BBC America have issued a press release reporting on how well The Eleventh Hour was received on its broadcast at the weekend.

Doctor Who Premiere - BBC America's highest rated telecast ever
April 19, 2010, New York, NY

Doctor Who, in a new era for the iconic series, broke BBC AMERICA ratings records with its season premiere this past Saturday, April 17, delivering 1.2 million viewers in Live + Same Day - BBC AMERICA’s highest rated telecast ever. Additionally, it was the best Live + Same Day A25-54 delivery ever and ranked BBC AMERICA #2 among all ad supported cable nets in its time period (9-10:10PM) among coverage rating. Doctor Who is also currently the #1 TV series in the iTunes store. This outstanding achievement follows a slew of critical acclaim leading up to the premiere and a launch week that saw new showrunner, Steven Moffat, new Doctor, Matt Smith, and his trusty companion, Karen Gillan, greeting thousands of fans over a series of events and screenings in New York and Los Angeles.

The reboot of this BAFTA-winning series, whose predecessor delivered record ratings for BBC AMERICA earlier this year, takes viewers on a stunning journey through time and space. The Doctor (Matt Smith) and his new travelling companion, the enigmatic Amy Pond (Karen Gillan), together explore sixteenth century Venice, France during the 1890s and the United Kingdom in the far future, now an entire nation floating in space. But, the Doctor’s enemies are never far behind him including old nemeses the Daleks and Weeping Angels, plus new foes such as alien vampires, humanoid reptiles and a silent menace that follows the Doctor and Amy wherever they go. Doctor Who airs every Saturday, 9:00p.m. ET/PT.

• The Doctor Who premiere on Saturday, April 17 was BBC AMERICA’s best Live + Same Day P2+ rating (.68) and delivery ever (1,196,000).
• The Doctor Who premiere on Saturday, April 17 was BBC AMERICA’s best Live + Same Day A25-54 rating (.89) and delivery ever (682,000).
• In Live + Same Day coverage rating, BBC AMERICA premiere beat SYFY’s season premieres for Doctor Who seasons 2-4 in P2+ and P25-54.
• The .89 in P25-54 coverage rating for the Doctor Who premiere on Saturday, April 17 ranked #2 among all ad supported cable nets in its time period (9-10:10PM)

Source: Nielsen NH1, 4/17/10 Live and Live+ Same Day.

Media Coverage:
Gear Live(19th) - TV Talk: Doctor Who Sets Records
Futon Critic(19th) - Doctor Who Premiere - BBC America's highest rated telecast ever
Guardian(20th) - Doctor Who sets BBC America viewing record
Hitfix(20th) - New 'Doctor Who' brings record ratings to BBC America
Hollywood Reporter(19th) - 'Doctor Who' reboot sets records for BBC America
Multichannel News(19th) - ‘Doctor Who' (Again) Breaks Records at BBCA
Real TV Addict(19th) - New Doctor Who Makes BBCA Ratings History
Reuters(19th) - "Doctor Who" sets BBC America record

Media Coverage (added 21st April):
Guardian [UK](20th) - Doctor Who sets BBC America viewing record
Mirror [UK](21st) - Doctor Who Matt Smith smashes BBC America's ratings record with debut
Reel Loop(20th) - ‘Doctor Who’ Breaks Audience Record for BBC America

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