"WEEDS" MARATHON DELIVERS HIGHEST RATED SUNDAY NIGHT OF THE YEAR AND TRIPLE DIGIT INCREASES AMONG KEY DEMOS ON TV GUIDE NETWORK
Nearly Three Million Viewers Watched "Weeds" During TV Guide Network's Sunday Night Marathon Kick-Off
LOS ANGELES (October 19, 2010) - TV Guide Network announced today that the Sunday night marathon premiere of the award-winning comedy series "Weeds" delivered the network's highest Sunday night ratings of 2010, excluding its live Red Carpet specials, among total households and persons 18-49. The telecasts, which aired from 9:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. ET/PT on Sunday evening, delivered a 109 percent increase among persons 18-49 and a 78 percent increase among households versus prior year. The Sunday night marathon was watched by more than 2.9 million viewers (persons 2+) and delivered an average household coverage rating of .32 (259,000 HHs). Moreover, the 11:30 p.m. ET/PT "Weeds" telecast on Sunday was TV Guide Network's highest rated 11:30 p.m. telecast in history among households.
"'Weeds' is one of the best comedy series on television today and a show that nearly 80 million viewers haven't been exposed to until now," said Diane Robina, Executive Vice President, Programming, Production and Marketing, TV Guide Network. "Our brand celebrates television and TV Guide Network is pleased to offer viewers some of the highest quality shows available on basic cable today."
On Sunday, October 17, TV Guide Network launched a tongue-in-cheek marketing and programming campaign - "National Weeds Awareness Week" - to promote the popular comedy series "Weeds" with viewers. Modeled after a cause-related initiative, "National Weeds Awareness Week" reaches out to the nearly 80 million TV viewers who may never have seen or heard of "Weeds" because they don't subscribe to pay cable. As part of the campaign, TV Guide Network launched a six-day marathon of "Weeds" which kicked-off on Sunday night and airs each weeknight this week from 9:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. ET/PT. The series will settle into its regularly scheduled time period of Sunday at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT starting October 24. For more information, viewers can visit www.weedsawareness.com.
About "Weeds"
TV Guide Network is the basic cable home for the critically acclaimed comedy series "Weeds." Produced by Lionsgate Television in association with Tilted Productions, the series follows the complicated life of a single suburban mom Nancy Botwin (Mary-Louise Parker), who struggles to support her family and maintain her upper-middle class lifestyle after her husband suddenly dies. Created by Emmy(R) Award winner Jenji Kohan, the series also stars Kevin Nealon, Elizabeth Perkins, Hunter Parrish, Alexander Gould and Justin Kirk. "Weeds" is executive produced by Jenji Kohan, Roberto Benabib and Matthew Salsberg. The series is currently in its sixth season on Showtime and has been picked-up for its seventh season.
"Weeds" has received multiple awards including: 10 Golden Globe(R) nominations, including one win for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (Mary-Louise Parker); 19 Emmy(R) nominations, including nods for Best Comedy Series, Best Actress (Mary-Louise Parker), Best Supporting Actress (Elizabeth Perkins) and Best Directing; and multiple Screen Actors Guild(R) Award nominations for Mary-Louise Parker and the entire ensemble.
About TV Guide Network
TV Guide Network is the true entertainment insider and the only network that celebrates Hollywood, its stars and the shows that fans adore. Committed to buzz-worthy, breakout programming and a rich, multi-platform viewing experience, TV Guide Network is seen in more than 80 million homes nationwide and online at TVGuide.com, a one-stop fan destination reaching more than 23 million unique users per month. TV Guide Network is home to some of America's fan-favorite series including "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "Weeds" and "Ugly Betty." The network also takes fans behind-the-scenes of Hollywood cptfc with original programming that delivers the latest news on entertainment and pop culture, as well as live coverage of the industry's biggest events such as the Red Carpet at the Academy Awards(R) and Primetime Emmy(R) Awards. TV Guide Network, TVGuide.com and the TV Guide brand are owned by Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF), the leading next-generation studio, which produces the award-winning series "Mad Men" and "Weeds" and co-produces the acclaimed "Nurse Jackie," and One Equity Partners, the private equity arm of JPMorgan Chase.
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