BBC AMERICA'S FIRST ORIGINAL DRAMA "COPPER" BECOMES THE CHANNEL'S HIGHEST RATED SERIES PREMIERE EVER

New York - August 21, 2012 - BBC AMERICA's first original scripted series COPPER, which premiered on Sunday, August 19, has become the channel's highest rated series premiere ever. COPPER delivered 1.8 million* viewers in total audience.

In its 10:00pm premiere, COPPER attracted 1.1 million** total viewers and delivered over half a million in A25-54.

Perry Simon, General Manager, Channels, BBC Worldwide America commented: "This is a great result for BBC AMERICA, as our distribution continues to grow - now approaching 80 million homes. The response to COPPER has been tremendous and we're off to a promising start."

In addition, BBCAMERICA.com attracted its highest ever traffic with nearly a quarter of a million*** unique visitors on Sunday, August 19.

From executive producers Academy Award(R)-winner Barry Levinson, Emmy(R)-winner Tom Fontana, Academy Award(R)-nominee Will Rokos and Cineflix Studios President, Christina Wayne, the drama series follows Detective Kevin Corcoran (Tom Weston-Jones, MI-5) - a rugged Irish immigrant cop - as he seeks justice for the powerless in 1864 New York City. In the second episode premiering Sunday, August 26, 10:00pm ET, Detective Corcoran struggles to find a safe haven for a young girl in danger while trying to bring her sister's killer to justice. In the mansions of uptown New York, a scheme is hatched to purchase the entire Five Points.

COPPER is a Cineflix (Copper) Inc. production in association with BBC AMERICA. COPPER is created by Tom Fontana and Will Rokos. Executive producers include Barry Levinson, Tom Fontana, Will Rokos, Christina Wayne, Jim Finnerty, Sherri Rufh, Sam Berliner, Sally Catto and Katherine Buck.

Note to editors:

* Cume of 10:00pm premiere and three consecutive replays, 8/19/12

** 1,107,000 P2+ and 514,000 P25-54

Source: Nielsen Media Research, 8/19/12, Live + Same Day

***244,000 unique visitors in total

Source: Google Analytics (US); August 19, 2012; Total US audience

BBC AMERICA's COPPER is across: BBCAmerica.com, Tumblr, Twitter (#CopperTV),YouTube and Facebook.

BBC AMERICA delivers US audiences high-quality, innovative and intelligent programming. Established in 1998, it has been the launch pad for talent embraced by American mainstream pop culture, including Ricky Gervais, Gordon Ramsay, Graham Norton, and successful programming formats including ground-breaking non-scripted television like Top Gear and top-rated science-fiction like Doctor Who. Owned by BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the BBC, BBC AMERICA has attracted both critical acclaim and major awards including an Emmy(R), five Golden Globes(R) and ten Peabody Awards. The channel attracts one of cable's most affluent and educated audiences and is available on cable and satellite TV in more than 79 million homes. It broadcasts in both standard and high-definition in all markets, with content available On Demand across all major digital platforms. Online, www.bbcamerica.com is the place to go to dig deeper into pop culture with a British twist.