Viewers ‘Band’ Together

Home Box Office’s much-ballyhooed miniseries “Band of Brothers” premiered to blockbuster ratings by the pay channel’s standards Sunday, based on viewing estimates issued Tuesday by Nielsen Media Research.

Preliminary data indicate that more than 10 million people watched the first hour of the 10-hour production, dipping slightly to 9.8 million during the second hour. HBO’s last major historical miniseries from producer Tom Hanks, “From the Earth to the Moon,” opened to 5.9 million viewers in 1998. Those tune-in levels become more impressive given that HBO is received by only about a third of U.S. homes. The audience Sunday exceeded ratings for the season finale of “The Sopranos” but fell short of the Mafia drama’s two-hour season opener in March.

Last week also marked the premiere of the unscripted series “The Amazing Race” and “Lost” on Wednesday, as both posted solid but unspectacular results against episodes of “Fear Factor” and “Big Brother 2,” respectively. Repeats of both programs drew modest ratings over the weekend.

CBS’ prime-time coverage of the U.S. Open final between sisters Venus and Serena Williams also performed extremely well Saturday, with more than 10 million viewers, far exceeding ABC’s college football coverage to win the night.