Note the 3.3 million is a cumulative audience across two networks (Starz and Encore) with a gross average audience of 2.5 million across all the airings. As originally posted yesterday, it pulled in more than 1.2 million viewers in its first airing (661,000 viewers on Starz and an additional 580,000 on Encore).
via press release:
Record Audience of 3.3 Million Powers Weekend Debut of
New Starz Original Series, "Spartacus: Blood and Sand"
Englewood, Colo. – January 26, 2010 – Updated figures for the series premiere of “Spartacus: Blood and Sand” indicate that more than 3.3 million total viewers* tuned in for episode one of the new Starz Original, a record performance for a series debut on the premium pay TV network.
Based on live plus same-day DVR viewing, the Friday night 10PM ET/PT airing on Starz drew a 2.1 HH rating (661,000 viewers) and Encore a 1.2 rating (580,000 viewers), or more than 1.2 million viewers combined. An additional 430,000 viewers (1.6 HH rating) watched at 11PM ET/PT on Starz.
The 3.3 million viewership figure includes three additional weekend airings on Starz and Encore with same-day DVR usage. Figures from other Starz channels, additional DVR usage, starz.com viewership and on-demand/online previews with affiliates are expected to grow that figure well past 4 million total viewers.
With a gross average viewing audience of more than 2.5 million for the six Starz/Encore airings, Stephan Shelanski, executive vice president, programming for Starz Entertainment commented, “
This is the most successful premiere in the company’s history. We are very gratified to see that our excitement and faith in the series – already renewed for a second season – has been matched by initial demand. This show is unlike anything ever seen on television, and we are confident that passion for the series will grow as the character development and incredible story arcs unfold.”
Post-premiere episodes of “Spartacus: Blood and Sand” debut on Starz on Fridays at 10PM ET/PT with an additional airing on Sunday nights at 10PM ET/PT.
About “Spartacus: Blood and Sand”
Produced by Rob Tapert, Sam Raimi, Joshua Donen and Steven S. DeKnight, “Spartacus: Blood and Sand” is the most highly anticipated original series in the history of Starz. The 13-episode hour-long drama was renewed for an epic second season prior to the series premiere on January 22, 2010.
The UK-born and Australia-based Andy Whitfield portrays Spartacus, a soldier in the Roman Auxiliary who is taken prisoner. Lucy Lawless is cast as Lucretia, who along with her husband Batiatus (John Hannah), own the slave Spartacus and the gladiator camp where the former soldier learns the ways of the arena fighter. Additional cast members include: Erin Cummings as Spartacus’ Thracian wife, Sura; Peter Mensah as Doctore, Batiatus’ most loyal and trusted slave; Manu Bennett as Crixus, the top gladiator at Batiatus’ gladiator school; Antonio Te Maioha as Barca, who is Batiatus’ bodyguard and hit man; Craig Parker as Glaber, who blames Spartacus for his failed military campaign; and Nick E. Tarabay as Ashur, a former gladiator who is now the school’s resident bookie. Starz’ new “Spartacus” series was inspired by the actual slave of the Roman Republic who in 73 BC led a slave revolt that grew to more than 120,000 fighters. Defying the Roman Republic’s legions of soldiers, they campaigned for two years through much of what is now Italy before succumbing to a much larger army. The new series will tell a new set of stories rich in character, action, sex and combat.
Starz Entertainment is the exclusive subscription television and broadband provider of Starz Originals (including "Party Down,” “Crash,” “Spartacus: Blood and Sand,” and “Gravity”) and feature films. First-run movies are from leading Hollywood studios including Walt Disney Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Overture Films, Touchstone Pictures, Hollywood Pictures, Pixar, TriStar, Screen Gems, Sony Classics and Warren Miller Films. Starz licenses hundreds of feature films from a wide array of independent distributors including IFC, Yari Film Group, and Summit Entertainment and a vast collection of classic and favorite titles from most Hollywood studios, including Warner Bros., Universal and MGM.
Starz Entertainment, LLC, is a premium movie service provider operating in the United States. It offers 16 movie channels including the flagship Starz® and Encore® brands with approximately 17.3 million and 30.7 million subscribers respectively. Starz Entertainment airs more than 1,000 movies and new original series every month across its pay TV channels and offers advanced services including Starz HD, Encore HD, Starz On Demand, Encore On Demand, MoviePlex On Demand, Starz HD On Demand, Encore HD On Demand, MoviePlex HD On Demand, and Starz Play. Starz Entertainment (www.starz.com) is an operating unit of Starz, LLC, which is a controlled subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation, and is attributed to Liberty Starz (NASDAQ: LSTZA), a tracking stock group of Liberty Media Corporation.
Note to Editor: Download high-resolution versions of related images at http://starz.mediaroom.com.
*3.3 million viewers based on Live + Same Day P2+ Cume estimates across Starz and Encore channels, Nielsen NPOWER 1/22/10 – 1/24/10. All Ratings references based on Live + SD HH Coverage Area estimates for respective program telecasts. All other viewer references based on Live + Same Day P2+ Average Audience and Gross Average Audience estimates for Starz and Encore, Nielsen NPOWER 1/22/10 – 1/24/10. Subject to qualifications available upon request.
Not bad, didn’t expect those numbers, but the episode itself was terrible, hopefully the next episode does the series justice, it has potential.
I think I read they were expecting to hit around 2 million viewers with all the combined things. So I guess this is great news for them, and the show
The death of Crash anyone?
Crash is already dead.
Wow! You’re no wuss, Spartacus!
Thrilled to see these record-breaking numbers for STARZ. They have a high-buzz series on their hands, and with numbers like that, and the word-of-mouth that goes with it, I just know people have been calling in to add STARZ to their package in cabler/satco call centres across the country.
With numbers like that, episode 2 (not as widely distributed online as episode 1) is likely to see a nice set of Nielsens.
I dont’ care how many people watched it, it was still just Cinemax at Night soft porn garbage. Nothing say “Rome” like stop action beheadings, cartoonish bloodletting and full frontal nudity.
How can a show that has all kinds of violence and sex and swearing be so boring at the same time?
Well I guess we could call it a “genre” show. Its a show that isn’t shy to show violence, sex and naked people. I guess some people are just not comfortable with it. Which is hard to understand, violence and sex is all over the news, the world etc. So having a show that’s not scared to tell a story how the hell they want just make me want more from broadcast shows. I always felt that a sex scene were the girls keeps her clothes on, or that the camera will only take shadows or all sorts of bizarre position in order to avoid seeing anything is kinda lame. That’s why a love premium cable shows like True blood, Dexter, Spartacus etc. But hey,everybody has the right to like it or not. I just don’t understand why someone would be pissed off about seeing cute naked womens…
Glad it did well. The opener was pretty cartoony, but word from advance screeners is that the show picks up around episodes 3-4. I’ll stick with it until then and see how it develops.
So sick of all the Anti-sex haters, freakin pop a boner/wettie and relax. People are so expressionless. Sex is natural, sex is human, get used to it and shut the FU*k up.
Tvmegafan, instead of watching pseudo porn, why don’t you actually get laid and get the real thing. It’s just sad relying on tv for sex. Though by the sound of your childish rant, I suspect you may be underage.
It takes one programme to achieve those measley figures on numerous repeat showings and different channels within three days. Heaven help Starz. Though I’m not sure what’s even more pathetic, the press release boasting about three days worth of ratings, or that the pitiful accumulative figure sets a record.
This is the plot of Spartacus done 300 style. That’s it. And it looks silly.
Had the whole family watch it. We rather enjoyed the cartoony splashes of blood.
We also know it is Sam Raimi material and not to be taken so seriously.
We want more now! Want serious hardcore drama? Go somewhere else. I expect tons of fun!
I enjoyed it. It looks like a promising opener to hopefully what will become a good series. I’ve always been a fan of the Greek/Roman mythology and ancient tales. In comparison to other shows, I enjoyed this much more than the Hercules series as well as HBO’s Rome BUT this show still hasn’t surpassed my love for Xena.
It always amazes me how there can be endless shows about serial killers and cop series where in each episode someone is killed in a pretty graphical way.
But if a tv show shows nudity then we are somehow crossing some arbitary line in the sands of morality.
I don’t know why there is an argument here comparing this show to porn, that is an extreme comparison when there hasn’t even been that much screen time devoted to full nudity and sex. Its about a 50 minute show and theres maybe 2 to 3 minutes tops of sex and/or nudity. Sex and The City is much more raunchier than this program.