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 (PARAMOUNT PLUS)




most recent ratings | view all posts
[02/27/26 - 03:00 PM]
"Survivor 50" Premiere Wins the Night Posting CBS' Most-Watched Wednesday Since 2022
Said premiere averaged 5.06 million viewers, peaking with 6.18 million.
[02/26/26 - 02:19 PM]
"Live with Kelly and Mark" Soars to Season High with Best Audience in Over a Year
"Live" has now ranked as the No. 1 talk show in syndication for 157 consecutive weeks across all key measures.
[02/25/26 - 05:44 PM]
ABC Wins Monday Night as "American Idol" Dominates with Best Audience Since Season Premiere
In fact, "American Idol" scored its largest margin of victory ever in Total Viewers over "The Voice" during its nine-season run on ABC.

[02/25/26 - 03:35 PM]
"20/20: The Au Pair, The Affair and Murder" About a Twisted Love Triangle Delivers Best Adult 25-54 Performance in 10 Months and Strongest Delivery in Adults 18-49 in 11 Months
Hitting new season highs for the second straight week, "20/20" improved on the previous week in Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49.
[02/25/26 - 02:46 PM]
ABC News Is No. 1 Broadcast Network for Coverage of the State of the Union, Beating NBC by 1.4 Million and CBS by 1.7 Million
Said coverage ranked No. 1 among the broadcast networks in all key target demos: Total Viewers (4.912 million), Adults 25-54 (1.125 million) and Adults 18-49 (886,000).
[02/24/26 - 01:48 PM]
Nearly 21 Million Viewers Watched NBCUniversal's Coverage of USA-Canada Olympic Men's Gold Medal Hockey Game, Peaking at 26 Million for Game-Winning Goal on NBC & Peacock
The USA-Canada gold-medal game delivered an average live audience of 18.6 million viewers on NBC and Peacock (8:15-11 a.m. ET).
[02/24/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of Feb. 16 - "Reality Check: Inside America's Next Top Model" Sashays to No. 1 in Top 10
Plus: Season 3 of "The Night Agent" took No. 2 on the English TV list with 8.4 million views.

[02/23/26 - 03:55 PM]
NBCUniversal's Presentation of Milan Cortina Olympics Dominates Media Landscape & Delivers Largest Winter Games Audience Since 2014
Sunday's Closing Ceremony provided a spectacular culmination as more than 215 million Americans (215.6 million through February 17) tuned in across NBCUniversal's platforms for "Legendary February."
[02/23/26 - 12:00 PM]
CBS Series Post Strong Fall Viewership, Topping Broadcast and Streaming Rankings in Live + 35-Day Multiplatform Viewership
The CBS fall lineup scored eight of the top 10 most-watched series among broadcast competition and nine of the top 20 most-watched series among all broadcast and streaming competition for this season's episodes airing through January 4, 2026.
[02/20/26 - 11:08 AM]
"The 'Burbs" Continues Hot Start on Peacock
The series has generated nearly 1 billion viewing minutes on platform since its February 8 launch.
[02/19/26 - 11:50 AM]
ABC Wednesday Comedies Deliver Audience Milestones as Romance Blooms With Valentine's Day Episodes
"Shifting Gears" earned 6.90 million Total Viewers and 0.99 rating among Adults 18-49, after seven days of viewing on ABC, Hulu, Hulu on Disney+ and digital platforms.
[02/17/26 - 12:01 PM]
Netflix Top 10: Week of February 9 - "Tyler Perry's Joe's College Road Trip" Takes the Scenic Route to No. 1
Plus: "The Lincoln Lawyer" Season 4 took No. 1 on the English TV list with 9.6 million views.
[02/12/26 - 02:34 PM]
ABC's Thursday Night Dramas Dominate as "9-1-1," "9-1-1: Nashville" and "Grey's Anatomy" Jump to Biggest Multiplatform Audience Since Their Season Premieres
The January 29 episodes of all three series rose to their biggest Total Viewer audience since their season premieres after seven days of viewing on ABC, Hulu, Hulu on Disney+ and digital platforms.
[02/11/26 - 03:30 PM]
ABC News' "Nightline" Ranks No. 1 Across the Board - in Total Viewers, Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49
"Nightline" improved on the same week last year by double digits in Total Viewers, Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49.
[02/11/26 - 01:46 PM]
"Puppy Bowl XXII" Reaches 15.3 Million Viewers on Sunday, February 8, Delivering Highest Audience in Eight Years
The programming event ranked as the #1 non-sports cable telecast of the day among key adult demos and achieved a 20% year-over-year increase in reach, marking its strongest performance since 2018.