Doctor Who US Debut Ratings
The ratings are in for the US debut of Doctor Who on the SciFi Channel and its generally favorable if perhaps not the slam dunk that Doctor Who fans might have hoped for. Although the first two episodes were broadcast back to back the ratings were broken down for each one.
Rose, the first episode achieved an audience of 1.58 million while The End of the World scored 1.61 million. It is certainly encouraging that the ratings went up, not down for the second episode. Also good news is that the repeat later the same night scored an additional .78 million viewers per episode.
While these numbers aren’t as good as the figures for Stargate: Atlantis and Battlestar Galactica when they air in the same time slots, they are higher than any other show SciFi aired that evening. It’s also a pretty safe bet that SciFi doesn’t have to pay nearly as much to air Doctor Who as it’s paying to produce Atlantis and BSG.
Traditional viewing figures usually drop after a premiere, however in this case with the series not that well known in the US there is a chance that the ratings might actually rise. At the very least if they hold steady then Doctor Who is looking like a credible off-season replacement for SciFi’s original programming.
The official Nielsen ratings are not yet available.
Eoghann Irving is amongst other things the creator and Editor of Solar Flare. He has a life long interest in all forms of science fiction and fantasy and a pressing need to share this interest with anyone who will listen. Find out more at his personal website eoghann.com..
One Comment, Comment or Ping
Ethan Duffy
Saw this last year in the UK and thought it was fairly top-notch. Most of the effects are a bit 5-years ago but they work. And the scripts and characters are intelligent and consistently grabbing. It’s quite consistent, too (unlike, say, Lost, where they seem to assume nobody watches the show in the middle of seasons) and you should watch it. Even with all those extra adverts.
Apr 21st, 2006
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