Crazy Bachelorette Finale a Winner for ABC

It was the weirdest Bachelorette/Bachelor finale ever.  In last night's conclusion of the latest season, Desiree Hartsock, having been rejected by Brooks, the man she "loved," chose Chris.  I guess second best is better than nothing.  Despite the endless tears, confusion and indecisiveness, the show was a hit for ABC, which released the following:

Featuring the season finale of "The Bachelorette" and "After the Final Rose," ABC won Monday night by wide margins over its nearest competition (CBS) in Total Viewers (+38% - 8.7 million vs. 6.3 million) and Adults 18-49 (+63% - 2.6/7 vs. 1.6/5).  "The Bachelorette" finished as Monday's highest-rated TV show in Adults 18-49, as the Net ranked No. 1 all 3 hours of the evening. 

* ABC's "The Bachelorette" finale was the most social broadcast series on Monday night, delivering the show's highest number of tweets of the season (346,447).  ABC's "After the Final Rose" special generated more than 340,000 tweets.  During its season, "The Bachelorette" produced 1.9 million total tweets.

"The Bachelorette" (8:00-10:00 p.m.)

Doubling its nearest competition from 8:00-10:00 p.m., "The Bachelorette" finale beat out NBC's unscripted combo ("American Ninja Warrior"/"Get Out Alive with Bear Grylls") in the 2-hour time period by a best-yet 105% in Total Viewers (8.8 million vs. 4.3 million) and by 100% in Adults 18-49 (2.6/8 vs. 1.3/4).  Building throughout its broadcast, the show shot up by 1.4 million viewers (8.2 million to 9.6 million) and by 26% in Adults 18-49 (2.3/8 to 2.9/8) from its first half-hour to its final half-hour. 

* Up week to week in Total Viewers (+11%) and Adults 18-49 (+8%), "The Bachelorette" marked season-highs for the 2nd straight week.  In viewers and young adults, "The Bachelorette" scored 2-year summertime highs for ABC in the time period - since 08/01/11.

"The Bachelorette: After the Final Rose" (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

During the 10 o'clock hour, ABC's "The Bachelorette: After the Final Rose" tied CBS' Under the Dome for No. 1 in Adults 18-49 (2.5/7), while dominating the hour in Adults 18-34 (2.2/7) and all key Women (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54).  In Total Viewers (8.3 million) and Adults 18-49 (2.5/7), "After the Final Rose" produced ABC's strongest summer performance in the hour since August 2011 (since 08/01/11).