Queer Eye and Boy Meets Boy smash records at Bravo
For cable television's Bravo, gay is good for business. The network's parent, broadcaster NBC, on Friday said the September 2 airing of the smash hit makeover series Queer Eye for the Straight Guy not only set new network records, it outdrew all but one regular broadcast program in its 10 p.m. slot in the key 18-49 age group demographic. Featuring five gay men with expertise in grooming, food, culture, interior design, and fashion, Queer Eye has broken Bravo ratings records for three weeks in a row and for six of the last eight weeks. Taking advantage of the show's success, NBC has pulled in episodes of the show from Bravo to air on its own prime-time schedule, usually in tandem with episodes of its gay-themed comedy Will & Grace. It has also licensed the show and its concept to broadcasters in the United Kingdom and Scandinavia.
Citing figures from Nielsen Media Research, NBC said the September 2 episode of Queer Eye drew 3.35 million total viewers, only the second time Bravo has broken the 3 million mark. Before Queer Eye, Bravo's record total viewer audience was about 1.3 million. In the 18-49 demographic key to advertisers, the Queer Eye episode, featuring a makeover of data entry technician Josh Diaz, rated higher than any other show on advertising-supported cable and every broadcast show except an NBC repeat of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
Leading in to Queer Eye's success, Bravo said the final episode of the dating show Boy Meets Boy, which aired September 2 at 9 p.m., also set new ratings records. Boy drew 1.62 million total viewers, which NBC said was the cable network's highest-rated show ever except for Queer Eye.
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