For immediate release
Press contact: Grace Hill Media / 818-762-0000
Joahnna Cruz / jcruz@gracehillmedia.com
Dawnchelle Carlton / dcarlton@gracehillmedia.com
‘THE BIBLE’ TOPS AGAIN IN ALL TV SUNDAY
EPIC MINISERIES SEEN BY MORE THAN 68
MILLION IN JUST 15 DAYS
All-new episodes air Sunday 8/7c on HISTORY
Los Angeles, Calif. (April 19, 2013) – The hottest show on television keeps getting
hotter: Sunday’s third installment of THE BIBLE was once again tops in the ratings for
all of television, drawing 11 million viewers.
That marks the second time in three weeks the epic miniseries bested even perennial
ratings powerhouse “60 Minutes” – a show with a storied pedigree it premiered when
THE BIBLE executive producers, husband and wife Roma Downey and Mark Burnett,
were just 7 years old.
Since debuting March 3, THE BIBLE has been seen by more than 68 million people in
its first-run airings and encore presentations.
“The most-read book of all time is the most-watched TV event of our time!” Burnett said.
“Roma and I can’t thank the show’s millions of fans enough for taking this passion
project of ours and making it the breakout hit of the year.”
Downey said she never envisioned the series rocketing to such success when she
bounced the idea for the show off her husband over a cup of tea nearly four years ago.
“We just wanted to breathe a little fresh visual life into the sacred text we both love,” she
said. “The response has been more than we could have hoped for. The Bible says we
love God because He first loved us; the ratings show just how deeply people love God,
and we pray the series makes clear just how deeply God loves us.”
Four new episodes of THE BIBLE remain, to be aired in two-hour blocks on March 24
and Easter Sunday, March 31, at 8/7c on HISTORY. The series devotes itself during the
rest of its run to the ministry, teachings, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus, and
the work of His disciples to build the Christian church.
“We really believe the best is still to come,” Burnett said.
“If you’ve liked what you’ve seen so far,” Downey added, “just wait!”
About Roma Downey
A celebrated, Emmy-nominated actress Roma Downey is best known for her nine
seasons as the tender-hearted angel on the hit CBS show Touched by an Angel. Roma
starred in over 200 episodes and her work as the compassionate angel inspired millions
of people around the world and earned Roma multiple best actress nominations for
Emmy’s and Golden Globe awards. Born in Ireland and classically trained in London,
Ms. Downey has performed on stage with the famed Abbey Theatre Company and has
appeared both on and off Broadway. She played the leading role of Jackie Kennedy
Onassis in the Emmy award winning six hour miniseries for NBC called “A Woman
Named Jackie." Ms. Downey not only starred in, but executive produced seven
television movies for The CBS network, among them "Borrowed Hearts" with Eric Mc
Cormack and "Second Honeymoon" with Tim Matheson. She is the executive producer
of the children's DVD and book series "Little Angels" and its companion "Little Angels
Storybook Bible". Downey is currently producing a ten hour miniseries, The Bible with
her husband, Mark Burnett. This is being produced under their company LightWorkers
Media and is the first collaboration of this husband and wife team. Ms. Downey not only
produced the series but stepped into the role of Mary the Mother of Christ. Ms.
Downey and Mr. Burnett have co-authored a companion book to the series ‘A Story of
God and all of Us.’ The book is to be published this Spring by Faith Words. For many
years Ms Downey has been a spokesperson for "Operation Smile" a volunteer
organization that brings free surgeries to children around the globe with facial
deformities. She has travelled to third world and developing countries making fund
raising films on their behalf.
About Mark Burnett
Four-time Emmy Award winner Mark Burnett has produced over 1,200 hours of
television programming which regularly airs in over 70 countries worldwide. His current
network series include "Survivor" (CBS), "The Voice" (NBC), "The Celebrity Apprentice"
(NBC), and “Shark Tank” (ABC). In last 12 months Burnett series have won their time
slots on 5 nights of television in the same week. Burnett is one of very few producers to
have had a renewed series on each of the four major networks. He also has a strong
presence in award show franchises, having produced the "MTV Movie Awards" from
2007 to 2011, the annual “People’s Choice Awards” since 2010, the "Video Game
Awards" (Spike) and the 2011"Primetime Emmy Awards." Burnett is currently
producing and distributing ten hour miniseries on The Bible (with his wife Roma Downey
- Star of Touched by an Angel) for air globally in Spring 2013. Mr. Burnett has been
named one of the world's most influential people by TIME Magazine and also listed as
TV Guide’s most valuable player. He has won BRANDWEEK’S Marketer of the Year
Award, The Brandon Tartikoff Legacy Award, the PGA Norman Lear Award and the
prestigious ROSE D’OR FRAPA Format Award. Burnett was inducted into the
Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame and was honored in 2010 with a star on
Hollywood's Walk of Fame. He served two elected terms on the Board of Directors for
the British Academy of Film and Television Arts in Los Angeles.
About HISTORY®
HISTORY® is the leading destination for factual entertainment, including award-winning
original series and specials that connect viewers with history in an informative,
immersive and entertaining manner across multiple platforms. The network’s all-original
programming slate, including scripted event programming, features a roster of hits
including American Pickers®, American Restoration™, Ax Men™, Ice Road Truckers®,
Pawn Stars®, Swamp People® and Top Shot® as well as epic mini-series and specials
such as the Emmy® Award-winning Hatfields & McCoys, Gettysburg, Vietnam in HD,
America The Story of Us, and 102 Minutes That Changed America. The HISTORY
website is the leading online resource for all things history, and in 2011, the United
States Library of Congress selected HISTORY’s Civil War 150 site for inclusion in the
historic collection of Internet materials related to the American Civil War
sesquicentennial. www.history.com
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