A&E's 'Duck Dynasty' Shatters Network Records With 6.5 Million Finale Viewers

As the holidays approach, Duck Dynasty is the gift that keeps giving for A&E.

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The unscripted effort centered on the Robertson family business delivered 6.5 million viewers to its hourlong second-season finale Wednesday, the network's most-watched telecast of all time.

The episode was watched by 3.9 million adults 18-49, 3.8 million in the 25-54 demo and an impressive 2 million adults 18-34, making it the most-watched series telecast in A&E history among all key demos. Looking to ride that wave, the net will encore the episode at 9 p.m. Saturday.

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“Duck Dynasty represents the best of A&E’s unique brand of storytelling, showcasing authentic and engaging characters,” A&E Network president Bob DeBitetto said. “It’s extremely gratifying to see more and more viewers flocking to the series week after week.”

The news, which had Dynasty top cable and broadcast fare for the night, follows a particularly stellar second season of the series, which has grown 139 percent in total viewers, year over year. It joins other cable efforts including FX's Sons of Anarchy and AMC's The Walking Dead in its ability to out-rate its broadcast competition this year. New episodes of Duck Dynasty, produced by Gurney Productions, will return in early 2013.