TV ratings: Monday Olympics up slightly, ‘Castle’ down

Ratings for NBC’s Monday prime-time Winter Olympics coverage rose from the same night four years ago, according to early numbers from Nielsen.

The Sochi Games drew an average of 23.5 million viewers, up 11% from the comparable night of the 2010 Vancouver Games. In the key 18-49 age group, the Olympics scored a rating of 5.6, up 4% from four years ago.

Through Monday, prime-time Olympics coverage ratings have been generally lower than those of the Vancouver Games, partly because those events featured live coverage and a North American host city.

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NBC was by far the top-rated network of the night, with a “Bachelor” and “Castle”-fueled ABC ranking second, with 7.7 million viewers and an 18-49 rating of 2.0. “The Bachelor” fell 4% from last week, to a 2.2.

The 10 p.m. drama “Castle” returned after a short break and fell in its first effort against the Olympics. It garnered a 1.7 in the key demographic, down 19% from its last original. It was the most-watched non-sports broadcast show, with 7.8 million viewers.

Fox’s shows were essentially even week-to-week, with “Almost Human” matching last week’s 1.6 demo rating and Kevin Bacon’s “The Following” holding steady with last week’s 1.7.

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CBS’ only original, the new Josh Holloway sci-fi action series “Intelligence,” grabbed a 1.2, down 8% from last week.

The premiere of the new “Star-Crossed,” CW’s extraterrestrial teen love story, was sampled by about 1.2 million viewers and nabbed a 0.4 in 18-49.

Reliable numbers for Jimmy Fallon’s “Tonight Show” debut won’t come out until later Tuesday.

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