'Hung' Debut Plays Big For HBO
Series Premiere Draws 2.8 Million, Most Since 'John From Cincinnati'
R. Thomas Umstead -- Multichannel News, 6/30/2009 12:37:32 PM EDT
HBO's new comedy series drew some well-endowed performance numbers during its Sunday night premiere.
The pay TV network's June 28 premiere of Hung drew 2.8 million viewers, the network's highest series debut since June 2007 when John From Cincinnati drew 3.4 million viewers following The Sopranos' series finale.
The series, about a down-on-his-luck man who decides to use his best attributes and becomes a gigolo, drew 3.7 million viewers for the night when combining the premiere and a midnight repeat airing, according to HBO.
The show was also able to retain 76% of the audience from its lead in, True Blood. The sophomore vampire series drew its biggest audience ever, delivering 3.7 million viewers for its 9 p.m. premiere telecast. For the night, True Blood delivered 5.1 million viewers for its combined premiere and 11 p.m. replay.
Thus far, True Blood has averaged a gross audience of over 10.8 million viewers per episode - including linear network airings, HBO On Demand runs and DVR viewing -- outperforming its first season average by 38%, according to HBO.
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