While the debut episode of "UFC Primetime: St-Pierre vs. Shields" earned the smallest audience to date for a first episode of the "UFC Primetime" series, a replay of the episode maintained 91 percent of the original audience size.MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) today learned that Thursday night's re-air of the debut episode scored 555,000 viewers.
Wednesday's debut airing scored just 610,000 viewers, though the series was moved to a midnight ET/PT timeslot for the first time in its history. The replay aired in the more traditional 11 p.m. ET/PT slot.
While both figures represent smaller audiences than the series has earned in past editions, an industry source indicated the program continues to perform well in several coveted demographics.
The three-part "UFC Primetime: St-Pierre vs. Shields" series debuts new episodes each Wednesday night (early Thursday) at midnight ET/PT. Replays air throughout the week on Spike TV and Fuel TV.
"UFC Primetime: St-Pierre vs. Shields" is the fifth installment of the "Primetime" series. Episode No. 2 debuts April 20.
Different from the UFC's traditional "Countdown" show (which also returns for UFC 129), "UFC Primetime" goes more in depth and focuses on some of the biggest fights of the year. The most recent "Primetime" special, for example, focused on this past October's UFC 121 heavyweight title clash between then-champ Brock Lesnar and challenger Cain Velasquez. St-Pierre twice before has been featured in "UFC Primetime" specials. The champ's UFC 111 bout with Dan Hardy drew the extra treatment, as did a UFC 94 fight with B.J. Penn.
UFC 129 takes place April 30 at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and airs on pay-per-view. The event is sold out with more than 55,000 tickets purchased within the first hour of the on-sale period. It'll be the largest-attended event and biggest gate in North American MMA history.
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