Mumbai: The elite team of police forensic evidence investigation experts is back with CSI?s twelfth season. The adrenaline kicking series begins with a new guy in town?D.B Russell. He is the new supervisor in town and is a quirky character that seems to know what he?s doing. The series is premiering on AXN at 10 pm tonight.

The series start is as bombastic as the finale of the last season. The first episode begins with a wild and bizarre shootout on a hotel tram with the ride lasting only for 73 seconds. The mysterious cases in the drama series are compelling, interweaving making the viewer sit on the edge and wait for more.

The new season as always has raised the bar and will introduce you to something you never thought would ever exist in reality. So don?t forget to catch the premiere episode of CSI, Season 12 only on AXN tonight.

Mumbai: AXN?s latest seasons of CSI and CSI: NY have buried the competition on their way to the top of the ratings charts for ad-supported international channels among pay-TV 4+ and PMEB audiences in South East Asia.

For the past seven weeks since CSI Season 12?s premiere, the series has enjoyed a burgeoning viewership and its appeal has never been greater among AXN?s target PMEB audience. Among ad-supported international channels in Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines, CSI enjoyed a ratings lead of 148 per cent over programming on the next English General Entertainment (GE) channel among PMEB audiences in its timeslot.

In Singapore, CSI Season 12 performed especially well among pay-TV 4+ and PMEB audiences. In its timeslot, the show drew more than double the ratings of programming on the next English GE channel and even out-performed the movie channels in its timeslot.

This phenomenon extended to Malaysia and the Philippines for the premiere of CSI: NY Season 8 on 16 May. CSI: NY was the highest rated show on international channels during its timeslot among PMEB audiences, rating more than 10 times against programming on the next English GE channel.

?In 2011, CSI was crowned the ?Most Watched Show in the World? at the prestigious Monte Carlo TV Festival for the fourth time in six years, and we are proud that AXN continues to be CSI?s home in Asia. Our stellar ratings are testament to how much fans in the region love the franchise and it continues to be a stronghold for AXN,? says Mr. Ricky Ow, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Networks, Asia, Sony Pictures Television.

Long-running police procedurals like CSI have been growing their fan base year after year. Now in its twelfth season, CSI explores a fresh start with Fishburne?s departure and Emmy-winning comedy veteran Ted Danson (Cheers, Damages, Bored to Death) stepping in as new CSI team lead D.B Russell. Danson?s background in comedy has ushered in a lighter tone for the series and his addition has appealed to current followers, as well as drawn new fans to the series.

The premiere of CSI: NY touched on a sentimental note for fans of Mac Taylor (Gary Sinise). In commemoration of 9/11, the series revealed Mrs. Mac Taylor (Jaime Ray Newman) for the first time, and through flashbacks, showcased Mac?s softer side before he lost her during the terrorist attacks.

Source: AGB NMR Malaysia, Kantar Media Singapore / Philippines