Nat Geo’s ‘Killing Jesus’ Sets Net Ratings Record

National Geographic Channel set an all-time ratings record with 3.7 million viewers, the network announced Monday.

The original movie, based on Bill O’Reilly's best-selling book, bested the 3.4 million viewers generated by the 2013 movie Killing Kennedy, according to Nielsen. Killing Jesus also garnered a 2.8 household rating, marking the second-highest in network history, according to Nat Geo.

Furthermore, the 1.0 rarting among adults 25-54 is the highest rated for the demo since Killing Kennedy and is more than 300% higher than NGC’s Sunday 8-11 p.m. average so far this calendar year, according to Nat Geo.

 “Killing Jesus was our most ambitious production to date, coupled with one of our largest cross-platform promotional campaigns,” said National Geographic Channels CEO Courteney Monroe in a statement. “We are thrilled that audiences responded to the film with the same enthusiasm and passion we had for this production since day one. The success of our premiere last night is due to the hard work and dedication of the production team on the ground in Morocco, the talented and versatile cast and the support of our partners at National Geographic and Fox.”

Killing Jesus will encore on Fox News Channel this Friday, April 3, at 8 p.m. ET and Easter Sunday, April 5, at 8 p.m. ET/PT, said Nat Geo. 

R. Thomas Umstead

R. Thomas Umstead serves as senior content producer, programming for Multichannel News, Broadcasting + Cable and Next TV. During his more than 30-year career as a print and online journalist, Umstead has written articles on a variety of subjects ranging from TV technology, marketing and sports production to content distribution and development. He has provided expert commentary on television issues and trends for such TV, print, radio and streaming outlets as Fox News, CNBC, the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times and National Public Radio. Umstead has also filmed, produced and edited more than 100 original video interviews, profiles and news reports featuring key cable television executives as well as entertainers and celebrity personalities.