Arctic Air is the most-watched debut season for a CBC drama series in 15 years
ARCTIC AIR, the blockbuster CBC adventure drama about a Yellowknife-based maverick airline and the extended family of unconventional people who run it, notched record ratings in its first season, with an audience of almost one million viewers along for the ride throughout the show’s 10 action-packed episodes.
From its premiere to 1.229 million Canadians on January 10 to the season finale on March 13, an average audience of 965,000 tuned in to ARCTIC AIR, making this the largest audience to follow the first season of a CBC Television drama series in 15 years. The show beat North of 60, the sub-arctic drama (also starring ARCTIC AIR‘s Adam Beach) whose first season was a ratings hit 20 years ago, with an average audience of 962,000.
“In an increasingly competitive and fragmented TV landscape, achieving this level of success in 2012 is a huge accomplishment, and a testament to the skill and hard work of ARCTIC AIR‘s production team,” said Kirstine Stewart, Executive Vice-President, CBC English Services. “It’s exciting to see so much viewer interest in a drama that’s for, by and about Canadians. Along with the recent success of shows like MR. D, the huge popularity of ARCTIC AIR proves once again that Canadians really do want to watch quality Canadian programs.”
“Canadians make a lot of great television, but we all know that doesn’t always translate into great ratings,” said ARCTIC AIR director-producer Gary Harvey. “To have ARCTIC AIR reach these heights, on the wings of great production values and strong promotion, is a testament to how Canadian shows can succeed when producers and broadcasters get it right.”
ARCTIC AIR features the star power of Adam Beach (Cowboys and Aliens, Flags of our Fathers, Law & Order: SVU), Pascale Hutton (Fringe, Rookie Blue, Sanctuary) and Kevin McNulty (The Killing, End Game, Battle Star Galactica).
To catch up on Arctic Air visit cbc.ca/arcticair
About CBC/Radio-Canada
CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada’s national public broadcaster and one of its largest cultural institutions. The Corporation is a leader in reaching Canadians on new platforms and delivers a comprehensive range of radio, television, Internet, and satellite-based services. Deeply rooted in the regions, CBC/Radio-Canada is the only domestic broadcaster to offer diverse regional and cultural perspectives in English, French and eight Aboriginal languages, plus seven languages for international audiences. In 2011, CBC/Radio-Canada celebrated 75 years of serving Canadians and being at the centre of the democratic, social and cultural life of Canada.
Arctic Air is…
On the web:
www.cbc.ca/arcticair
On Facebook:
www.facebook.com/CBCArcticAir
On Twitter:
Twitter.com/CBCArcticAir
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