TORONTO – Last night’s two-hour season finale of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, was a record-breaker.
The two-hour season finale, directed by Quentin Tarantino, peaked at 5.4 million viewers in the last half-hour and had an average audience of 5 million (4.93 M), Nielsen Media Research said today.
The episode is the most-watched season or series finale so far this spring on Canadian television and the second most-watched television event on Canadian television this year, following February’s broadcast of The 77th Annual Academy Awards (5.36 M).
Last night’s audience was 45% larger than the series’ season-to-date making it the most-watched CSI episode of all time on CTV.
The episode trounced the season finale of The Apprentice in Toronto/Hamilton. Head-to-head against The Donald, Tarantino’s CSI episode more than doubled the audience for The Apprentice with 1.224 million viewers (versus 542,000 viewers on Global), according to the Nielsen’s.
Entitled "Grave Danger," last night’s finale focused on a race against time by the CSI team to try to save one of their own. After learning that Nick (George Eads) had been kidnapped. buried alive and held for ransom, the two CSI teams spring into action to save him.
CSI is the leading drama on Canadian television averaging 3.404 million viewers per episode.
The Top 5 Broadcasts in Canada, 2004/2005**:
1. The 77th Annual Academy Awards, 5.36 million, February 27, 2005 (CTV)
2. CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, 4.93 million, May 19, 2005 (CTV)
3. Super Bowl XXXIX, 3.914 million, February 6, 2005 (Global)
4. The Academy Awards Pre-Show, 3.501 million, February 27, 2005 (CTV)
5. Survivor: Vanuatu, 3.345 million, December 12, 2004 (Global)
