Love was in the air(waves) on ABC last night, when “The Celebrity Dating Game” debuted after two hours of “The Bachelorette.” Though their respective results were mixed, ABC topped primetime outright.
At the very bottom of the Nielsen rankings was The CW, which premiered new series “The Republic of Sarah.” That one did not do well, even by CW standards.
While CBS was a close runner-up in total-viewer averages last night, the network ended up in a fifth-place tie with Spanish-language broadcaster Telemundo among adults 18-49. CBS just aired encores on Monday.
ABC was first in ratings with a 0.7 rating/5 share in the advertiser-coveted 18-49 demographic and in total viewers with an average of 3 million, according to preliminary numbers. From 8 p.m. to 10 p.m., “The Bachelorette” averaged a 0.8/6 and 3.2 million total viewers. At 10, “Celebrity Dating Game” bowed to a 0.4/3 and 2.6 million total viewers.
Hosted by Zooey Deschanel and Michael Bolton, the first episode of ABC’s “The Celebrity Dating Game” reboot featured Taye Diggs challenging contestants to describe the word “love” without using the word “love,” and “Bachelor” alum Demi Burnett looking for a “loving companion, no matter their gender.”
NBC, Fox and Univision tied for second in ratings, each with a 0.4/3. NBC was third in total viewers with 2.3 million, Fox was fourth with 1.6 million and Univision was fifth with 1.3 million.
For NBC, the first two hours of primetime were dedicated to the U.S. Olympics Trials, which averaged a 0.5/3 and 2.8 million total viewers between 8 and 10 p.m. At 10, a new “Small Fortune” had a 0.3/2 and 1.2 million total viewers.
For Fox, “Hell’s Kitchen” at 8 posted a 0.7/5 and 2.5 million total viewers. At 9, “Housebroken” had a 0.3/2 and 978,000 total viewers. “Duncanville” at 9:30 got a 0.2/1 and 659,000 total viewers.
CBS and Telemundo tied for fifth in ratings, both with a 0.3/2. CBS was second in total viewers with 2.9 million, Telemundo was sixth with 901,000.
The CW was seventh in ratings with a 0.2/1 and in total viewers with 623,000. “All American” at 8 had a 0.3/2 and 796,000 total viewers. At 9, “The Republic of Sarah” opened to a 0.1/1 and 450,000 total viewers.