The finale of competition series HGTV Design Star built the largest primetime ratings for a series in the history of the network.
The Sept. 10 finale at 9 p.m. — in which David Bromstad was selected over Alice Fakier as the competition winner, earning him a series on the Scripps service — garnered a 2.5 household rating, a 159% jump from the show’s premiere on July 23, according to Nielsen Media Research data.
A network spokeswoman said that given the series’ success, a second edition is “likely.”
Bromstad, whose series is scheduled to launch next June, will gain exposure in the meantime via the four-installment Making of an HGTV Design Star, the first episode of which is slated to premiere Nov. 2 at 11 p.m.
For the record, the Sept. 10 show delivered HGTV’s highest ever primetime program average among households (2.29 million); adults 18-plus (2.84 million); men 18-plus (815,000); adults 18 to 49 (1.42 million); and adults 25 to 54 1.73 million).
The Design Star first-season concluder topped the 2.2 household rating for its own Aug. 20 edition (the series’ fifth episode) and the July 13, 2006 installment (10:30 p.m.) of House Hunters as the highest-rated primetime shows in HGTV’s history.
The network’s coverage of the Tournament of Roses Parade on Jan. 1, 2002 remains its highest-rated show ever, with a 3.8 household mark.
The premieres of the eight-installment Design Star averaged a 1.75 household rating and scored a 1.06 average among viewers 18 to 49 and a 0.8 mark among 25-to-54-year-old watchers.
