Season premiere ratings fail to impress

The season premieres of Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis failed to attract big numbers on July 15, staying about even with last season’s average viewership. But the shows did help make The SCI FI Channel the top-rated cable network for the night among viewers 18 to 49 and viewers 25 to 54.

SG-1 started off the night of premieres with “Avalon, Part 1,” introducing new cast members Ben Browder (“Cameron Mitchell”) and Beau Bridges (“Hank Landry”). The episode earned a 2.1 average household rating, or approximately 2,610,000 viewers.

This is a 5 percent improvement over the mid-season premiere in January, but down from the 2.4 rating earned by the Season Eight premiere one year ago (when SG-1 was airing in the 9 p.m. time slot). Season Eight averaged a 2.1 rating for new episodes.

Stargate Atlantis continued the night of premieres, with “The Siege, Part 3” earning a 2.2 household rating. As with its sister show, this is a slight improvement over the January premiere (which earned a 2.1, or +6 percent), but slightly down from last season’s 2.3 average. About 2,783,000 viewers tuned in for the resolution of last March’s cliffhanger.

Top-rated Battlestar Galactica finished off the night with its second season premiere, “Scattered.” The episode delivered 3,053,000 total viewers, earning a 2.6 household rating. The show was cable’s most-watched program that night for men 18 to 49 and men 25 to 54.

SCI FI was also the second-highest rated cable network for the night in other key demographics, including women 18 to 49 and women 25 to 54.

Stargate‘s season premieres typically draw higher ratings than the season’s average. But significant changes for both shows this year may help the audience to grow from the lower-than-expected premieres — if viewers warm up to new the cast members and stories.

Brand new episodes of all three hit series continue this Friday at 8 p.m. Eastern/Pacific.