Hollywood trade paper Variety has published some early information about the final ratings for ENTERPRISE's premiere Wednesday night. The episode, which garnered a 4.4/7 overnight rating--matching the season two finale "The Expanse" (story)--did show signs of improvement.

According to the trade, "The Xindi" was watched by an estimated 4.07 million people, slightly higher than for "The Expanse" last May (3.88 million), but still 17% below "Shockwave, II" (4.89 million). This is the largest audience for the series since May's "Regeneration" Borg event (4.12 million). February Sweeps' "Cease Fire" maintains the 2003 record of 4.78 million. The final household rating for the premiere was 2.6/5, compared with "The Expanse"'s 2.8/4. This means that although less households were watching "Xindi," the latest episode received 1% greater share of the viewers watching television at the time. Last year's "Shockwave, II" received a 3.2/5 final rating.

Although the overall audience improved on its immediate predecessor, "Xindi"'s performance may reveal a more dangerous foe than simply total viewership. Demographic ratings for Adults 18-49 were only 1.6/6 for the third season opener, down 11% from "The Expanse" and 30% from "Shockwave, II." In Adults 18-34, according to the trade, "Xindi" is off 39% on the year-ago episode (1.1/4). The series premiere of JAKE 2.0 actually gained in this category over the TREK presentation with a 1.2/4 and in the Males 18-34 with a 1.3/4 vs. 1.1/5.

Visit this page for the original Variety report. Thanks to 'Cyrus' for the tip.