The Unlikely Benefactor Keeping Downton Abbey Afloat

PBS released its ratings for Sunday’s season 2 finale of the hit show Downton Abbey today, and the public broadcasting network isn’t the only winner. An estimated 5.4 million people tuned in live on Sunday night (that’s 1 million more viewers than last week’s Two and a Half Men had, according to ratings tracker Nielsen), and most of them also saw the only advertisement that aired with every episode of Downton this season: Viking River Cruises.

If you’re a fan of the British import, you know the drill: On Sunday nights, PBS begins your Downton experience with a greeting from actress Laura Linney who introduces the show, which is a part of the Masterpiece franchise. Between Linney and an hour of uninterrupted programming, viewers are treated to a 30-second spot featuring silver-haired cruisers shuffling through Red Square, drinking coffee near a stately bridge, and enjoying red wine aboard a Viking vessel. A voiceover with a vaguely European accent invites viewers to visit “a world of dramatic landscapes, majestic castles and remarkable characters.”