Stargate Universe is holding its own against baseball playoffs and big-network shows, helping to give Syfy Channel its best October ever, the network announced. Despite ratings slipping a bit from the 1.8 season high rating (for “Air, Part 3″), the show continues to draw more than 2 million viewers on Friday night and is seeing a significant lift in the first “Live + 7 Days” DVR-delayed ratings.
The first season of SGU is averaging a 2.1 average household rating and 2.85 million total viewers, the network said in an October 27 press release. This includes full “Live + 7 Days” viewing data, though Syfy would probably have only had access to that data for about the first two weeks of the show (three of the six hours broadcast so far).
Nielsen Media Research releases full DVR ratings numbers to the networks approximately three weeks after broadcast.
In the key demographics, Syfy said that Universe is averaging 1.5 million adults ages 18 to 49, and 1.7 million ages 25 to 54.
The time-shifted viewing data for Stargate Universe is clearly significant, with 2.99 million viewers and a 2.1 rating for “Air, Part 3″ — up from the 1.8 rating (2.4 million) on Friday night. That’s the most-watched episode of a Stargate show since March 2005 (“The Siege, Part 1″), Syfy said.
Compared to the last season of Stargate Atlantis, SGU is up 59 percent among adults 18 to 34, 41 percent among adults 18 to 49, 33 percent among adults 25 54, and up 36 percent in total viewers, the network said.
Along with the 2.1 average rating for Ghost Hunters, the 1.7 average for Destination Truth, and the 1.8 rating earned by the season premiere of Sanctuary, Syfy is looking at its most watched October ever.
While we don’t have official ratings numbers for the last three episodes, on Twitter actor Brian J. Smith mentioned a 1.6 rating for “Darkness” — which aired against an MLB playoff game on October 16. TV by the Numbers reports viewership of 2.099 million viewers (”Live + Same Day”) for that one, and 2.015 million for October 23 (“Light”).
Universe is the network’s second-highest rated show behind Ghost Hunters (about 3 million viewers before DVR).
Brand new episodes of Stargate Universe continue this Friday at 9 p.m. (8 Central)! Learn more about this week’s episode, “Earth,” in GateWorld’s Season One episode guide.
(Thanks to Morjana for contributing!)
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Thats good but… Maybe if they would get rid of the useless sex scenes that are so useless and are there only for the point of showing sex then they could easily have higher ratings… Surprisingly, I only know a few people who liked Stargate to begin with but they are about fed up with this sex stuff. I can live with everything else but…there is just no need for these sex scenes. Affection can easily be shown w/out sex. I truly feel that ratings are going to really drop if this franchise continues to show so much sex. I mean I can’t even watch this show with my kids… HOW CAN THAT HELP RATINGS, NOW AND FOR THIS FUTURE GENERATION I WOULD LOVE TO GET INVOLVED WITH STARGATE?
nkilbourn | November 1 @ 8:50 pmCongratulations again SGU! Well done!
Alan | November 1 @ 8:50 pmI must respectfully disagree with nkilbourn. SG:U is not a Saturday morning cartoon. SG:U is depicting realistic relationships between humans in a seriously stressful situation — a daily struggle to survive. Men and women thrown together in such a situation are going to seek solace in one another, and that’s going to lead to sex.
SG:U is not SG-1, nor is it Atlantis. It is its own show. Some folks are going to like it, and some folks won’t. I think the ratings speak for themselves: SG:U is off to a good start, and I sincerely hope the writers continue writing believable, fully human characters.
geekman | November 1 @ 9:12 pmI agree with geekman – this is not a show for young children. I also find it interesting that many have so much trouble with the sex but seem to be fine with the violence. I have heard some saying that they could watch SG1 and SGA with their kids because there was no “sex” scenes, but what about the violence. Jaffa being shot, torture, Wraith feeding .. etc.. I find it interesting that its OK for kids to see the violence but not the sex?? Just my opinion
Raine | November 1 @ 9:26 pm@nkilbourn
Just rewatch an SG-1 (or Atlantis) episode every Friday with your kids and by the time you’re done with all of them your kids will be old enough to watch SGU! ;)
Colonel Sharp | November 1 @ 9:42 pmI think this show is for young children.
Hajhaabotbea | November 1 @ 11:06 pm@nkilbourn
“Stop acting like a child. PLEASE!”
We had one sex scene. Another was IMPLIED in “Light” and we had kissing in “Water” OOOOOOOOOO.. OH MAN! Look out! Sooo scandelous. I mean, NO ONE does that!
I’m socially Conservative and this seriously doesn’t bother me. 1 minute out of 270 aired minutes so far.
AscendedTauri | November 1 @ 11:22 pmIt is so funny to see people constantly bitching about “all those gratuitous sex scenes” when there was only one that was maybe 6 seconds.
AutumnDream | November 1 @ 11:29 pmI agree with nkilbourn the sex scenes are unnecessary and don’t need to be there. If they want to let people know that there is going to be an intimate act between to people then show them kiss, close the door and then move on to the next scene. I think we’ll get the hint. btw when are we going to get a villain?
aronc369 | November 1 @ 11:32 pmListen, you are either going to like the show or not like it. Don’t rip it apart just becuase they added some real human emotion. It will either work or not. Time will tell. I’m not quite sure what to think of the show so far. Some things bother me also. I don’t like the fact that they say the ship might be the greatest find (whatever). I would think that Atlantis was a bigger find. I wish they would pay more attention to the history of the franchise. We out here have memories. We loved Stargate SG-1 and Atlantis. Sci-Fi watchers tend to be wrapped up in this stuff. To make it so different might be good but we must pay tribute to what was before. I will give myself to the end of the first season to form a solid opinion. I hope everyone else will also. TV shows these days are never given enough time to grow on us. Instant gratification is so much us. I’m rambling but it is only because I want so much to like this show but so far I’m on the fence but willing to give it time. Scatter brain signing off.
flmatthew | November 1 @ 11:54 pmSeriously people if you don’t like just switch to another channel for 30 or 60 seconds, it’s what I did and it worked just fine… ;)
altairantares | November 2 @ 12:32 amGood! Any good news about SGU is GREAT NEWS, no matter what you think about the show! Because it brings us that much closer to getting both new SG1 and SGA movies!
alteran1 | November 2 @ 1:53 amToo bad they don’t count the 20+ milion viewers who watch the movie from torrents an others sources…
scristib | November 2 @ 3:47 amThey not counting it because channel doesn’t give a frak about non-Live audience. They still interested more or less in DVR-delayed numbers. Of course legal iTunes and “illegal” BitTorrents also will bring some several millions of viewers around the globe. SyFy just focused on numbers, that helps them continue current business-model, which is based on advertising. Simple as that.
Glad to see SGU keeping it’s viewers. But present ratings [2.1] is not as great as some of us expected. Universe can do better and hopefully will do.
universacred | November 2 @ 6:17 amCould it be that Syfy has lost viewers ?
Outbreaker | November 2 @ 9:13 amLooks like other networks are making better SicFi Shows.
I read somewhere that they had an 18% drop in ratings for the first 3 or 4 episodes and I see its still dropping. They can find ways of making it seem like its doing real good but come on as much money as they poured into this show they have to be disappointed because its not getting the ratings they wanted.
What people are begining to realise just as I did is its not Stargate to us and its not a family show anymore.
Buddybear | November 2 @ 10:18 amJoe Mallozzi on critiquing the show (a highly recommended read): link
Lenonn | November 2 @ 11:10 amFor me the behind-the-scene video is better then the episode itself lol.
Outbreaker | November 2 @ 11:48 am@Lenonn cheers for the link.
“Unlike the more kid-friendly SG-1 and Atlantis with its wholesale slaughters of enemy combatants, tortures, stabbings, and occasional live burnings, Universe will touch on the heinous topic of physically intimacy”
Loved that part.
Tanith | November 2 @ 12:09 pmAttacking the actors is uncalled for. That said, Mallozzi really should grow a thicker skin. He needs to stop catering to those he calls immature and idiotic by continuing to bait and respond to them. He’s also a huge hypocrite. He’s trolled quite a bit in the past and so have many of his supporters. I roll my eyes every time he gets on his high horse.
Imitation Tofu | November 2 @ 12:20 pm@nkilbourn
Someone needs a thicker skin… If you want “kid friendly” rewatch SG1 and Atlantis. You know, the episodes with death, torture and burning at the stake.
Perhaps its more disturbing people are upset over sex, and less so over violence.
leanbarton | November 2 @ 12:37 pmBTW for those still hoping SGU fails, it won’t. The ratings are speaking volumes. If anyone doesn’t think these are good ratings, you have no clue.
leanbarton | November 2 @ 12:40 pmLOL at leanbarton
Outbreaker | November 2 @ 1:07 pmSGA s01e01 – Rating 3.2 // SGU s01e01 – Rating 1.7
SGA s01e02 – Rating 3.2 // SGU s01e02 – Rating 1.7
SGA s01e03 – Rating 2.5 // SGU s01e03 – Rating 1.8
SGA s01e04 – Rating 2.5 // SGU s01e04 – Rating 1.6
Oh and SGU cost twice as much as SGA.
Outbreaker | November 2 @ 1:09 pm