Ratings Review: THE BACHELOR (2013)

The 2013 season of THE BACHELOR started to look like a typical season with decent, but not great ratings through the run with a spike at the end for the season finale. This year, the series seemed to have found a renewed freshness and was almost continually building week upon week. It only had one week/episode that did not attract more viewers than the previous episode (March 4). THE BACHELOR had a 51% gain in viewers from season premiere to the two hour season Finale.

Even the A18-49 ratings grew over the season. From the January 7th premiere to the March 11th finale, the series grew 1.2 rating points, or 52%, in the sought after demographic. Year to year, THE BACHELOR, the finale and the AFTER THE FINAL ROSE special gained over a million viewers and between 15% and 20% in the demo ratings.

If this summer's run of THE BACHELORETTE does just as well, ABC will have to think hard if it wants the aging DANCING WITH THE STARS for two cycles each season or two cycles of THE BACHELOR franchise during the season.

THE BACHELOR (Mondays at 8:00 p.m., on ABC)

Date	Viewers*	A18-49	+/-
01/07/13	6.92	2.3		Premiere
01/14/13	7.49	2.5	+8%
01/21/13	7.57	2.5	+1%
01/28/13	7.90	2.5	+4%
02/04/13	7.90	2.4	even
02/05/13	7.87	2.7	even	Tue @ 9 p.m.
02/11/13	8.48	2.7	+8%
02/18/13	9.26	3.0	+9%
02/19/13	8.11	2.6	-12%	Tue @ 9 p.m.
02/25/13	9.23	2.9	+14%
03/04/13	8.53	2.8	-7.6%
03/11/13	10.42	3.5	+22%	Finale
03/11/13	10.81	3.8	+4%	After Final Rose