‘Doppelganger’ live ratings fall below 1.0

The initial viewership numbers are in for the fourth episode of Stargate Atlantis. “Doppelganger” earned a 0.9 rating on Friday, October 19.

This is down 0.2 points from the previous two weeks, and 0.3 (25 percent) from the season premiere’s 1.2 rating. It is also the lowest of the series to date, and the first time a new episode of either Stargate series has fallen below the 1.0 mark.

The Nielsen ratings number is believed to be the “Live + Sam Day” rating. Because of the rapid increase of digital video recorders, Atlantis‘s audience has heavily “time-shifted” — meaning that a large portion of the audience watches new episodes later in the week, thanks to TiVo and other DVR services.

SCI FI Channel is one of the most heavily-DVR’ed networks on U.S. television, and Stargate Atlantis is one of SCI FI’s most DVR’ed shows. But Nielsen’s “Live + 3 Day” and “Live + 7 Day” ratings, which track delayed viewing, are usually not made available to the public.

The falling live ratings didn’t seem to faze network executives, who renewed Stargate Atlantis for a fifth season the week after “Doppelganger’s” initial ratings become available (story).

Reality series Ghost Hunters once again led SCI FI’s ratings for the week of October 15, with a 1.4 rating. ECW wrestling earned a 1.2 for the week. Atlantis remained SCI FI’s highest rated original drama.

New episodes of Stargate Atlantis continue every Friday at 10 p.m. Eastern/Pacific!