Exceeds PBS Primetime Average by 189% in 55 Metered Markets
Episode one of PROHIBITION averaged nearly four million viewers* for its premiere last night on PBS. The 2.6 rating among 55-metered overnight stations for “A Nation of Drunkards” was 189% above the PBS overnights’ primetime average (0.9) for the 2010-2011 season.
“With people increasingly watching on different devices and at different times, it is still wonderfully fulfilling to reach such a sizable audience during the national broadcast,” said filmmakers Ken Burns and Lynn Novick.
“Once again Ken and Lynn have breathed new life into an important moment in our nation’s history,” said Paula Kerger, President of PBS. “Prohibition will join ‘The Civil War’ and ‘Baseball’ as some of their best work, whose impact will continue to linger long after last night’s broadcast premiere. We’re proud to help share this story, and help start a discussion about what the lessons of Prohibition mean for us today.”
*The Overnight household rating for Prohibition was 2.6 among 55 metered-market stations.
*National persons 2+ projection is 3.9 million viewers tuned in during an average minute of programming (the average audience rating). Persons 2+ cume projection is 7.6 million viewers who saw the first episode (the unduplicated count of people who saw at least six minutes of the program).
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Contact: Carrie Johnson, PBS Communications, 703-739-5129; cjohnson@pbs.org
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