The stars of Ducky Dynasty were recently given a pretty big raise and, well, it looks like it was worth it. The hit A&E show smashed several cable ratings record during last night’s season 4 premiere.
According to Variety , the fourth season of Duck Dynasty kicked off with 11.8 million viewers.
That beats MTV’s Jersey Shore and TLC’s Jon & Kate Plus 8. The Gosselin family set the record shortly after Jon’s cheating scandal broke in 2009. More than 10.6 million people tuned in to watch that tabloid drama unfold.
Entertainment Weekly reports that the season three finale brought in 6.3 million viewers.
The fourth season was put in doubt when the cast of Duck Dynasty asked for a raise and A&E almost stood firm. But the cable channel eventually caved ( the cast is now getting about $200,000 per episode ) and they should be glad they did.
A&E ranked in the top five of all cable networks in the second quarter this year for the 18-49 and 25-54 demographic. They wouldn’t be in that position if it wasn’t for Duck Dynasty.
Are you surprised that Duck Dynasty had such a huge premiere? Do you think they will continue to build their audience?
