June 23 (Bloomberg) -- TLC put its most-watched program “Jon & Kate Plus 8” on hold after the reality-show couple with eight children announced plans to separate.

Discovery Communications Inc.’s cable channel will air a retrospective of the Gosselin family on June 29 and put the series on hiatus until Aug. 3, Los Angeles-based TLC said today in an e-mailed statement.

“Jon & Kate Plus 8,” in its fifth season, attracted a record 10.6 million viewers to TLC last night, the network said, citing Nielsen Co., which collects the data that cable and broadcast companies use to set advertising rates. The show is often among the most-watched on cable.

“Discovery has recently had record ratings for the show with corresponding ad revenue,” David Joyce, an analyst at Miller Tabak & Co. in New York, said in an e-mail. “They have similar shows and other cable networks. Any negative effects should be a minor blip on a strong growth model.”

TLC has aired six episodes of the fifth season. The previous season had 41 episodes, according to Imdb.com.

Kate Gosselin, 34, and Jon, parents of 8-year-old twins and 5-year-old sextuplets, have had their marriage and family life documented on the TLC series “Jon & Kate Plus 8” since 2007.

“TLC continues to support the Gosselin family and will work closely with them to determine the best way to continue to tell their story as they navigate through this difficult time,” the network said in the statement.

Breaking Up

The couple has seen their marital difficulties become fodder for magazines including People, US Weekly and Life & Style amid allegations of infidelity.

The Gosselins said they were splitting up in last night’s episode, an announcement that the media and fans had anticipated.

“It’s just not good for our kids for us to be arguing in front of our kids,” Jon Gosselin, 32, said on the show last night. “We can’t be cordial with one another.”

Discovery, based in Silver Spring, Maryland, fell 21 cents to $20.09 at 4 p.m. New York time in Nasdaq Stock Market trading. The company, controlled by cable billionaire John Malone, has gained 42 percent this year.

To contact the reporter on this story: Andy Fixmer in Los Angeles at afixmer@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: June 23, 2009 17:13 EDT