via Discovery Channel press release:
DEADLIEST CATCH SMASHES RATINGS RECORDS
- Discovery Channel's Primetime Line-Up Ranked #1 on Tuesday Night-
- Highest P18-49 Rating Ever for DEADLIEST CATCH -The Tuesday, June 9 at 9PM premiere episode of DEADLIEST CATCH rang in the largest average audience in the series history for P18-49 (2662K), W25-54 (1170K), and W18-49 (1107K). The episode earned its highest P18-49 rating ever (2.33) and its second highest P25-54 rating (2.55), with a 2.91 HH rating. In addition, DEADLIEST CATCH was the #1 non-sports prime telecast of the night among both broadcast and cable for key demos including M18-49 (1591K) and M25-54 (1555K).
The finale of OUT OF THE WILD: THE ALASKA EXPERIMENT, which premiered after DEADLIEST CATCH at 10PM ET/PT, ranked among the top prime cable programs for the night for key demos including P18-49 (1228K), M18-49 (780K), P25-54 (1398K), M25-54 (831K). For the night on June 9, Discovery Channel was the #1 cable network for P18-49 (1228K), M18-49 (780K), P25-54 (1398K), M25-54 (831K), and and P2+ (2259K) delivery.
AFTER THE CATCH, the annual after show bull session featuring all five captains and special guests, and hosted this year by CASH CAB's Ben Bailey, returns for its third season on Tuesday, June 16 at 10PM ET/PT following DEADLIEST CATCH.
It seems like a lot of records are being broken for cable shows lately. Larger overall tv audience or audience migrating from other networks?
Both. TV viewing in general is going up and while broadcast is dwindling, cable is growing. More and more people have cable, and the cable nets are getting more and more coverage. 5 or 6 years ago there were original shows on cable, but only a couple of shows were water-cooler fodder. Now, cable shows get just as much press and notice as network shows.
The Discovery Channel has gone from underappreciated to highly embraced in just a couple of years. They have found the way to keep from sounding too douchey while educating and too cheesy while entertaining. I also think HDTV has had a huge influence on their recent success. Ice Road Truckers and Deadliest Catch, especially, are stunning to watch in HD.
I think the Internet is also helping to get the word out on some of these shows. Folks can sample a show — a segment or perhaps an entire episode — at any time they want, within the offerings of the website at the time, of course. Discovery, Sci Fi, and USA have full episodes and clips. There is also Hulu in some cases as well. A person can look at those and go “so THAT’S what the talk is all about — when’s that on?” and set aside the time or DVR, as the case may be.
I’m wondering if this migrating to cable channels is going to continue at this quick pace. The recent writer’s strike certainly helped to persuade folks to check out other channels a bit more closely. I’ll be interested to see if the networks continue, for the most part, to fall toward the rising cable numbers. Parity may be achieved sooner than expected between the over-the-air networks and the cable channels. USA tops ABC and NBC in 18-49 while CBS squeaks by in overall viewers! Headlines like that may not be that far off.