Top 10 Entertainment Stories of 2013 by Enstars: No. 8 - 'Duck Dynasty' Breaks Ratings Record
The season 4 premiere of the A&E reality series Duck Dynasty was the most-watched non-fiction series telecast in cable TV history.
The respective August 2013 episode delivered 11.8 million viewers at 10 p.m. TLC's Jon & Kate Plus 8 previously held the cable record, with 10.6 million viewing in 2009. The episode was up 37 percent from the third season's premiere and was watched by 6.3 million adults 18-49.
"Thanks to its authentic and engaging characters Duck Dynasty has become more than just a reality show, it is a cultural phenomenon," said David McKillop, general manager and executive vice president of A&E. "We would like to thank the Robertsons for their incredible partnership. We are all Happy, Happy, Happy."
The show follows the Robertson family, who are the creators of the duck call. With a slew of products being sold related to the A&E show, the Robertson family's merchandise empire from their hit series saw sales of $400 million in 2013, according to Forbes.
The family's Christmas album, Duck the Halls: A Robertson Family Christmas, was on the list of "Top Albums" on iTunes beside veterans such as Kelly Clarkson, Beyonce, Justin Bieber and One Direction. Billboard reportedly said that the album sold about 125,000 copies for the week ending Dec. 22. The album was also ranked No. 6 on the Billboard 200 chart.
Top 10 Entertainment Stories of 2012
The Robertson family is still racking in money, but the fate of their show is up for question after family patriarch Phil Robertson's controversial remarks in the January 2014 issue of GQ. Speaking to the magazine, he compared homosexuality to bestiality. His anti-gay comments probed A&E on Dec. 18 to announce that the reality star is indefinitely suspended from Duck Dynasty, and the rest of the Robertson family already said they "cannot imagine" going on with the show without Phil.
He defended himself later on December by explaining, "I am a love of humanity."
The series is currently set to premiere its fifth season on Jan. 15.
