Hello, networks? You may want to take notice of a bunch of guys with ZZ Top beards who make duck calls for a living, because their ratings are blowing your shows and everyone else’s out of the water. On Wednesday night, 11.8 million viewers tuned in to see the season premiere of “Duck Dynasty,” making the episode the number one nonfiction series in cable history. That’s right, in history.
The episode also set a cable record among adults 25-54 with 6.3 million viewers in the demo. The episode was watched by 6.3 million adults 18-49 and 3.0 million adults 18-34, becoming the number one series telecast in network history among all key demos. The episode is poised to be the number one show on television, broadcast or cable, last night.
“Thanks to its authentic and engaging characters ‘Duck Dynasty” has become more than just a reality show; it is a cultural phenomenon,” said David McKillop, General Manager and Executive Vice President of A&E. “We would like to thank the Robertsons for their incredible partnership. We are all happy, happy, happy.”
The season four premiere of “Duck Dynasty” grew by 37% in total viewers, 29% in adults 25-54 and 26% in adults 18-49 versus the record-setting season three premiere.
“Duck Dynasty” was also the most social show on television Wednesday night. According to Bluefin Labs, the series had more total activity across all major social media platforms than any other telecast on cable or broadcast for the night by a huge margin.
New episodes of “Duck Dynasty” air every Wednesday at 10PM before the new original series, “Modern Dads” at 10:30PM.
Look for bearded duck-call makers on a network sitcom soon. It’s bound to happen now that A&E has released the quackin’. Sorry. Couldn’t resist.