There’s something about Sci Fi Channel and miniseries.
The network’s latest journey with the genre, Battlestar Galactica, averaged a 3.5 household rating and nearly 4.2 million viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research data, making the update of the 1970s ABC series the highest-rated original miniseries on cable and the service’s highest-rated show this year, according to network executives.
The initial installment Dec. 8 from 9 p.m-11 p.m. pulled a 3.2 household rating (3.9 million viewers 2+). Then, in a TV rarity, the premiere of the second half of Battlestar the following night scored a 3.8 (4.46 million viewers). The concluding segment was preceded by an encore presentation of the first half, which garnered a 2.0 household rating (2.37 million viewers).
The performance of Battlestar ranks as the third-highest miniseries for the network behind its Emmy Award-winning Steven Spielberg Presents Taken and Frank Herbert’s Dune.
The debuts of the 10 two-hour Taken installments -- which ran Dec. 2-13, 2002 -- averaged a 4.1 household rating (4.97 million viewers) and lifted the network to the top of the primetime ratings charts for the first two weeks of that month.
The three-part Dune drove a 4.4 (4.57 million watchers) average back in December 2000, according to Nielsen data.
The entire Battlestar Galactica miniseries will be rebroadcast Dec. 14 from 7 p.m.-11 p.m.
