FX drama “The Bridge” proved to be a big gainer in DVR playback with its premiere last week, and the network is hoping that continues because the series didn’t fare very well in its regular time slot on Wednesday.
According to Nielsen same-night viewing data, “The Bridge” averaged 1.74 million viewers with its 10-11:15 p.m. episode on Wednesday, down 42% from its premiere. It was down 43% in adults 18-49 rating (0.52 vs. 0.91) and off 38% in adults 25-54 (0.68 vs. 1.09). FX saw declines nearly as steep earlier this year for “The Americans,” which bowed with 3.22 million and then fell off to 1.97 million in its second week. But it fared well enough throughout the course of its run to earn a second season.
In Nielsen’s Live + 3 data for its premiere last week (DVR playback within three days), “The Bridge” surged from 3.043 million to 4.643 million. This was the biggest jump FX has seen in L3, and it means “The Bridge” surpassed other recent drama premieres on the network, including “The Americans” (4.525 million) and “American Horror Story” (4.182 million).
When final Live + 7 estimates arrive, “The Bridge” has a shot at being the network’s biggest drama premiere on record, a record currently held by “The Americans” (5.114 million).
