New Series Premiere of "Wicked Tuna" Gets National Geographic Channel Some Wicked Good Ratings Sunday Night

More Than a Million People Tune in to New Series Focusing On Fishermen Using Rod & Reel to Catch the Magnificent Bluefin Tuna

WASHINGTON, April 2, 2012 -- Country music crooning couldn't deter wicked good ratings for National Geographic Channel's new series Wicked Tuna last night. Its premiere Sunday, April 1, at 10 p.m. ET/PT became the network's highest-rated Sunday night telecast since New Year's Day, averaging P25-54 0.6 rating - nearly double the Sunday 10 p.m. average for the past six weeks.

More than one million total viewers over age 2, including 584,000 viewers in the key P25-54 demo, tuned in to the premiere. In Boston, the series was a hit, with a 1.0 HH rating; and in Minneapolis, the home state of a thousand lakes, the series earned a 1.5 HH rating.

This follows the success earlier this spring of the series Doomsday Preppers (on Americans preparing for the end of the world as we know it), which became the highest-rated Tuesday night telecasts in the channel's 11-year history when it kicked off on Tuesday, February 7, with both episodes (Bullets, Lots of Bullets; and I Hope I Am Crazy) averaging P25-54 0.8 ratings.

Each episode of the 10-part series Wicked Tuna takes viewers into the unrelenting New England waters made famous by the novel "The Perfect Storm," to follow captains who must prove they can find the big fish while complying with the strictest fishing regulations in the world. They are relied upon by their families, by their shipmates who dream of one day having their own boats and by the town that depends on their collective success to sustain itself.

NGC launched its largest cross-platform premiere in network history for Wicked Tuna - pre-premiering the first episode in its entirety through cross-platform partners Facebook, iTunes and Dish Network as well as through video on demand and on www.natgeotv.com.

The network also launched a multitiered effort to help audiences become more knowledgeable about the bluefin tuna story, including PSAs and a dedicated website at www.natgeotv.com/wickedtuna.

Wicked Tuna continues Sundays at 10 p.m. ET/PT.

Wicked Tuna is produced by Pilgrim Studios for National Geographic Channel. For Pilgrim, executive producers are Craig Piligian and Mike Nichols. For the National Geographic Channel, executive producer is Lynn Sadofsky; executive vice president of programming is Michael Cascio.

Ratings Source: Nielsen Media, Sunday 10:00 PM - 11:00 PM, Live+SD

National Geographic Channels

Based at the National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington, D.C., the National Geographic Channels US are a joint venture between National Geographic and Fox Cable Networks. The Channels contribute to the National Geographic Society's commitment to exploration, conservation and education with smart, innovative programming and profits that directly support its mission. Launched in January 2001, National Geographic Channel (NGC) celebrated its fifth anniversary with the debut of NGC HD. In 2010, the wildlife and natural history cable channel Nat Geo WILD was launched, and in 2011, the Spanish-language network Nat Geo Mundo was unveiled. The Channels have carriage with all of the nation's major cable, telco and satellite television providers, with NGC currently available in 83 million U.S. homes. Globally, National Geographic Channel is available in 435 million homes in 173 countries and 37 languages. For more information, visit www.natgeotv.com.