The Bible Conquers the Walking Dead with Finale

You know those nights when you have a choice of 250 channels, plus On Demand and there’s nothing you want to watch? Sunday night wasn’t one of those nights.
Cable television put two of its hottest series of 2013 up against each other and drew record ratings despite the intense competition. While the figures are still preliminary, the finales of AMC’s “The Walking Dead” and History’s “The Bible” combined drew an estimated audience about 25 million viewers.

History concluded its 10-part miniseries The Bible on Sunday night, pulling an average 11.7 million viewers over the course of the two-hour broadcast, up 14 percent week-over-week.

 

The Bible previously hit a ratings high with its March 3 debut, raking in 13.1 million viewers. Previous installments have hovered above the 10 million mark.

Serving as a solid lead for scripted series foray Vikings, The Bible has only been eclipsed by last summer's Hatfields & McCoys in History's ratings highs.

Among total viewers, History noted that The Bible (12.33 million) barely edged AMC's The Walking Dead (12.29 million) in the 9 p.m. hour.  It’s a strong performance for the religious miniseries that few expected to be a ratings competitor.

Last night’s conclusion of History’s popular project depicted the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. Since the show premiered last month, the miniseries has frequently managed to beat most broadcast shows on Sunday nights.