'Jon & Kate': Ratings Great

TLC Record 10.6 Million Tune In To See The Couple Separate

Mike Reynolds -- Multichannel News, 6/23/2009 4:13:11 PM

Jon and Kate Gosselin's marriage may be heading for divorce, but with a record audience for TLC last night, the show will resume in August.
Some 10.6 million tuned in the June 22 episode of Jon & Kate Plus 8 to watch what most already knew beforehand that the couple is going their own ways. After a "retrospective of Jon and Kate's first 10 years" airs next Monday, TLC said the series will be on hiatus until Aug. 3 as the family takes some "time off to regroup and then a modified schedule will be in place to support the family's transition."
TLC also said it "continues to support the Gosselin family and will work closely with them to determine the best way to continue to tell their story as they navigate through this difficult time."
TLC had ordered 40 episodes of the show's fifth campaign, with the fifth debuting last night. Sources at the service indicate that given the acrimoniously tenuous family situation, with tabloid tales of infidelity for both spouses, not much advance filming had taken place. It was unclear at press time how many new installments will be produced.
As the headlines and flap flew after the show's fourth season concluded March 23, TLC ran a marathon leading into the fifth-season opener on May

The May 25 episode generated the series' biggest audience ever, some 9.8 million, until last night.
In addition to setting new ratings (a 7.7) and viewer averages for TLC, the June 22 premiere notched the best network ratings marks ever among persons 18 to 49 (a 5.7), women 18 to 49 (8.1), persons 18 to 34 (6.5), men 18 to 34 (3.7), women 18 to 34 (9.3) and persons 2+ (4.2), according to Nielsen Media Research live + same-day data.
Relative to viewers, the show was also TLC's best ever among households (7.5 million), women 25 to 54 (4.1 million), persons 18 to 49 (6.5 million), men 18 to 49 (1.9 million), women 18 to 49 (4.6 million), persons 18 to 34 (3.7 million), men 18 to 34 (1.1 million) and women 18 to 34 (2.7 million).
Gauged among all Discovery Networks fare, the episode achieved records for ratings with households, persons and women 18 to 49, women 25 to 54 and persons and 18 to 34, and the top delivery among women 25 to 54, adults and women 18 to 49 and persons and women 18 to 34, according to Nielsen data.