Army Wives Marches To Top Of Lifetime Ratings
Sophomore Season Debut Sets Network Records Across Spate Of Measures
By Mike Reynolds -- Multichannel News, 6/9/2008 8:08:00 AM
The second tour of duty for Army Wives marched Lifetime Television to a host of network ratings records.
The sophomore-season premiere of the original drama series at 10 p.m. (ET/PT) last night notched the best marks in the women’s-targeted network’s 24-year-history among households, viewers, women 18+, 18 to 34, 18 to 49 and 25 to 54.
The second-season opener captured a 3.7 household rating and 4.5 million total viewers, including 3.3 million women 18 or older, according to Nielsen Media Research data.
On the demo side, Army Wives posted a 2.9 rating among women 18 to 34 (805,420 of those watchers); a 3.5 with women 18 to 49 (1.96 million); and a 3.7 among women 25 to 54 (1.97 million).
Lifetime officials said the latest installment of Army Wives now ranks as the top drama on ad-supported cable year to date among women 18 to 49 and 25 to 54.
Relative to its debut last June, the June 8 airing grew 28% in household ratings and 29% in viewers, while advancing 36% among women 18+. Sunday night’s show also pushed up 61%, 67% and 59% among women 18 to 34, 18 to 49 and 25 to 54, respectively.
Gauged against the series’ first season average, the June 8 installment of Army Wives recorded gains of 19% among households and 20% with viewers. The female 18+ count improved 26%, while the show’s women 18-to-34 measure rose 38%; its 18-to-49 score increased 40%; and the 25-to-54 distaff delivery climbed 35%, according to Lifetime officials.
“Last summer, Army Wives became a game-changer for the network, transforming Lifetime into the No. 1 destination for women on Sunday nights. Just when we thought the acting couldn’t get more powerful, the writing sharper, the reviews better or the ratings higher, here comes our sensational second season premiere, said Lifetime Networks president of entertainment Susanne Daniels in a statement. “Thanks to an outstanding cast and creative team, we are poised to once again dominate the water coolers on Monday mornings.”
Filmed on location in Charleston, S.C., Army Wives, based on the book, Under the Sabers: The Unwritten Codes of Army Wives, stars Kim Delaney, Sally Pressman, Brigid Brannagh, Brian McNamara, Sterling K. Brown, Wendy Davis, Drew Fuller and Catherine Bell.
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