‘The Bible’ Begets Big Ratings

The Bible miniseries got off to a great start last night as it scored a huge audience for the History Channel.

According to Entertainment Weekly, 13.1 million viewers tuned in to watch the two-hour premiere on Sunday night. The Bible miniseries also scored a 3.3 rating in the key demographic.

Nancy Dubuc, president of A&E Networks, said:

“The success of The Bible has catapulted History into one of the most powerful brands across media landscape and we could not be more thrilled and more proud … Clearly there is a nationwide groundswell that was waiting for this moment … An enormous debt of gratitude goes out to everyone and the amazing effort put forth to drive us to this amazing win. Clearly the passion for this project has resonated with our viewers and across the nation. We are thrilled, and the story is only just beginning.”

The Bible was the most watched show on any major broadcast network last night but it wasn’t The History Channel’s biggest debut. According to Bloomberg, the mini-series Hatfields & McCoys brought in 13.9 million viewers during its premiere.

The Bible comes from Mark Burnett, the producer behind shows like Survivor and Sarah Palin’s Alaska, and his wife Roma Downey, who also stars in the new miniseries.

Burnett said:

“We believe our Bible series has the potential to reach not only those who already go to church but could reach a whole new generation of people who have never been to church. People that may never have read the Bible will get to see those Bible stories in this series.”

The Bible will air every Sunday night until Easter. The miniseries will hit on various stories from the Bible and, since it’s playing on the small screen, will use some modern day special effects to attract viewers.

Downey and Burnett said in a statement:

“We could not be more thrilled with this out of the gate success … The world is watching right now and we are incredibly humbled by the reaction to the series. This No. 1 series is a tribute to all those who have helped us to spread the Word. Ultimately The Bible will be seen and felt by billions around the globe …Today, more people are discussing God’s chosen people — Moses and Abraham — in one day than ever before.”

Did you watch The Bible last night?