We knew Watchathon Week 2014 would be a huge hit with customers – they watched nearly 50 million hours of shows over seven days – but the question we wanted to answer was whether all this binge-watching would have an impact on ratings? 

The verdict is in and for shows like Game of Thrones, The Mindy Project, Archer, Chicago Fire, Cosmos and Parks and Recreation, it’s clear that Comcast customers not only caught up on all their favorite episodes but their binging led to a massive surge in the live ratings of those same shows post-Watchathon. 

Collage of notable Watchathon statistics

Xfinity On Demand is becoming a dominant force in catch-up viewing of current season television.  Our depth of titles – 50,000+ and counting – combined with our focus on having every episode of every season has proved to be a real game-changer for our 22 million video subscribers as well as the networks that supply us with content. 

Here’s a breakdown:  

  • Comcast customers used Watchathon to catch-up on Game of Thrones in advance of the season four premiere. As a result, live ratings for the premiere were 17 percent higher in Comcast households compared to non-Comcast households across the country.  Additionally, 675,000 viewers caught the premiere on Xfinity On Demand within the first three days-- growing the national audience an additional 10 percent.

  • The second season of Fox’s The Mindy Project came back from hiatus during Watchathon Week. Live ratings for this episode were 60 percent higher. Even more impressive; the April 8 post-Watchathon episode had a ratings lift in Comcast households of 83 percent. 

  • The latest episode of FX’s Archer aired on March 31 and saw a 78 percent live ratings lift.

  • The April 8 episode of NBC’s Chicago Fire saw 30 percent higher live ratings.

  • The latest episode of NBC’s Grimm saw a 65 percent lift in live ratings.

  • The latest episode of Fox’s breakthrough documentary Cosmos aired on Sunday, April 6and saw 27 percent higher live ratings.

  • The April 10 episode of NBC’s Parks and Recreation saw an impressive 49 percent ratings lift.

  • Two popular Telemundo novelas, La Impostra and En Otra Piel saw an impressive jump in the ratings as well. The latest episodes from these series the week following Watchathon performed 38 percent and 32 percent, respectively, in Comcast households.

From a viewership standpoint, this year’s Watchathon Week was a record-breaker and you can see some of the incredible stats here.  Plus, an astonishing 61 million pieces of On Demand content were viewed altogether with Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, and The Good Wife serving as the three most popular shows for the week. 

Lastly, Watchathon helped make April 5, 2014 historic for Comcast. Nearly 11 million hours of viewing happened on this day alone, making it the biggest day ever for Xfinity On Demand. 

We’re already planning for next year’s event and hope to add even more current season content to the mix.  After all, making all these shows available On Demand has proven to be good for viewers and shows alike.