ION Television Reports Record Results for "Killer Wave"
First in Series of RHI Original Movies Outpaces Season- & Year-to-Date Ratings Averages in Key Demos
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- ION Television, ION Media Networks' (AMEX:ION) flagship TV network reaching over 93 million homes, saw a significant ratings spike across all key demographics with the Sunday, August 5th premiere of Killer Wave, a four-hour action-disaster miniseries. Based on Nielsen Media Research data, Sunday night's broadcast experienced a household impressions increase of 76 percent over season-to-date figures and a 72 percent increase over year-to-date figures. Killer Wave, the first of 12 original productions airing under RHI Movie Weekend on ION, also generated the highest delivery of key demographics of RHI content since its start on June 29, 2007.
The miniseries, starring Golden Globe Nominee and Emmy Award� winner Tom Skerritt (Steel Magnolias, Picket Fences, Brothers & Sisters), is the highest-rated television movie this season in its 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. time period. Killer Wave reached over one million viewers, and delivered 362,000 household impressions in the adult 25-54 category and 584,000 household impressions in the adult 35-64 category. Compared with season-to-date figures, the debut of the miniseries, which also featured Angus Macfayden (Braveheart, Alias, Saw 3), Steven McHattie (A History of Violence, Seinfeld) and Karine Vanasse (Head in the Clouds, Set Me Free), increased delivery in women ages 25-54 by 77 percent and adults ages 25-54 by 41 percent.
"ION Television continues to draw considerable increases in viewership across our time slots, and the addition of RHI's quality content helps accelerate these gains," said Brandon Burgess, CEO, ION Media Networks. "Killer Wave is only the beginning, as we have more original productions, the next of which is to be announced shortly, and a slate of popular, award-winning titles from RHI that will run every weekend. These programs are proven attractions to a wide variety of viewers."
Upcoming RHI program highlights include the "prequel" to Lonesome Dove, Larry McMurtry's Dead Man's Walk (August 18th, 25th and September 1st, 9:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.), starring David Arquette as Gus McCrae, Jonny Lee Miller as Woodrow Call and a brilliant supporting cast that includes Academy Award� winner F. Murray Abraham, Keith Carradine, Brain Dennehy, Edward James Olmos and Harry Dean Stanton.
ION Television also has experienced ratings increases with the addition of "Who's The Boss?" to its weekday primetime lineup. The first two weeks following the popular program's July 9 debut, viewership in its 9:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. timeslot season-to-date increased 41 percent in women 25-54, and 33 percent in adults 25-54.
About ION Media Networks
ION Media Networks, Inc. owns and operates the nation's largest broadcast television station group and ION Television, reaching over 93 million U.S. television households via its nationwide broadcast television, cable and satellite distribution systems. ION Television currently features popular TV series and movies from the award-winning libraries of Warner Bros., Sony Pictures Television and CBS Television, among others. ION Media has also partnered with RHI Entertainment, which owns over 4,000 hours of acclaimed television content, to provide weekend primetime programming consisting of exclusive original programming and quality library titles. Utilizing its digital multicasting capability, the company has launched several digital TV brands, including qubo, a television and multimedia network for children formed in partnership with several leading media and entertainment companies, and ION Life, a television and multimedia network dedicated to health and wellness for consumers and families. For more information, visit www.ionmedia.tv.
About RHI Entertainment
RHI Entertainment, LLC, is the global leader in the production and distribution of groundbreaking miniseries and movies for television. Since the company's inception, under the guidance of Robert Halmi, Sr. and Robert Halmi, Jr., RHI has produced and distributed over 4,000 hours of quality television programming, received more than 100 Emmy� Awards, and outperformed the competition annually in viewer ratings. Currently, RHI provides 40-60 new television movies and miniseries a year to networks worldwide.
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