"Blade" premiere sets Spike TV record

from the futon critic

Spike TV's Blade Premieres With 2.5 Million Viewers

Most Watched Original Series Premiere In Network History #1
Entertainment Show on Cable for the Night With Men 18-34 & 18-49

NEW YORK, June 29 -- The premiere of Spike TV's first original
scripted action-adventure offering "Blade: The Series" on Wednesday,
June 28 (10:00 PM - Midnight, ET/PT) drew record ratings for the
network with a 2.0 HH rating and 2.5 million viewers, the highest
premiere in network history for an original series.* Additionally,
"Blade: The Series" was the #1 entertainment show for the night with
Men 18-34 and 18-49.

"Blade: The Series" tallied triple-digit gains in all key male demos
versus last year including up +517% in M18-34 (2.6 rating, 680,000
viewers), up +472% in M18-49 (2.2, 1.17 million), up +277% in viewers
(2.5 million), and up +247% in household rating (2.0, 1.8 million).

"We promised action and adventure with our first scripted series and
really delivered," said Doug Herzog, president, Spike TV. "Our
targeted audience of men came through for us with big numbers. 'Blade:
The Series' serves as a launch pad for future original scripted
shows."

Additionally, starting today, iTunes users can download a FREE copy of
the two-hour premiere of "Blade: The Series" through July 11. The
one-hour weekly series' second episode premieres on Wednesday, July 5
(10:00 - 11:00 PM ET/PT). New episodes will be available for purchase
on iTunes the day after their premiere on Spike TV.

"Blade: The Series" features Kirk "Sticky" Jones in the title role as
Marvel's immortal half-man, half-vampire who uses his superhuman
powers and skills to fearlessly battle the demonic creatures of the
night in a blood- drenched crusade to prevent their rise over mankind.
The series also stars Jill Wagner as double-agent "Krista Starr," Neil
Jackson as "Marcus," Blade's chief nemesis and head of the Chthon
House; Jessica Gower as "Chase," a seductive vampire who is devoted to
Marcus; and Nelson Lee as "Shen," a technology genius and Blade's
confidante.

"Blade: The Series" is based on the Marvel Super Hero and Produced by
New Line Television. Bill McGoldrick, Vice President, Original
Programming and Lisa Ullmann, Director of Original Programming, are
executives in charge of production at Spike TV. Jim Rosenthal and Jon
Kroll of New Line Television, Ari Arad, Executive Vice President,
Marvel Studios, Avi Arad and David Goyer (Blade films, Batman Begins)
all serve as series executive producers.

Spike TV is available in more than 90 million homes and is a division
of MTV Networks. A unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), MTV Networks is
one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across
all media platforms.

* Previously was The Ultimate Fighter Season 3 Premiere (4/06).

SOURCE Spike TV
http://www.spiketv.com
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Viacoms new non-"pussy" Spike TV logo
    ... Spike TV: Now Even More Manly ... Back in the summer of 2003, when America was familiarizing itself with a new kind of guy known as the metrosexual, Spike TV launched itself as the "first network for men." ... That would be its logo, a cursive rendering of the word "Spike" that one TV critic described as "flowing, kind of wussy script." ... Albie Hecht, then president of the network, defended it, saying "There's a lot of manly logos out there that use that cursiveness, and to me, that signature is a way of talking about personality and I love it." ...
    (rec.arts.tv)
  • Viacoms new non-"pussy" Spike TV logo
    ... Spike TV: Now Even More Manly ... Back in the summer of 2003, when America was familiarizing itself with a new kind of guy known as the metrosexual, Spike TV launched itself as the "first network for men." ... That would be its logo, a cursive rendering of the word "Spike" that one TV critic described as "flowing, kind of wussy script." ... Albie Hecht, then president of the network, defended it, saying "There's a lot of manly logos out there that use that cursiveness, and to me, that signature is a way of talking about personality and I love it." ...
    (rec.arts.tv)
  • Re: SpikeTV buys "Married With Children" reruns, updated "Unsolved Mysteries"
    ... TV network buys license to long-running sitcom ... Spike TV has ponied up about $12 million to buy an exclusive five-year ... The network also revealed some additional details about its previously ... the half-hour episodes to Spike.com. ...
    (rec.arts.tv)
  • Re: Spike TV gets re-design, will air "The Shield" uncut
    ... Cabler to air 'Shield' uncut as part of on-air redesign ... Topper Doug Herzog told Daily Variety the cabler will get into bolder ... Skein makes its off-network premiere on Spike tonight and will later ... "The network is about testosterone, action and unpretentiousness," ...
    (rec.arts.tv)
  • Spike TV gets re-design, will air "The Shield" uncut
    ... Cabler to air 'Shield' uncut as part of on-air redesign ... Topper Doug Herzog told Daily Variety the cabler will get into bolder ... Skein makes its off-network premiere on Spike tonight and will later ... "The network is about testosterone, action and unpretentiousness," ...
    (rec.arts.tv)