ABC's THE BACHELORETTE Finale Delivers Most-Watched Telecast of the Season

ABC took first place on Monday night, beating its nearest competition by 2.3 million viewers (7.7 million vs. 5.4 million - NBC) and by 11% in Adults 18-49 (2.0/6 vs. 1.8/6 - FOX and NBC tied). In fact, ABC was the most-watched network in all 6 half-hours of primetime. ABC's "The Bachelorette: After the Final Rose" and "The Bachelorette" season finale finished as Monday's Top 2 most-watched TV shows, respectively. In addition, "After the Final Rose" ranked as Monday's No. 1 show in Adults 18-49 (tie).

In viewers and young adults, the Network marked its strongest Monday numbers this summer with a 10-week high on the evening - since 5/19/14.

"The Bachelorette" (8:00-10:00 p.m. - 7.5 million and 1.9/6 in AD18-49):
From 8:00-10:00 p.m., "The Bachelorette" won its 2-hour time period among Total Viewers (7.5 million) and Adults 18-49 (1.9/6), peaking with 8.3 million viewers and a 2.1/6 in Adults 18-49 during its final half-hour from 9:30-10:00 p.m. The ABC unscripted series finished No. 1 in its slot for its 9th consecutive 2-hour Monday telecast in viewers.

Building for the 2nd week in a row in Total Viewers (+6%) and Adults 18-49 (+6%), "The Bachelorette" closed out with its most-watched telecast this season and a best-since-premiere number in young adults at a 10-week high - since 5/19/14.

"The Bachelorette" finale was Monday's No. 1 most-social broadcast, shooting up 405% week to week with a season-best 352,393 tweets. "The Bachelorette" was also up 2% over last year's finale in tweets.

"The Bachelorette: After the Final Rose" (10:00-11:00 p.m. - 7.9 million and 2.1/6 in AD18-49):
Building on its lead-in during the 10:00 p.m. hour, ABC's "The Bachelorette: After the Final Rose" ranked No. 1 in its time slot, beating CBS' "Under the Dome" by 20% in Total Viewers (7.9 million vs. 6.6 million) and matching the final hour of NBC's 2-hour "American Ninja Warrior" in Adults 18-49 (2.1/7).

"After the Final Rose" generated ABC's best summertime delivery in the time period in nearly 1 year with viewers and young adults - since 8/5/13.

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 49% currently, from 47% at the same point in 2013. 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, 7/28/14. Nielsen Socialguide 7/28/14, Total Tweets +/- 3hrs during telecast.

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