From a media release:
ORPHAN BLACK is Most-Watched Original Series Debut in Space History with 404,000 Viewers
The series premiere of what the Hollywood Reporter calls “one of the most intriguingly entertaining new series of the year” lived up to its hype Saturday night. Space’s new Original Series ORPHAN BLACK debuted to a record-breaking 404,000 viewers, making it the highest-rated Original Series premiere in the channel’s 15-year history. Overall, Space was the #1 specialty network of the day Saturday, with the return of DOCTOR WHO at 8 p.m. averaging a rousing 654,000 viewers, powering ORPHAN BLACK’s mind-blowing audience at 9 p.m.
In all, almost 900,000 viewers watched some or all of ORPHAN BLACK’s first episode, which launched a complex urban mystery after lead character Sarah comes face-to-face with a stranger who looks just like her. The premiere episode, “Natural Selection,” was also the most-watched specialty program during its timeslot.
