Syfy has updated the press release it sent out on Saturday about Stargate Universe's series premiere. Here is the updated version -- it includes more detail about comparative performance to other Syfy shows.
SYFY CONTINUES RATINGS ROLL AS Stargate Universe POSTS BEST STARGATE FRANCHISE PREMIERE PERFORMANCE IN FOUR YEARS
Stargate Universe is Syfy.com's Best Ever Stargate Franchise Season Premiere Day
Actress Rhona Mitra (Nip/Tuck, Boston Legal) Joins Cast of SGU for Three Episode Arc
New York, NY – October 5, 2009 - Following record ratings for Warehouse 13, Eureka, Ghost Hunters and Destination Truth during its most-watched third quarter ever, Syfy’s viewership surge since the July 7 brand evolution continued on Friday, October 2, when Stargate Universe premiered to the best franchise premiere performance in four years, drawing more than 2.3 million viewers – and besting FOX’s Dollhouse at 9PM (ET/PT).
Stargate Universe, which stars Robert Carlyle, Lou Diamond Phillips and Ming-Na grabbed 2.35 million total viewers along with a 1.7 HH rating, 1.32 million Adults 25-54, and 1.12 million Adults 18-49 during its two-hour debut episode from 9-11PM (ET/PT).
Stargate Universe Premiere Highlights
- This is the best performance for a Stargate franchise season premiere on Syfy since season 2 of Stargate Atlantis on 7/15/05.
- Among Adults 18-49, the 1.12 million viewers is the best performance for a Friday series premiere since Battlestar Galactica debuted on 1/14/05.
- Stargate Universe's 2.3 million total viewers surpassed the 2.1 million total viewers that watched Dollhouse on FOX at 9 PM (ET/PT).
In addition, Stargate Universe is Syfy.com's best ever Stargate franchise season premiere day in all key metrics and is the second best original series premiere. Stargate Universe's premiere drove Syfy.com to its best day since 3/28/09 in page views, since 7/7/09 in uniques and visits and since 9/17/09 in video streams on 10/2/09.
Stargate Universe earned 297K page views, 106K uniques, 104K visits and 92K video streams on 10/2/09. Stargate Universe video increased to 174K streams on Saturday, 10/3/09 with the availability of the first episode. Syfy.com earned 1.4 MM page views, 253K uniques, 274K visits and 256K video streams on 10/2/09. Video jumped to 328K streams on 10/3/09.
Actress, Rhona Mitra (Nip/Tuck, Boston Legal), has joined Stargate Universe for the final three episodes of season one. Mitra portrays Kiva, a strong-willed commander of an alien incursion force. Kiva will do whatever it takes to safeguard her people even if it is at the ultimate expense of the Destiny crew.
On the next episode of Stargate Universe, titled "Air", Dr. Nicholas Rush (Robert Carlyle) leads a mission onto a new planet in search of basic human needs. The Destiny team, including Eli Wallace (David Blue) and 1st Lt. Matthew Scott (Brian J. Smith) are in for an adventure of a lifetime. "Air" premieres this Friday night, October 9th at 9PM (ET/PT) on Syfy.
Edgier and younger in tone, SGU takes the franchise in a dynamic new direction, appealing to longtime Stargate fans and first-time viewers alike. The two-part premiere of Universe was directed by Andy Mikita (Stargate Atlantis, Stargate SG-1) and lensed by Rohn Schmidt (The Shield, The Mist). The series also stars Alaina Huffman, Louis Ferreira, Elyse Levesque, David Blue, Jamil Walker Smith and Brian J. Smith.
SGU follows a band of soldiers, scientists and civilians, who must fend for themselves as they are forced through a Stargate when their hidden base comes under attack. The desperate survivors emerge aboard an ancient ship, which is locked on an unknown course and unable to return to Earth. Faced with meeting the most basic needs of food, water and air, the group must unlock the secrets of the ship’s Stargate to survive. The danger, adventure and hope they find on board the Destiny will reveal the heroes and villains among them.
Robert Cooper and Brad Wright, of Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis, serve as executive producers and writers. Stargate Universe is distributed by MGM Worldwide Television Distribution.
Syfy is a media destination for imagination-based entertainment. With year round acclaimed original series, events, blockbuster movies, classic science fiction and fantasy programming, a dynamic Web site (www.Syfy.com), and a portfolio of adjacent business (Syfy Ventures), Syfy is a passport to limitless possibilities. Originally launched in 1992 as SCI FI Channel, and currently in 95 million homes, Syfy is a network of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies. (Syfy. Imagine greater.)
About Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc.
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc., through its operating subsidiaries is actively engaged in the worldwide production and distribution of motion pictures, television programming, home video, interactive media, music, and licensed merchandise. The company owns the world’s largest library of modern films, comprising around 4,100 titles. Operating units including Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc., United Artists Films Inc., Ventanazul, MGM Television Entertainment Inc., MGM Networks Inc., MGM Distribution Co., MGM International Television Distribution Inc., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Home Entertainment LLC, MGM ON STAGE, MGM Music, MGM Consumer Products and MGM Interactive. In addition, MGM has ownership interests in international TV channels reaching approximately 120 countries and territories around the world. MGM ownership is currently as follows: Providence Equity Partners (29%), Texas Pacific Group (21%), Sony Corporation of America (20%), Comcast (20%), DLJ Merchant Banking Partners (7%) and Quadrangle Group (3%). For more information, visit www.mgmchannel.com
I thought they promised no more humanoid aliens? In fact I’m sure they did. I smell a Six clone or 7 of 9 hmmm.
Syfy has a really good spinner in the PR department and they should give them a raise.
The Gate – she is a spinnin’!
It is good they got the 18-49 demo they did. However:
How many other SERIES friday premiers happened since 2005 and are still on the air? (Sanctuary is one I think). So SGU didn’t do quite as well as BSG, but BSG is also off the air.
The first 2 seasons of SGA did better than this one did, and it had SG1 as a lead in, and BSG to follow. (SciFi Friday) SGA has Sanctuary to follow.
Will this matter?
Was much of that streaming and online content even available for SGA and other Friday shows? Do the advertisers care that much anyway?
Just some questions, as I want to know the truth behind the publicity.
I will be happy if SGU continues so I’m not one of the “haters.”
It will be interesting to see if there was much of a drop off, if at all, between the two hours of the premier and also come next week.
A fantastic first episode of Stargate Universe, in my opinion. However, if it’s one thing the Stargate franchise knows how to do, and how to do well, it’s “big” episodes. The two parters at the start/middle/end of the season are usually awesome, and the filler episodes in between range from awful to just ok – with only maybe one per half season standing out as being really good. Stargate Atlantis felt absolutely awful on its last two seasons as a result.
I hope SGU does not fall into that same trap.
I wish I had SyFy.
I thought they promised no more humanoid aliens? In fact I’m sure they did. I smell a Six clone or 7 of 9 hmmm.
Syfy has a really good spinner in the PR department and they should give them a raise.
I suspect SyFy is satisfied with the ratings, considering thousands of people watched it on their website.
@ dsfjr1190 somehow I don’t think they are too happy. The show runner hit one of the forums and ‘apologized’ for making an earlier in print remark that was not exactly complimentary about one of his previous Stargate shows. They don’t usually do that if they’re happy with the new show’s performance.
Unless they picked up a lot on the DVR +7 (and they would have to pick up two million viewers to match the SD premier of the last Stargate show) then I think they’ll be some tinkering in SGU’s future.
Of course in showbiz don’t they say there’s no such thing as ‘bad’ publicity?
1- I’ve heard a lot of people comparing SGU’s numbers to SGA’s, which is unfair considering SGA premiered half a decade ago. Ratings have been falling hard since then, which would explain the fact that SGA was getting 0.9s at one point. I think SGU could have done better, I’d say the numbers were only fair when they should have been great, but comparing them to a show that premiered 5+ years ago when the TV world was a different place is unfair. Either way, did you see the state of the ratings last friday night? They were abysmal. SGU didn’t do too bad for itself. Again, could (or should) have been better, but hopefully the fact that there will be 500,000 + DVR viewers, and plenty more viewers watching the ten (?) repeats before the third part will help kill some of the inevitable bleed-off from the premiere.
2- In regards to Rhona Mitra playing Kiva, there’s a very good reason for why she’s humanoid. If you want to know more, read the paragraph below. SPOILERS:
The question over who attacked the Icarus Base, their interest in the base and the ninth chevron, and who the traitor is that gave the position of the base away, will be an ongoing plot thread of the first season that will be answered in the final three episodes, Subversion, and Incursion Part I and Part II. In the 2 parter, the group who attacked the base will manage to make their way to the Destiny, lead by Kiva, played by the lovely Rhona Mitra. The aliens encountered by the Destiny crew at the other side of the universe will not be humans like in previous shows. However, this particular group isn’t from the other side of the universe.
/SPOILERS
The sex was pointless, Volence to can be pointless or too graphic.
The enemie has to die, accidents happen, but we dont need the graphic violence, and blood ozzing all over.
I like romance and courtship (as most do), but we dont need to see the act of intercoarse or other explicit act of foreplay on any tv show! For the folks that need that for entertainment, let them get the playboy channel or some other adult channel!
Most of us like good scifi, that has a good character interplay (WE DONT NEED ALL THE DETAILS OF THEIR SEX AND SEX LIFE), a story that you can follow that makes sence, heck for me it doesnt even have to be accurate, as long as it sounds believeable, and is entertaining!
Fun, Adventure, Humor, Science, which is what the first two gates had in just the right perportions!
I fear the Stargate franchise has fallen victom to the same thing the Trek franchise hit with Deep S9 onward, Producer/Director/Writer FATIUGE!
This copycate show (lost in space/voyager/BG) is doomed, I wont watch again.
This is the best Stargate in a long time. In fact I think I got back to heroes was the last time I watch a episode 4 times in space of a week.
As to the numbers, that what you get for putting it friday nights I guest.
Also expecting the same numbers as Atlantis in the fall, with faire competition, when viewers have so many other platforms, legit and illegal is just plain stupid.
Personally I loved the episode.
What’s up with Lou Diamond Phillips? I thought he was supposed to be the star of this show? He had nothing more than a microsecond cameo. Was he dropped from the show?
@lesferris
All you have to do is compare Atlantis last recent ep, which got a 1.5 rating with about 2.1 Million viewers for Live + Same Day. I am sure a new series gets a hell of a lot more promotion than an established series. A 0.2 rating and 200,000 viewers is not exactly that much of a difference in the ratings world. Universe was a series premiere which is supposed to have the top numbers, and then they usually always drop around 20 to 30% after that and then find their niche.
One positive thing, it did have a slightly younger audience than SGA was doing, not by much but even a little younger is something the network likes.
Well, if this show does suit the Syfy “suits,” then it will probably be because it is drawing the audience that they want to draw. If the show hangs onto an audience this Friday, then Syfy will probably decide that it has achieved it goal, and give it a thumbs up.
My wife and I were really looking forward to the new venture after the success of Stargate Atlantis & SG 1. It only took about 10 or 15 minutes for me to decide I would never watch it again. SEX right at the beginning of a new series, there are still viewers with children, and morals. Sorry that’s it for me…
I just got round to watching this and am a bit cautious as to where it’s going to go, however while watching it I really felt it should be called Battlestar Voyager.
These guys have written good SF TV for 15 years, I’m sure they’ll sort out the first few episode niggles.