Runway Runs Away with Ratings

By Mike Reynolds -- Multichannel News, 10/20/2006 10:52:00 AM MT

The third-season finale of Project Runway Wednesday night proved to be the belle of cable’s Nielsen ball, earning Bravo best-ever reviews for ratings and viewership.

The Oct. 18 one-hour concluder drew a 4.6 household rating and averaged 5.4 million viewers from 10 p.m.-11 p.m.

Among the total who watched Jeffrey Sebelia win the competition were 3.44 million adults 18-49, according to Nielsen Media Research data.

The third-season finale topped Runway’s March 8 second-season concluder by 39% among adults 18-49 and by 57% in total viewers, according to Bravo officials.

For the third season, Project Runway averaged a 3.1 household rating and 3.41 million total viewers, up 102% from its second season.

Runway’s Oct. 18 totals helped Bravo achieve its best ever Wednesday in primetime among ratings (2.2), viewers (2.5 million) and adults 18-49 (1.6 million) and 25-54 (1.5 million).

Not only did Runway top all of cable that night, but it provided a powerful lead-in for the second-season debut of Top Chef at 11 p.m., when the cooking-competition show baked a 1.7 household rating, 1.9 million total viewers and 1.34 million adults 18-49. Those numbers represented all-time bests for Bravo in the time period, according to network officials.