Every ‘Simpsons’ Ever Marathon Is A Ratings Winner For FXX
If you show them, they will watch. The “Every. Simpsons. Ever.” marathon on FXX is proving to be a huge ratings success, paying off splendidly on a huge financial gamble made by the network by showing every episode of the quarter-century old series for 12 straight days. The marathon began on Thursday morning at 10:30 am Eastern and fans old and new tuned in to watch the beloved Simpsons family’s madcap misadventures every half hour back-to-back-to-back for more than 48 hours, so far. There are still 10 days left in the massive, 12 day event, and what many fans argue are the series’ greatest episodes are scheduled to air this weekend.
What makes the huge ratings success of the “Every. Simpsons. Ever.” marathon special is the fact that many of the early season episodes have been run and re-run in syndication now for over two decades, yet fans are still tuning in to laugh — and yes, even cry — at Homer, Marge, Maggie, Lisa, Bart, and the rest of Springfield’s zany citizenry.
As originally reported in Variety, the marathon has increased FXX prime time viewership by whopping 618 percent in the coveted 18-34 years old demographic. The Simpsons earned a point-49 rating, which translates to 1.01 million viewers. This beat out other cable networks, including TNT, USA, and even FXX’x parent network FX, which was running new programming. The “Every. Simpsons. Ever.” marathon ranked number one in 18-34 year-olds on Thursday night, the first full primetime measurement of the event.
The Simpsons have been a cultural phenomenon since the first episode premiered in 1989, and the FXX Network’s unprecedented running of all 552 episodes keeps that phenomenon alive. Fans have turned the “Every. Simpsons. Ever.” marathon into “must see” TV, and the marathon has even led to viewing parties and themed gatherings, as reported previously on The Inquisitr.
With two days complete, there are still plenty of classic episodes to go, including the full-length feature film, The Simpsons Movie, which is scheduled to air next Friday in primetime. Uproxx has been so kind to create a handy schedule of what episodes are airing and when so fans can set their DVRs and capture their favorite episodes. And if you missed the early episodes that have already aired, FXX will begin airing them again in rotation this fall. In fact, FXX will be the only place to see The Simpsons re-runs as part of a massive deal made last year. “The Every. Simpsons. Ever.” marathon was conceived to highlight the new TV deal which was reported to cost FXX $750 million dollars for the series, which includes the highly-coveted VOD, or video on demand, digital rights. If early ratings numbers are any indication, The Simpsons still have life — and a huge fan base — and they are tuning in high numbers for this yellow-tinged stroll down memory lane.
The “Every. Simpsons. Ever.” marathon continues through midnight, September 2.
