Channel Ten's new CEO Hamish McLennan woke up to good news today: fast-tracking the new US drama series Under The Dome onto Australian screens to capitalise on global internet buzz around the show launch paid big dividends. Ten's broadcast of the first episode, only hours after it screened in the US, drew an audience of 1.17 million viewers in the five mainland capitals. Inclusive of regional ratings that number lifts to 1.72 million. The win is significant for Ten, coming in the wake of management restructures and a seriously bruised program schedule that had left it hemorrhaging audience and revenue. Ten's success with Under the Dome sends a message loud and clear: fast-tracking works. While it is true that in television one summer does not a swallow make, the industry at large has been looking for indicators that Ten is capable of building a solid recovery over the next two years. Under The Dome's performance - critically landing above the one million viewer waterline - is a strong indicator that Ten could be recovering from several years in the wilderness. Significantly, Ten's clawback seemed to soak up eyeballs from its rivals in the same or nearby timeslots. Nine's final "boardroom" for The Celebrity Apprentice drew only 653,000 viewers. Those numbers are down from the show's overall performance, which is generally stronger. In demographic terms, Under The Dome was the number-two program ranked in the 25-to-54-year-old demographic for the night overall, and number one in its timeslot. The ratings win for Ten follows a similar windfall for the US network CBS, which is airing the series in North America. Under The Dome's US broadcast drew 13.14 million viewers, the best summer premiere for the network since it launched Big Brother in 2000. The series has been heavily promoted in the US and internationally, with Australia and Canada launching it within hours of its US broadcast. It is based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King, about a small American town which is cut off from the world when an invisible dome materialises around it with no explanation.