‘Battlestar Galactica’ Bow Boosts Sci Fi

Battlestar Galactica’s fourth and final season launched on a strong Nielsen note, notching its best performance against its target audience since the bow of its third season and top numbers among adults 18 to 49 in over two years.

The “He That Believeth in Me” episode delivered a 1.6 household rating in the 10 p.m. hour April 4, translating into 2.1 million viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research data. Included in that total were 1.5 million adults 25 to 54 and 1.4 million adults 18 to 49.

The show was the tops in cable during primetime with Sci Fi's target 25-to-54 audience and ranked third among persons 18 to 49.

The installment also marked Battlestar’s best live + same day showing in persons 18 to 49 in more than two years (Jan.13, 2006, “Resurrection Ship, Part 2”), and its best performance among persons 25 to 54s since the show’s third-season premiere (Oct. 6, 2006). 

With 2.1 million total viewers, the fourth-season premiere out-pointed the 1.9 million average for the second half of the third season, which ran on Sunday nights from January through March 2007. It matched the 2.1 million average for the first half of the season (January through March 2006), when it aired in its traditional Friday night slot.