Showtime stays silent about Queer numbers

Though Showtime has summoned 20 more episodes for next season’s Queer as Folk series, network executives are staying silent about the show’s actual ratings, The Washington Post reports. The “highly successful” show is Showtime’s highest-rated series, and the network claims it has attracted mainstream audiences who are “getting a peek at a culture that they may not be familiar with,” said executive vice president Mark Zakarin. But the actual numbers? “We do not give out ratings information. It is our policy. I can’t confirm anything,” said a Showtime representative. “[W]e…let you know that it’s our highest-rated series in prime time and the highest-rated series debut in the last three years. We can give out information like that but can never give out exact ratings information.” The representative added that she was unable to disclose how many homes even subscribe to Showtime. A representative of Nielsen, the ratings-tabulating company, also told the Post that they are not allowed to disclose anything about Showtime. But TV Column Sources said Showtime reaches 23 million homes and that about 1.2 million viewers watched the Queer as Folk debut. The series averaged 1.4 million viewers on Sunday, March 4, TVCS representatives said.