The premiere of Project Runway was worth the wait for Lifetime. The show averaged more than 4.2 million viewers and was the highest-rated premiere for a series in Lifetime’s history as well as for Runway itself.
Runway generated a 3.2 rating among the network's key demo, women 18-49, and a 2.13 in adults 18-49.
The Lifetime premiere was up 45% in total viewers from the show's season five premiere last July on Bravo (2.9 million viewers). The Weinstein Co. sold the program to Lifetime after an extension deal couldn't be worked out with Bravo. NBCU, Bravo's parent company, then sued the Weinsteins over moving the program, which had delayed the premiere of this season.
“We are all thrilled about Project Runway’s very strong premiere, which surpassed all of our expectations,” said Andrea Wong, president and CEO of Lifetime.
The network not only posted big numbers on TV, but online as well. Lifetime Digital set a record for most number of unique visitors (454,000), visits (558,000), and page views (4.6 million), according to online trafficking.
The show’s new companion series, Models of the Runway, premiered at 11 p.m. and earned a 1.4 in the W18-49 demo, a 1.6 in households and 1.9 million total viewers. Project Runway’s lead-in, the two-hour special, Project Runway: All-Star Challenge, secured a 2.2 in the W18-49 demo, a 2.3 in households, and 2.9 million total viewers.
