Ratings rise for SCI FI Friday season finales

The SCI FI Channel’s lead-off and anchor series saw a small ratings boost for the season finales on March 10, with both Stargate SG-1 and Battlestar Galactica nudging closer to the 2.0 ratings mark after a winter season that was less-watched than the first half of the season last summer.

Stargate SG-1 started the night at 8 p.m. Eastern/Pacific, with a 1.9 average household rating for the explosive “Camelot.” This is an improvement of one-tenth of a point from the previous week’s episode.

SG-1 averaged a 2.0 rating (rounded to the nearest tenth) during the summer season, a 1.7 during the winter season, and a 1.8 overall (rounded down) for Season Nine. The highest-rated episodes were the 2-part season premiere in July 2005, “Avalon, Part 1” and “Avalon, Part 2” (each earning a 2.1 rating). The lowest of the year was “Ethon,” with a 1.5 on February 3.

GateWorld readers ranked “Camelot” as the best episode of the season, with an impressive 9.56 out of 10 in the fan poll. Lowest was “Collateral Damage,” with a 7.16.

The season finale of Stargate Atlantis earned a 1.8 rating at 9 p.m. on March 10. “Allies” stayed even from the previous week.

Atlantis averaged a 2.0 rating during the summer season and a 1.8 during the winter, with a final tally of a 1.9 average (rounded up) for its sophomore year. Its highest rating was a 2.2, for both “The Siege, Part 3” and “Instinct.” The least-watched of the year was “Coup D’etat” “Michael,” each with a 1.5 on February 17 and 24, respectively.

GateWorld readers collectively picked “Inferno” as the best of Season Two, with a fan poll score of 8.81 out of 10. The lowest of the year? “The Tower” scraped up a 7.26 average fan rating.

Battlestar Galactica rounded out the night on March 10 with its Season Two finale “Lay Down Your Burdens, Part 2” earning a 1.9 at 10 p.m. The episode improved one-tenth of a point over the previous week.

Galactica averaged a 2.1 rating for its summer season and a 1.9 in the winter, with a Season Two average of 2.0 — making it once again the network’s highest-rated show.

All new episodes of Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis return in July! Battlestar Galactica will kick-off its third season in October. Check out our full-season ratings run-downs for SG-1 and Atlantis.

(Source: Nielsen Galaxy Report, via Sci Fi Wire. Thanks to Morjana for the tip)