Ratings News - 15th May 2012 *Full Tables Added*

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Monday 5/14/12 Metered Markets
ABC Wins; Respectable Return for America’s Got Talent on NBC

Household
Rating/Share
ABC 8.7/14
CBS 6.8/11
NBC 5.9/ 9
Fox 4.5/ 7
CW 1.2/ 2

-Percent Change from Year-Ago Evening – Monday 5/16/11
NBC: +97, CBS: +24, CW: - 8, Fox: -12, ABC: -32

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-Winners:
Dancing With the Stars (ABC), America’s Got Talent (NBC), How I Met Your Mother (CBS), Two and a Half Men (CBS), Mike & Molly (CBS), Hawaii Five-O (CBS)

-Honorable Mention:
The Bachelorette (ABC)

-Losers (excluding repeats):
Gossip Girl (CW), Hart of Dixie (CW)

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-Rating Results:
ABC finished first in the overnights on this second Monday in May despite competing with the return of America’s Got Talent, now with Howard Stern, on NBC. Second overall was CBS, which featured a night of season-finales, followed by NBC, Fox and, of course, The CW.

A 90-minute edition of Dancing With the Stars on ABC topped the night with an 11.4 rating/17 share from 8-9:30 p.m. One year earlier, a two-hour edition scored a 14.9/22 on 5/16/11. Next on the alphabet net was the 90-minute season-premiere of The Bachelorette, which kicked-off with a 6.0/ 9 from 9:30-11 p.m. Comparably, that was right on par with the 6.4/11 for its two-hour year-ago launch on May 23, 2011. Consider this a positive return for summer guilty pleasure The Bachelorette.

Here is the half-hour breakdown for ABC last night:

Dancing With the Stars (ABC)
8:00 p.m.: 10.7/17 (#1)
8:30 p.m.: 11.3/17 (#1)
9:00 p.m.: 12.2/18 (#1)

The Bachelorette (ABC) – season premiere
9:30 p.m.: 6.6/10 (#3)
10:00 p.m.: 5.9/ 9 (#2)
10:30 p.m.: 5.6/ 9 (#2)

On NBC, the return of America’s Got Talent was on the map with a 6.6/10 from 8-10 p.m. And that was, comparably, on par with the 6.7/10 for the two-hour final performance show for The Voice one week earlier (which translated into 10.74 million viewers and a 3.8 rating/10 share among adults 18-49, based on the Live Plus Same Day ratings). But one year earlier, America’s Got Talent returned with a considerably stronger 9.2/15 in the overnights on Tuesday, 5/31/11. Note to NBC: Wait until the traditional season is over before you bring back America’s Got Talent.

Considering there is every reason to believe America’s Got Talent will increase in the less competitive environment next week, this is a “winning” return. What did you think of Howard Stern as the new judge? http://tinyurl.com/7jyno8k

At 10 p.m., Smash on NBC concluded its first season with a typical third-place 4.6/ 8 in the overnights. While certainly not a hit, you have do give the network credit for keeping Smash in the time period with originals for 15 consecutive weeks.

On CBS, a one-hour season-ending edition of How I Met Your Mother finished third with a 5.6/ 9 in the overnights from 8-9 p.m. Comparably, that was eight percent above the 5.2/ 8 on the year-ago evening. Next was the season-finale of healthy Two and a Half Men (#2: 7.5/11 at 9 p.m.), followed by the wedding of Mike & Molly (#1: 7.6/12 at 9:30 p.m.) and the second-season ender of Hawaii Five-O (#1: 7.3/12 at 10 p.m.).

Elsewhere, Fox filled the night with the season-finale of Bones (#4: 4.8/ 7) and the second-to-last episode of House (#4: 4.2/ 6), which officially concludes next week. And The CW aired the season-finales of Gossip Girl (#5: 1.2/ 2), which will exit next season, and surprise returnee Hart of Dixie (#5: 1.3/ 2).

Source: Nielsen Media Research data

Source: Marc Berman@TVMediaInsights