since October (since 10/5/15).

"Castle" Live + 7 Day Ratings (season to date): On average this season, originals of "Castle" jumped by +82% from L+SD to a deliver a 2.0 rating in Live + 7 Day Adults 18-49. The ABC drama also adds +3.6 million viewers over 7 days of TV playback to deliver an average of audience of 9.9 million this season.

Projections Rationale:
Lifts vs. L+SD are based on the 2015-16 season for premiere telecast or an average for originals (excluding the premiere).
Returning shows: Profile based on same show (either premiere or averages for originals).
New Series: Based on similar series.

A note about DVR penetration: DVR penetration in the Nielsen sample is currently at 48% in U.S. TV Homes. More viewers are watching shows on their own timetables, which are increasingly not reflected in the overnight Live + Same Day numbers. As a result, the Live + 7 Day ratings are the most accurate measure to gauge the size of the TV audience.

Source: The Nielsen Company, Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Ratings, 5/9/16.

Photo credit: ABC/ Adam Taylor*

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