CBS has managed to bottle up magic and found a winning formula with Under the Dome after ratings for the second episode avoided a steep tumble.
Ratings for the second episode of Under the Dome starring Mike Vogel, Rachelle LeFebre, Dean Norris, Natalie Martinez, and Britt Robertson clocked in at a total of 11.5 million viewers, a mere 15 percent decline from the premiere episode two Mondays ago. The 18-49 demo rating also held strong with a 2.8 signaling that viewers liked what they saw from the premiere and wanted to see more.
CBS offered prospective viewers the ability to watch the Under the Dome premiere via free online streaming shortly after it aired. That was a one-and-done deal as exclusive online streaming rights for the drama based on Stephen King’s book of the same name have shifted to Amazon.com as part of a deal that helped get the show green lit for a 13-episode season without shooting a pilot.
Amazon is offering each episode of Under the Dome for live streaming via its Instant Video platform exactly four days after it premieres on air, or every Friday. The cost for each episode is $2.99 if you are not an Amazon.com Prime member. If you are then the cost is nothing; Prime members get to online stream the entire season for free on a four-day delay.
New episodes of Under the Dome will appear here to stream at Amazon.com.
Another part of the CBS and Amazon deal has created a nifty Under the Dome Limited Collector’s Edition with Exclusive Content Blu-ray set for $79.99. These have been selling pretty briskly since they first went up for pre-order.
A regular Under the Dome: Season 1 Blu-ray is also available for pre-order at a more affordable price of $45.49, but without the extra content and cool “Dome” packaging.
The third episode of Under the Dome airs this upcoming Monday, July 8 at 10/9c on CBS. The second episode will be available for live streaming via Amazon.com this Friday, June 5. CBS would love to see ratings hold steady for week three, if not gain a little bump.
