Re-Imagined Galactica Fails to Impress on the NBC Broadcast Network

Source Zap2It

13 July 2005

By Ian M. Cullen

Ron D. Moore's Battlestar Galactica may have won the hearts and minds of viewers on the USA's Cable Network ‘The Sci Fi Channel' but on Saturday it proved that it did not have the hearts and minds of the viewers of Universals Broadcast Network NBC which finished dead last in all major hours of Saturday Prime Time Viewing.

NBC was showing the final three hours of season one of Ron Moore's Galactica as part of its campaign to boost the ratings for the forthcoming Premiere of the second season which is due to go out shortly on a Friday Evening on Sci Fi Channel USA.

Potential viewers of Galactica just happened to be watching CBS and Fox in their droves as the evidence provided by Zap2it proves.

“CBS averaged a 4.3 rating/9 share, outdistancing second place FOX's 3.7/7. ABC was a distant third with a 2.7/5. NBC, which ran three hours of the Sci Fi Channel drama ‘Battlestar Galactica', was a dismal fourth with a 1.8/4.

“FOX came in first among adults 18-49, doing a 2.1 rating in the demographic advertisers love the most. ABC was second with a 1.5 rating, followed closely by the 1.4 rating for CBS. NBC trailed again with a 0.9 rating.

”CBS started the night off right with a 3.8/8 for "48 Hours Mystery," good enough to beat FOX's ‘COPS' (3.3/7) for the hour. ABC was third with the 2.2/5 first hour of ‘The Emperor's New Groove,' while NBC was last with the beginning of the ‘Battlestar Galactica' marathon.

”At 9 p.m. , CBS got a 4.3/9 from ‘Cold Case,' edging the 4.1/8 for ‘ America 's Most Wanted' on FOX. The second hour of ABC's Disney movie was third, while NBC got a 1.8/3 from its ‘Galactica' hour.

”The second ‘48 Hours' episode delivered the night's strongest ratings for CBS, with a 4.9/10. ABC moved up to second with a 3.2/7 for " America 's Funniest Home Videos." NBC remained last with ‘Battlestar.'”

 The above information does not bode well for Universal's Sci Fi Channel who have in their mission statement over the last few years claimed that they wish to attract a more main stream audience, the simple fact that very few expressed interest in New Galactica on one of Universals largest mainstream Networks NBC only proves that the New Galactica series will only have a limited shelf life if something is not done to attract those viewers and fast.

The show did very well last year for Sci Fi but it has not been able to repeat that success on a bigger Network which had more potential viewers.

If you would like to discuss this or any other story that you see posted at Sci Fi Pulse why not log in and register an account with the good folk at www.gaspode.net .

Battlestar Archive