or


[09/17/09 - 05:55 PM]
Ufc Heavyweights Are a Ratings Knockout on Spike TV!
Spike TV spins the numbers for Wednesday, September 16.
[via press release from Spike TV]

UFC Heavyweights are a Ratings Knockout on Spike TV!

RECORD VIEWERSHIP FOR PREMIERE OF "THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER: HEAVYWEIGHTS"

Draws More Young Men Than Anything On Television On Wednesday, September 16 Including "The Jay Leno Show" And "America's Got Talent" Season Finale

NEW YORK, Sept. 17 -- While the ratings for most television series erode over time, "The Ultimate Fighter" on Spike TV continues to defy the norm. Illustrating the ever-growing popularity of the UFC and its stable of stars, the premiere of the tenth season of Spike TV's "The Ultimate Fighter" on Wednesday, September 16 (10:00pm-11:00pm ET/PT) was not only the most watched episode in the series history, but also in network history for an original.*

The series, featuring the best up-and-coming mixed martial arts heavyweights, including YouTube sensation Kimbo Slice, garnered 4.1 million viewers, besting the previous "The Ultimate Fighter" high of 2.8 million viewers for the finale of season three in 2006.

The show debut also garnered 3.2 million Persons 18-49, demonstrating a substantial amount of co-viewing between men and women.

"The intriguing cast of 'The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights' has true mass appeal, and the numbers show that this sport is not just for a niche audience anymore," said Kevin Kay, Spike TV President.

The Spike TV telecast bested all competition on television in the advertiser-coveted demographics of Men 18-34, M18-49, M18-24, M25-34 including the highly-promoted network originals "The Jay Leno Show," "America's Got Talent" season finale, "Glee," "So You Think You Can Dance" and the premiere of "Beautiful Life."

Overall, the record-breaking Spike TV telecast drew a 5.3 rating (1.5 million) in Men 18-34, a 4.3 in M18-49 (2.4 million), a 2.9 household rating and 4.1 million total viewers.

"The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights" features former UFC light heavyweight champions "Suga" Rashad Evans and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson as coaches and is the only installment in the show's history to include only the heavyweight weight class (206+ lbs). The cast includes a list of notable athletes with impressive and diverse pedigrees including four former NFL players, UFC veterans, a former IFL heavyweight champ, and a highly-publicized former EliteXC fighter, Kimbo Slice, who gained prominence through his non-sanctioned bouts on YouTube.

*previous record for a Spike TV original episode is 3.4 million for "The Joe Schmo Show" season finale in 2003.

Spike TV is available in 98.6 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. Spike TV's Internet address is www.spike.com.





  [september 2009]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
  


· AMERICA'S GOT TALENT (NBC)
· BEAUTIFUL LIFE, THE (CW)
· GLEE (FOX)
· JAY LENO SHOW, THE (NBC)
· JOE SCHMO SHOW, THE (SPIKE TV)
· SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE (FOX)
· ULTIMATE FIGHTER, THE (ESPN)




most recent ratings | view all posts
[11/21/25 - 12:00 PM]
CBS Series Top L+7 Multiplatform Competitive Charts
Seven weeks into the 2025/26 broadcast season, "Tracker" is the #1 series, averaging 14.2 million viewers across broadcast and streaming.
[11/20/25 - 04:55 PM]
"Dancing with the Stars" Jumps to Season Highs with Epic "Prince Night"
The show rose dramatically over its year-ago penultimate episode in Total Viewers, with its best semifinals performance in seven years.
[11/20/25 - 11:31 AM]
"Landman" Season 2 Premiere Delivers Record Breaking 9.2 Million Global Streaming Views in Its First Two Days on Paramount+
Views increased by +262% from the first season premiere, making it the most watched premiere for any original series for Paramount+.
[11/20/25 - 08:22 AM]
"Live with Kelly and Mark" Hits Season Highs with Best Performance Among Total Viewers and Households in Five Months
Friday's "Live's Halloween Show: "It's Trending!" posted its top telecast in Total Viewers (2.554 million) and Households (1.62 million) in over six months.
[11/18/25 - 03:40 PM]
"College GameDay" Scores Best Week 12 Show Ever in Steel City Stop; ABC & ESPN Deliver Top Four Most-Watched Games of Week 12
ABC is registering 6.9 million viewers per game, on pace for the most-watched season on record for the network.
[11/18/25 - 03:06 PM]
FOX NFL Off to Its Best Start to the Season Since 2016
Season-to-date, the NFL on FOX is off to its best start to the season since 2016, averaging 19,038,000 viewers and up +4% over last year's season-to-date average (18,239,000).
[11/18/25 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of November 10 - "The Beast in Me" Plays Mind Games at No. 1 in This Week's Top 10
Those wishing to escape into fantasy opted for "The Witcher" Season 4, placing the series at No. 2 on the list with 3.6 million views in its third week in the Top 10.
[11/14/25 - 10:30 AM]
"High Potential" Season 2 Premiere Scores Over 21 Million Total Viewers Across 35 Days
Season to date, the powerhouse drama continues to dominate, ranking as the No. 1 original broadcast series for the second season in a row among Adults 18-49 (2.42 rating), based on Nielsen cross-platform rankings.
[11/14/25 - 09:35 AM]
"Dancing with the Stars" Rises Week to Week with 6.67 Million Total Viewers as Show Heads to Semi-Finals
This marks the show's best performance for its last episode before the semi-finals among Total Viewers in six years and among Adults 18-49 in eight years.
[11/14/25 - 09:31 AM]
"Wicked: One Wonderful Night" Shines for NBC
Across all platforms, the special drew 3.6 million viewers, which was up 64% from last year's "Defying Gravity: The Curtain Rises on Wicked" special.
[11/12/25 - 08:27 AM]
ABC Scores Top Game of the Week for the 10th Straight Week; "College GameDay" Posts Week 11 Growth and Record Season Rolls On
LSU-Alabama (7.5 million viewers) was the most-watched game of the week, followed by Texas A&M-Missouri (4.9 million) and BYU-Texas Tech (4.0 million) among the top five.
[11/11/25 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of November 3 - "Frankenstein" Comes to Life at No. 1 in This Week's Top 10
For more monsters, viewers turned to Season 4 of "The Witcher," putting the series at No. 1 on the English TV list with 7.4 million views.

[11/06/25 - 02:15 PM]
ABC News' "Nightline" Ranks No. 1 in Total Viewers and Adults 25-54
"Nightline" was up on the previous week by double digits in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49.
[11/05/25 - 09:39 AM]
"College GameDay" and ESPN College Football on ABC Win Week 10
Georgia-Florida led the week with 7.8 million viewers, marking the largest audience on record for this rivalry in a full national window.

[11/05/25 - 08:00 AM]
The NASCAR Xfinity Series Concludes First Full Year on The Cw Network with Most-Watched Season in Four Years
The championship race, which saw Jesse Love emerge as the season winner, drew 1,015,000 total viewers and peaked at 1,191,000 total viewers from 9:30-9:45pm ET.