TV ratings: ‘Bachelorette’ finale falls from last year

Chris Siegfried emerged victorious on “The Bachelorette” Monday night when Desiree Hartsock ended up choosing him after a frontrunner left last week. But in TV ratings, it was a race between the reality show and “Under the Dome.”

The season finale of ABC’s “The Bachelorette” scored a 2.6 rating in the key 18-49 demographic, according to preliminary numbers from Nielsen, up 8% from last week, to win Monday night. However, the broadcast was down 16% compared with last year’s finale.

“The Bachelorette: After the Final Rose,” ABC’s epilogue to the season, got a 2.5 in 18-49.

PHOTOS: Cable versus broadcast ratings

“Under the Dome,” the most watched show of the night, drew 10.2 million viewers and got a 2.5 rating in the 18-49 demographic, giving it a tie with “The Bachelorette” for the night. Its key demo rating dropped 11% from last week to its series low.

“Under the Dome,” based on the Stephen King novel about a small town trapped under a mysterious dome, has generated unusually high ratings for a summer drama and CBS last month renewed the 13-episode series to return next year.

Networks owned by CBS Corp. went dark on Time Warner Cable on Friday in several markets because of an ongoing carriage dispute between the two companies. CBS said the blackout, which has affected 3.2 million customers in several markets, including Los Angeles, has had lowered ratings by about 1% over the last four nights.

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