'Downton' draws rich audience for season premiere

[January 08, 2013]  NEW YORK (AP) -- "Downton Abbey" drew nearly 8 million viewers for Sunday's much-anticipated season premiere.

PBS and WGBH announced Monday that the third-season premiere of the lush British miniseries attracted 7.9 million viewers, according to Nielsen Fast National data.

This audience doubled the viewership of the series' second-season premiere, and it quadrupled PBS' average prime-time audience.

"Downton Abbey" airs on the "Masterpiece Classic" anthology, which is presented on PBS by WGBH Boston. It has won a Golden Globe and an Emmy for outstanding miniseries.

The third season picks up the story of the Crawley family at the end of World War I. Stars include Hugh Bonneville, Dan Stevens and Michelle Dockery.

[Associated Press]

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.