Last night’s 9 p.m. ET/10 p.m. PT broadcast of the new one-hour special, King Tut’s Mystery Tomb Opened was a huge success for Discovery Channel Canada, drawing a record-setting 407,000 viewers A25-54 and 314,000 viewers A18-49 in the Sunday night “Discovery Presents” timeslot. This hour is the highest ever A25-54 “Discovery Presents” audience in the channel’s 11 year history. King Tut’s Mystery Tomb Opened surpassed previous record holder, Nefertiti Resurrected, which attracted 371,000 viewers in that demo when it premiered in August 2003.
The lead-in companion special, Egypt’s New Tomb Revealed, which aired last night at 8 p.m. ET/9 p.m. PT, also drew great numbers for Discovery Channel, attracting 263,000 viewers A25-54 and 193,000 A18-49. These gains represent an increase of +109 per cent and +56 per cent over last October 2005’s “Discovery Presents” average.
These two specials follow the Discovery Quest expedition team as they sift through ancient crypts and artifacts to uncover the true identity of the unknown crypt linked to King Tutankhamun. Located less than 50 feet from the tomb of King Tutankhamun (KV62), both specials present startling new information about the remains found in the ancient burial grounds. The expedition team of world-renowned archaeologists excavate and explore this new cache (KV63) – first discovered in the Valley of the Kings in February 2006 – unearthing coffins and delicate artifacts, sifting through intricate inscriptions and discovering unprecedented treasures. But most amazing of all, new forensic tests lead to a startling conclusion about the identity of these newly discovered remains at the royal burial site.
Discovery Channel will air an encore presentation of Egypt’s New Tomb Revealed on Wed., Oct. 25 at 8 p.m. ET/9 p.m. PT, followed by a repeat broadcast of King Tut’s Mystery Tomb Opened at 9 p.m. ET/10 p.m. PT.
Source: BBM/NMR Research