TV Ratings: ‘AGT Champions’ Premiere Tops Steady ‘Bachelor’

A pair of unscripted premieres dominated Monday’s ratings, with NBC’s America’s Got Talent: The Champions outdrawing The Bachelor on ABC.

The all-star edition of AGT, featuring acts from other countries as well as the United States, led the night in both adults 18-49 (1.8 rating) and total viewers (9.93 million). The demo rating is in line with the premiere of The Titan Games on NBC last week, and the total-viewer count is the best for a series premiere thus far in 2019, topping The Masked Singer‘s debut by about half a million people.

Champions wasn’t as big as the summer edition of America’s Got Talent (2.1 in the demo and 11.4 million viewers for Tuesday episodes), but it provided a big upgrade over last season’s winter placeholders for The Voice: The Wall and Better Late Than Never averaged a 1.1 in adults 18-49 in January and early February 2018. 

The Bachelor, meanwhile, opened its 23rd season to ratings on par with the 2018 debut. The premiere, which ABC stretched to three hours, averaged a 1.5 in the 18-49 demo, even with last year. Its 5.1 million viewers were down a little from the 5.48 million for last season’s two-hour premiere. It also led the night among adults under 35 and was up over last season’s debut in that demo, along with women 18-34 and women 18-49.

NBC’s Manifest returned with a 1.1 among adults 18-49, even with its fall finale in November. CBS comedy Happy Together posted a 0.8, up slightly from its last outing. CBS otherwise aired reruns, as did Fox and The CW.

NBC averaged a 1.6 in the demo for the night, edging ABC’s 1.5. CBS was third at 0.7, followed by Fox, 0.4, and The CW, 0.2. 

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