Ratings and October?

Sci Fi had a news story about the ratings for Doctor Who. It was also on NBC Universal's website.

It says the following:

NEW YORK
June 13, 2006
SCI FI is benefiting from a dose of double-digit ratings growth this quarter on Fridays from 9pm to 10pm versus the time period last year, as the re-imagined version of 'Doctor Who' wrapped its premiere season on the Channel Friday night, June 9th.

'Doctor Who' averaged a 1.3 HH rating and 1.5 million total viewers (P2+), up +44% in HH ratings and +54% in viewers vs. the Friday 9pm-10pm time period average for the 2nd quarter last year (.9 HH rating, 983,000 P25-54s).

In the key demos 'Doctor Who' has averaged 778,000 P18-49s (+57% vs. 2005 time period) and 942,000 P25-54s (+56%).

Executive produced by Russell T. Davies (lead writer) and Julie Gardner, this new 13-part, 60-minute drama follows the adventures of a mysterious time-traveler known simply as "The Doctor" (Christopher Eccleston) and his companion, Rose Tyler (Billie Piper). The Doctor and Rose risk death and danger, battling aliens and monsters as they traverse the spectrum of time.

SCI FI Channel is a television network where "what if" is what's on. SCI FI fuels the imagination of viewers with original series and events, blockbuster movies and classic science fiction and fantasy programming, as well as a dynamic Web site (www.scifi.com ) and magazine. Launched in 1992, and currently in 85 million homes, SCI FI Channel is a network of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies.

Obviously, this looks very positive for the series. There've been some debates as we look at the ratings over the last couple of months. We see it in a week-by-week context, and then also look at how Galactica and the Stargates did earlier this year -- but it looks like one of the plans behind airing the new Doctor Who is that having some sort of new programming on Sci Fi Friday almost every week of the year is better than having repeats. Doctor Who is part of a wider pattern in dramatic television where repeats of serial dramas aren't that important any more, as people who are fans of those series will get repeats through DVDs or iTunes or whatever.

And we may have our first report on when series two might air in the US. With a report like that, it seems probable that Sci Fi will continue with series two, and this article about book distribution in the US certainly makes it sound like Sci Fi will be airing the series in October.

I would be very, very happy to see Doctor Who paired with new episodes of Battlestar Galactica. I've wanted that long before Sci Fi purchased the first series of Doctor Who, and one of the panels that I'm on at CONvergence, our local SF convention is going to be all about how good the two series are. And one of the things that I know some friends have said about Galactica is that it can be such a grim series that it needs an upbeat antidote. And that antidote is Doctor Who.

And you know what might work really well in the Spring of 2006 if Sci Fi is waiting for the third series of Doctor Who? Torchwood.