PRESS RELEASE:

KUED, along with PBS and WGBH announced today that Downton Abbey, Season 3 on MASTERPIECE CLASSIC rated second only to the Super Bowl on February 3 (Nielsen Overnights data, 4.4 household rating).

The drama has seen a strong audience all season; the average audience for Season 3’s first five episodes is 72% above the first five episodes of Season 2. Last night’s episode averaged 6.6 million viewers (Nielsen Fast National data). The season premiere on January 6 earned a 7.4 national (Live +7) household rating and averaged 11.1 million viewers -- growing from a 5.1 household rating and average audience of 7.9 million viewers as first reported in the Fast National overnight ratings -- making it the top-rated PBS drama of all time.

In terms of local ratings, KUED did an astonishing 5.6/9 rating, meaning the popular British drama was seen by an estimated 51,629 Utah households. “Utahn’s just love Downton Abbey,” said Michael Dunn, KUED’s General Manager. “The ratings have just been off the charts all season. And when you finish second to something like the Super Bowl, you know you have a hit on your hands.”

These record-breaking numbers carry over into the digital space. On Sunday, January 6, a record-breaking number of unique visitors went to the MASTERPIECE site, and January 2013 vs. January 2012 saw a 53% increase in unique visitors overall, and a 174% increase in mobile visits.

Additionally, in the month of January there were more than 6.3 million streams of all Downton Abbey content on PBS video platforms, which is 35% higher than January 2012. Conversations centering on the official #DowntonPBS hashtag have seen consistently strong numbers all season, and users’ engagement was highlighted during the Super Bowl blackout. One @PBS tweet about Downton Abbey was one of the most talked about tweets of the evening, generating nearly 4,500 re-tweets and favorites, and mentions in Super Bowl coverage in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and ABC News.

Season 3 sales have shined across a number of retailers, including shoppbs.org (the #1 best-seller since it became available for pre-order in September 2012), iTunes (the #1 show since the January 7 launch), and Amazon Instant Video (the #1 show since the January 7 launch). Amazon recently announced that its Prime Instant Video will become the exclusive subscription streaming home for Downton Abbey later this year. Seasons 1 & 2 rank as the most watched TV seasons on the service. Season 3 concludes with a 90-minute finale on February 17.

Locally, KUED's Evening of Edwardian Splendor fundraiser, inspired by Downton Abbey, was a sold-out affair with guests coming in period costume.