‘The Bible,’ a Hit on Cable, Will Have Its Sequel on NBC

THE NEW YORK TIMES
By Bill Carter

The producer Mark Burnett on the set of "The Bible," a hit mini-series on the History Channel. The sequel, "A.D.: Beyond the Bible," was picked up by NBC.

BROADCASTING---In an indication of the shifting center of power in television, a broadcast network, NBC, has stepped up to buy the sequel to a hit cable mini-series, “The Bible,” which appeared on the History Channel. The follow-up series, “A.D.: Beyond the Bible,” will trace the early history of Christianity and again be supervised by the producer Mark Burnett, in partnership with his wife, the actress Roma Downey, NBC announced on Monday. “The Bible” was the top-rated new series of the year on cable. Its premiere, in March, reached 13 million viewers and its finale attracted 11.7 million, both enormous totals for cable television — or broadcast television, for that matter. In addition, the DVD version of the 10-hour series, which went on sale three months ago, has topped one million in sales, the biggest result for a TV series in five years, NBC said in its announcement of the acquisition.[link]