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The Bachelor 3

Ratings: 'Bachelor 3' series finale averages over 15 million viewers

By Reality TV World staff, 05/20/2003

Despite other media reports that the ratings for the season finale of ABC's "The Bachelor" were a relative disappointment, ABC reports that the show drew an average audience of 15.0 million viewers during its 2- hour telecast, with 17.5 million viewers tuning in to the final half-hour (10:30-11:00 p.m.) of the program to watch Andrew Firestone propose to Chicago resident Jennifer Schefft.

Winning each of its half-hours, "The Bachelor" (7.1/17) dominated its time period among Adults 18-49, beating Part 1 of CBS' "Hitler" miniseries by 82% (3.9/9) and NBC's "Law & Order: C.I." by 31% (5.4/13 - including its season finale) on average. "The Bachelor" qualified as the No. 1 television program on Sunday night in Adults 18-49 (7.1/17) and Adults 18-34 (7.1/19).

Excluding the nights of the Super Bowl and the Academy Awards, "The Bachelor" generated ABC's largest audience and highest young adult ratings (Adults 18-49 and Adults 18-34) in the time period since January 27, 2002, with the first part of "Stephen King's Rose Red."

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In its core demographic of Women 18-34, "The Bachelor" season finale topped CBS' season finale of "Survivor: Amazon" on the prior Sunday by 20% (9.7/24 vs. 8.1/22).

"The Bachelor" season finale surged from its lead-in and gained 5 million viewers (12.5 million to 17.5 million) and 52% among Adults 18-49 from its first half-hour to its final half-hour (5.6/14 to 8.5/21). In its final half-hour (10:30 p.m.), more than one quarter of all women watching television in the key demographics were tuned to ABC's "The Bachelor": Women 18-34 (11.4/28), Women 18-49 (11.4/26) and Women 25-54.

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