Launch tops recent non-'Jersey' debuts on network

Ex on the Beach, a winner for MTV in 10 international markets, had an impressive U.S. debut Thursday night, scoring the highest ratings in four years for a new unscripted show on the network not based on Jersey Shore.

The show scored a 1.07 rating among people 18 to 34, drawing 470,000 viewers in that young adult demographic, according to Nielsen fast nationals.

Hosted by rapper and actor Romeo, the premiere was up 133% from MTV’s new series average, the network said.

Ex on the Beach did especially well with young women, hitting a 1.81 rating with females 18 to 34 and 1.40 with women 25 to 34

It also attracted 935,000 total viewers.

Ex on the Beach marks the first time a show format from MTV international has been localized in the U.S. Not coincidentally, the new CEO of Viacom, Bob Bakish, previously headed Viacom’s international networks. Bakish and MTV president Chris McCarthy have been trying to turn around the network with a programming strategy that eliminates scripted series an emphasizes reality show.

The original version of Ex on the Beach airs internationally and has just begun its eighth season.

Ex on the Beach features stars of various reality shows who are brought in to participate in a dating show in Hawaii but find out the singles they’re meeting are their exes.

The U.S. series will also air on MTV’s channels internationally.