via Syfy press release:
WINTER SEASON OF SYFY'S Stargate Universe MOST-WATCHED STARGATE IN FOUR YEARS
LEAPS 51% IN ADULTS 18-34, 33% IN ADULTS 18-49, 28% IN ADULTS 25-54 AND 22% IN TOTAL VIEWERS
New York, NY -- December 29, 2009 -- Continuing Syfy's sizzling ratings momentum that has seen it post a record 5 straight months of viewer gains, the winter season of Stargate Universe became the most watched Stargate franchise series since 2005 (Stargate Atlantis season 1).
Including Live + 7 DVR viewing data, Stargate Universe's first year averaged 2.57 million total viewers, 1.63 million Adults 25-54, 1.43 million Adults 18-49 and 600,000 Adults 18-34, along with a 1.9 HH rating. The 10-episode season premiered Friday, October 2, and concluded on Friday, December 4.
Compared to the 2008-09 Stargate Atlantis season 5, SGU jumped 51% in Adults 18-34, 33% in Adults 18-49, 28% in Adults 25-54 and 22% in total viewers.
Stargate Universe returns for a second season in 2010.
Online at Syfy.com:
Stargate Universe delivered 6.2 million page views, 913K uniques, 1.3 million visits and 4.1 million video streams in its first season.
Stargate Universe averaged +73% more page views, +79% more uniques, +85% more visits and +237% more short-form video streams than Stargate Atlantis season 5.
Stargate Universe ranked as the #1 show site directory in all key metrics during its first season.
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 series stars Robert Carlyle, Ming-Na, Lou Diamond Phillips, 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
A nice publicity spin by SyFy.
The show has great character interaction but sucks in the action/adventure department…hopeful the 2nd half of the 1st season is better. Sounds like there is alot interest behind it.
I especially love their spin on SyFy.com’s increase in short vid streaming – since SGA barely had extra vids.
Also, it’s interesting how they omited the fact that SGU’s 1×10 ep was – in the Life+SD ratings – the least watched Stargate episode in at least two years, dropping lower than the lowest rated ep of SGA’s S5.
But yes, spinning the fact that a highly promoted first season gets better numbers than a barely promoted fifth season is awesome! Thumbs up for originality, SyFy
You have another Alice PR there on your hands!
You have to give SyFy credit for one thing, they’re handling the PR quite nicely. They have to bridge 4 months here while trying to keep people talking about Stargate. Between the early renewal, press releases like these, the DVD release (in February) and the promotional campaign that will surely accompany the return of the show they’ve managed to space things quite nicely.
Syfy have a press release comparing SGU to the first season of SGA. Oh wait…
I thought that the DVR 7 day data didn’t really count with the advertisers – that it had to be same day DVR viewing? If that’s the case, then they did a good PR spin but it doesn’t mean much as far as real ratings (the ones that count with advertisers).
And here is a graph and chart showing the progression of those numbers.
http://community.livejournal.com/sgu_destiny/207349.html
Winter season? Correct me if I’m wrong, but Stargate has always been aired in the summers, then returned in Jan for seasons 1-2, and summer to Spring for s3, and has only been on in the fall since season 4. S4 kicked off the Sept 28 2007, according to episodeguides.com. S5 started in July of last year and ran thru Jan 09.
So there’s only been 2 ‘winter’ seasons for the franchise. I guess throwing in 2 gate-less winter seasons is indeed a good way to spin those chevrons-erm, numbers…:D
And it’s still not fair to throw in DVR numbers since Atlantis never had the benefir of dvr viewrs until it’s last season…VCR users, if I recall, weren’t measured before the advent of the digital recorders.
That’s too bad about the declining numbers, because it’s the only watchable Stargate anything (since the original movie). The episodes have gotten better and better, ever since that awful pilot with Robert Carlysle chewing the scenery all over the place. Hiring veteran actors may have sounded like a good idea on paper, but the heart of the show is all the young no-name actors.
Oh sweet another thread for the Atlantis fanbois to preach their gospel in!
SGU is awesome! Great job by “SyFy”, who are obviously geniuses. The name change clearly worked.
I thought my new washer and dryer were great spinning machines
@marenamoo Nice graph!
That Syfy PR person earns their paycheck don’t they? Although, c’mon guys, there’s a fine line between good spin and the smell of desperation – don’t cross it now.
I am happy for the show. I love it, I want all my sci-fi to be more serious like BSG. This show even adds some light humor and some hot girls which to me is what its all about.
They are putting lipstick on this pig they bought. Congrats to them.
Still saddens me how this whole thing went down.
Celebrate mediocrity. *claps*
So, is it part of a licensing deal you just post it without comment?
Anyway, its a pity if it’s not in imminent danger of being canceled – but one can hope *g*
@usedtolovecoco
“but the heart of the show is all the young no-name actors.”
Only for the young no-name viewers
They seem to be trying to make their own selves believe the show is good, because most of us have SEEN the show and know it is a very bad story trying to be a soap opera in space. Very unlikeable characters, little to now plots and absolutely lame writing.
ABC has already tried to do the Grey’s Anatomy in space, it was called Defying Gravity and it was cancelled by about five network partners. Maybe the mindless youth of the world will watch this terrible show, we will likely know the truth by July of next year. Mature thinking viewers will avaoid it like the Swine Flu.
If they were not afraid of the truth they would not be having to stretch it in so many ways to make the show seem a success. The President of Syfy did say in an interview that the name change had kept GOOD viewers and gotten rid of the ones they no longer want.
marenamoo says:
December 29, 2009 at 11:47 am
And here is a graph and chart showing the progression of those numbers.
http://community.livejournal.com/sgu_destiny/207349.html
I read your graph and it looks to me the show’s viewer numbers are falling like a rock. Take a look and see what is there!