Thread: Bill Maher's 'Real Time' back for Eighth Season on HBO

Originally Posted by riffjim4069

Great news for the handful of people who watch this show. To be honest, I have no idea how HBO can keep him on the air with his bottom-of-the-barrel ratings.

HBO Renews Real Time With Bill Maher for Eighth Season | Your Entertainment Now

The liberal-leaning talk show, which bowed in 2003, drew strong ratings last season in its new 10:00 p.m. time slot (1.2 million viewers) and was up 23% from its sixth season average.

Doesn't seem bad for a premium channel show. More importantly, I am sure HBO looks at the number of subscribers the show generates. That's something they don't make public.

Compare these ratings with recent Californication and Dexter, current Showtime 'hits'


'Dexter,' 'Californication' Finales Draw Record Ratings - 2008-12-16 11:31:00 | Broadcasting & Cable

The third season finale of Dexter Sunday night drew 1.5 million viewers, the highest delivery for the network since the 2004 ratings changeover. The combined night, which adds the 9 p.m. premiere and 11 p.m. encore, drew 1.99 million viewers, the highest for any original series since 2004.
Dexter’s success also rubbed off on the season finale of Californication, which drew 615,000 viewers for its premiere, 937,000 for the evening, its best numbers for the season.
Dexter and Californication were both beneficiaries of a number of Golden Globe nominations last week, including best drama and comedy series, respectively, as well as nods for their lead actors, Michael C. Hall and David Duchovny.