4.7 Million People Tune in to Part of NGC's First Original Broadcast of a Feature Film Inspired by Real-Life Events
WASHINGTON, Nov. 5, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- National Geographic Channel's Sunday night premiere of the true-to-life full-length action thriller SEAL Team Six: The Raid on Osama bin Laden became a must-see blockbuster hit, with stellar ratings that averaged a whopping 1.4 P25-54 on Sunday, Nov. 4, at 8 p.m. ET/PT. The special now ranks as the network's #1 show of 2012, and sixth highest rated broadcast of all time for NGC. It encores on Friday, November 9, at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
SEAL Team Six: The Raid on Osama bin Laden scored a 2.2 HH rating, 1.4 in the P25-54 demo and 1.9 for M25-54. The P25-54 is more than four times NGC's Sunday 8-10 p.m. ET/PT average for the 2012 television season (.3 P 25-54).
SEAL Team Six averaged 2.7 million persons 2+ over the entire two-hour premiere, with more than 4.7 million total viewers 2+, including 2.2 million viewers in the key P25-54 demo, tuning in to at least six minutes of the film.
This ranks as the highest rated telecast on NGC since the premiere of George W. Bush: The 9/11 Interview in August 2011, which had a 1.7 P 25-54, and eclipses the previous two-hour special record for 2012 of Titanic: The Final Word with James Cameron, which had a .9 P 25-54 rating in April.
The film, hailed by critics as "gripping" and "an exciting drone-and-dagger film that generates a ridiculous amount of suspense," was executive produced by Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, and directed by John Stockwell ("Into the Blue," "crazy/beautiful").
"We are overwhelmed that viewers across the country responded en masse to this socially relevant, factually based and entertaining film that highlighted the real inside story behind the manhunt for bin Laden and the heroes in our military and intelligence agencies," said David Lyle, CEO National Geographic Channels. "It proved that no matter who Americans are planning to vote for, a good film is a good film, and we are happy to have had such success with our first original broadcast of a feature film inspired by real-life events."
"What National Geographic Channel, CEO David Lyle and President Howard Owens did was offer a captivating film of recent American history to as many homes as possible," said Weinstein. "We expect SEAL Team Six to be a perennial for the National Geographic Channel and hope more people watch it this Friday."
"If this film had been in theaters this weekend, it very likely could have been the #1 movie in America," added NGC President Howard Owens. "The success of this premiere would not have been possible without Harvey's driving force and support for this film and our network."
SEAL Team Six: The Raid on Osama bin Laden is the story behind the manhunt and raid that took down al-Qaeda's notorious leader, told through the eyes of the military and intelligence teams involved. The blockbuster stitches together a taut, no-holds-barred account that builds from an intense interrogation of an al-Qaeda functionary to a dangerous on-the-ground surveillance of a mysterious 6'5" bearded figure in a strangely fortified compound to the heroic culmination of the mission code-named "Project Neptune's Spear." The film envisions the behind-the-scenes wrangling that went into that decision, the work of the intelligence community and local nationals in Pakistan who aided the mission, as well as the Special Forces who demonstrated their skills in entering a chaotic, dangerous environment while seeking out America's number-one target and enemy.
For more information, go to www.natgeotv.com/sealteam6, search #SEALTeamSix on Twitter, or follow @NGC_PR.
SEAL Team Six: The Raid on Osama bin Laden is presented by The Weinstein Company and Voltage Pictures in association with Picture Perfect Corporation and Durban Inc. A Voltage Picture Production; A John Stockwell Film. It stars Cam Gigandet, Anson Mount, Freddy Rodriquez, Alvin "Xzibit" Joiner, Kathleen Robertson, Eddie Kay Thomas and Kenneth Miller, with Robert Knepper and William Fichtner. Casting by Nancy Nayor C.S.A. and Jo Edna Boldin C.S.A. Visual Effects: Ben Callahan, Joseph Conti and Jonah Loop. Music by Paul Haslinger. Costume Designer: Miye Matsumoto. Edited by Ben Callahan. Production Designer: Guy Barnes. Director of Photography: Peter A. Holland. Line Producer: John N. Ward. Associate producers are Dominic Rustam and Corrie Rothbart. Executive Producer is Phillip B. Goldfine. Executive Producers are Bob Weinstein, Harvey Weinstein and Meghan O'Hara. Produced by Nicolas Chartier, Zev Foreman and Tony Mark. Written by Kendall Lampkin.Directed by John Stockwell.
Source: Nielsen Media Fast National Rating, Sunday 8:00 PM-10:00 PM, Live+SD.
Reach figures are for a single telecast cume based on six-minute qualifier.
National Geographic Channels
Based at the National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington, D.C., the National Geographic Channels US are a joint venture between National Geographic and Fox Cable Networks. The Channels contribute to the National Geographic Society's commitment to exploration, conservation and education with smart, innovative programming and profits that directly support its mission. Launched in January 2001, National Geographic Channel (NGC) celebrated its fifth anniversary with the debut of NGC HD. In 2010, the wildlife and natural history cable channel Nat Geo WILD was launched, and in 2011, the Spanish-language network Nat Geo Mundo was unveiled. The Channels have carriage with all of the nation's major cable, telco and satellite television providers, with NGC currently available in 84 million U.S. homes. Globally, National Geographic Channel is available in 440 million homes in 171 countries and 38 languages. For more information, visit www.natgeotv.com.
SOURCE National Geographic Channel
