From History Television’s second #1 night in a row and HGTV Canada’s record-breaking premiere of Urban Surburban, to Global’s monstrous summer performance, Shaw Media’s ratings ride continued Wednesday night with another sensational night across many of its channels.
Global’s massive hit series Big Brother continues to be the summer’s blockbuster program, winning the night nationally with 1.3 million viewers 2+ and almost 800,000 in the adults 18-49 demo. In addition, all three plays of Big Brother rank among the top 10 this summer – nationally and in Calgary, Toronto and Vancouver.
On Wednesday night, Shaw Media’s programming dominated the specialty landscape again, earning the top eight spots across all specialty for adults 25-54 and men 25-54. History Television’s unstoppable fall lineup of compelling and addictive programming continues to lead the pack, owning Wednesday night with six of the top ten specialty programs in the A25-54 category. The premieres of new seasons of Ice Road Truckers and Swamp People brought in almost half a million viewers each (2+), and 219,000 and 174,000 (A25-54) respectively.
HGTV Canada’s new series Urban Suburban became an instant hit, raking in 201,000 (2+) and 113,000 (A25-54) viewers at 10pm, making it the highest Canadian premiere on HGTV over the past year.
As the ultimate destination for the best cable dramas, Showcase’s brand-new series Royal Pains premiered with 335,000 (2+) and 150,000 (A25-54), making it the highest-ranked scripted program across specialty for the night in both the 2+ and A25-54 demos. This program was also ranked top 10 across all key demos.
Top 10 specialty programs for adults 25-54 include:
| Program | Channel | A25-54 |
| AMERICAN RESTORATION | History Television | 242.6 |
| AMERICAN RESTORATION | History Television | 242.6 |
| ICE ROAD TRUCKERS | History Television | 219.0 |
| PAWN STARS | History Television | 215.3 |
| SWAMP PEOPLE | History Television | 174.4 |
| PAWN STARS | History Television | 156.5 |
| ROYAL PAINS | Showcase | 150.4 |
| HOUSE HUNTERS | HGTV Canada | 141.7 |
| THE BIG BANG THEORY | Comedy Network | 134.3 |
| THE BIG BANG THEORY | Comedy Network | 119.4 |
Source: BBM Canada PPM overnight data; August 31, 2011; Total Canada
