"America Unearthed," "Unidentified" Rise in Ratings Again This Past Week

6/20/2019

I am doing moving-related tasks today and don’t have a lot of time for writing, so today I’d like to share the ratings results for the past week in fringe history TV. On Friday, the History Channel and To the Stars Academy of Arts and Science collaboration Unidentified reached 1.158 million viewers (0.26 in the advertiser-preferred adults 18-49 demographic), beating its lead-in Ancient Aliens (1.1 million, 0.19 adults 18-49) for the first time. Both were trounced by HGTV’s My Lottery Dream Home. It’s interesting to see that Unidentified is growing its audience beyond that of Ancient Aliens, particularly in the younger demographic, though the small variance from week to week suggests that this isn’t yet a pattern and can be attributable to any number of factors, including the relatively dull topic for this past week’s Ancient Aliens. The ’90s throwback to Bob Lazar probably alienated some viewers who consider him old news. Last year’s In Search Of briefly topped its Ancient Aliens lead-in for a small part of its run, but the overall pattern has been for the 10 PM ET show to lose viewers since the 10 PM audience is smaller than earlier in prime time.

On the other hand, ratings for America Unearthed continue to climb as viewers (re-) discover the series a month into its return season. This week’s episode hit 583,000 live plus same day viewers with a 0.14 in the adults 18-49 demographic, continuing the show’s week-to-week ratings growth. While still a far cry from the million-plus that watched the show during its first run, the upward trend suggests that the show’s softening of Scott Wolter from radical conspiracy theorist to generic cable host seems to be having the intended effect of turning the show into cable TV wallpaper attracting a mid-level audience, though not one as large as Portals to Hell or Paranormal Caught on Camera on the same channel.

But before you get too antsy, one contributing factor in the show’s rising ratings is the Travel Channel’s decision to stop running reruns of the show before new episodes, replacing them with repackaged and enhanced versions of Expedition Unknown, which had been Travel’s tentpole series before its move to the Discovery Channel, prompting Travel to turn to Scott Wolter as a replacement. Repeats of the Josh Gates-led series bested America Unearthed reruns by 200,000, and that increased lead-in accounts for the 100,000 extra viewers the 10 PM ET new episodes of America Unearthed have attracted. Basically, it looks like Expedition Unknown is goosing America Unearthed’s ratings.

18 Comments

Jim

6/20/2019 12:52:20 pm

I wonder what percentage of the viewers watch America Unearthed just to laugh at it, like most of us here ?

Joe Scales

6/20/2019 01:30:31 pm

Though I have been rewarded with a few new gems from our favorite forensic geologist, such as "I think it's rock...", there hasn't been an episode yet that hasn't put me to sleep. I didn't even catch the Ripper one. It's all just too stupid to even want to sit through.

Kent

6/20/2019 02:22:48 pm

While I haven't yet watched it, even ironically, I won't rule it out. Especially since it's on the internet so that wouldn't interfere with my religious viewing of Tonight Show reruns. But they'd need to land on a topic I find even slightly interesting. That's luck of the draw, selection of topics is the one thing I can't fault the show for. Execution? Yes. Writing? Yes. Presenter? Yes. Idiocy? Yes.

6/20/2019 03:11:10 pm

Well, perhaps the next episode will be more watchable.
"Phoenicians.in.America", Wolter talks about the Phoenicians sailing up to Wyoming to mine copper and pass on the legend of the Sirens to the Shoshones.

I just watched it and it's a doozie.

6/20/2019 03:23:16 pm

No surprise, since you brought this to my attention, now I find fault with the selection of topics. Just hearing about it makes me sorely displeased. Wolter's idiocy is the 8th Wonder of the World.

Paul

6/20/2019 05:05:59 pm

Guess they will get into how the Phoenicians used dinosaurs to pull their boats through the rivers and canals up to Wyoming. Likely Scottie will stop at a garage sale or auction to pick up a genuine dinosaur harness. Word has it the harnesses come up for sale now and again.

6/20/2019 06:44:42 pm

That's the second time in 4 seasons that he hasn't found Phoenicians in America.

http://www.jasoncolavito.com/blog/review-of-america-unearthed-s01e06-stonehenge-in-america

Riley V

6/20/2019 06:57:34 pm

I’m guessing that by 10:00 on a Friday night many of the 18-25 demographic are three beers and a few bong hits into their mellow.

They are “watching” the show while listening to “Promise of the Real” on their phone.

An Anonymous Nerd

6/20/2019 09:05:07 pm

Though this thought might offer some comfort, it's sadly unlikely.

-An Anonymous Nerd

6/20/2019 02:23:02 pm

"Basically, it looks like Expedition Unknown is goosing America Unearthed’s ratings."

Well, whatever works, you know, as showing repeats of America Unearthed as a lead-in seemed to be a Wolter overdose. But in the preferred demographic, Wolter did crack the top 50... and beat the entire day of CNN programming.

Homer Sextown

6/20/2019 02:57:08 pm

CNN was good when they had Bernard Shaw and Bella who looked like a cat which of course made this viewer think of "pussy". And later there was Arthur Kent, the Scud Stud from Medicine Hat, Canada.

6/20/2019 03:07:00 pm

I haven't watched CNN regularly since the original Crossfire. Now I put it on the same level as InfoWars.

Scott Wolter gets a Templar Boner

6/20/2019 07:06:18 pm

"BrendaJune 20, 2019 at 1:29 PM
Scott, I thought it was great. It made it easier to "see" her guts up over her shoulder. It didn't make sense before. I liked the episode, but I do find Jack the Ripper fascinating. I just wish I had something for you to investigate so I could meet you, but I don't. Keep the episodes coming.

Scott WolterJune 20, 2019 at 3:26 PM
Brenda,

Maybe we'll meet at a lecture sometime and you'll have something interesting to investigate."

Isn't it usually the guy who does the investigating?

6/21/2019 12:44:30 pm

Yeah, I don't think Wolter even realizes that what he typed came off as a rather creepy come-on. Perhaps he wants her to investigate whether or not he is truly a "hard" scientist.

6/20/2019 11:40:32 pm

Wolter doesn't know that Masonic handshakes are given to non-Masons.

"I find your comments even more surprising coming from a Mason, but perhaps it was meant tongue in cheek. I have never found myself willing to share passwords, handshakes or penal signs with anyone no matter how many drinks I've had."

Here Wolter talks about his drink problem. Blue ruin and vitriol.

6/21/2019 12:46:18 pm

So is Mason your first, last or middle name?

6/21/2019 01:12:02 am

Somewhat off topic, but our friend Magnus Källström has finally laid eyes on the runes in the farmstead in Hassela.
As we know, these runes are a match for the ones on the KRS.
Källström has also found names and dates as well
These predate the discovery of the KRS, meaning that they were not the result of reading a news article about the KRS as the clutching at straws crew would have you believe.

(Google translate)
" Most are written in plain Latin letters, but a couple are runes. One reads iohan fredrick and is followed by the year 1877 , the other is written in pencil and consists of the name oscar and the date 18/10 1870 . The latter is the earliest dated inscription with Kensingtonrunor that we know of and it is thus added 28 years before the Kensington Stone is dug up in Minnesota!"

http://www.k-blogg.se/tag/ersk-matsgarden/?fbclid=IwAR2bZQYz7W5BzMSgxGJ0CpR5iEegwJMEuCHQ_F4CLUodxC7UhDwUjcjN6VQ

Bill

6/21/2019 01:12:05 am

I've watched every episode of Ancient Aliens, America Unearthed and Expedition Unknown. I know, I ** REALLY** need to get a life.

We love to wàch AA during breakfast ( we always watch it the next morning, it's routine) and we enjoy the hilarity although the show, and Georgio's hair in particular, is so funny that we practically choke to death laughing.

I find EU good for what it purports to be. A travel show. I doesn't (usually) try to be particularly earthshattering or groundbreaking and we do actually like Gates' sense of humour. Just enough plausible info to keep it light and entertaining.

AU on the other hand..... A complete yawnfest. The opening sequence with the "everything you've learned is false" statement sets it up to be a show that will déliver facts and proof. Instead, every episode this season (,including the Phoenician one we watched today) has been a complete waste of time. Yes Scott, that artifact *could* have been created by the Phoenicians, or it *could* have been left by aliens. Show us ***ANY*** proof, fact or evidence at least somewhat related to keep some interest in the show.

A whole show investigating Alien Artifacts, that even Scott knew were fake before he left his "lab" (although I'm sure I caught sight of it being in his garage when the camera angle was off a bit).

A whole show investigating Phoenician artifacts, that even Scott knew had at the very least been altered so could not be authenticated followed by a complete waste of time tracking down a copper source that literally wasn't in the ballpark of being relevant.

A whole show on jack the Ripper that presented a theory that is decades old, and one of 100 theories. Nothing geology related at all so why should we care what a "Forensic Geologist" thinks?

AA is funny in its stupidity. EU fits the travel, lighthearted billing. AU is the lame duck in the middle, although edging closer to "funny because it is so stupid".