“Walking Dead” S8 Premiere Ratings Drop
This past weekend saw AMC’s “The Walking Dead” return with its 100th episode kicking off the show’s eighth season. It was an episode that also posted the series’ lowest premiere ratings since its third year.
Live+Same Day results indicate the series averaged a 5.0 rating in adults 18-49 and 11.4 million total viewers on Sunday night. That’s a 40% and 33% respective drop compared to last season’s premiere.
That last season premiere was the culimnation of a famed cliffhanger and so it getting larger numbers isn’t a surprise – by how much though is a bit concerning. Here’s a history of how previous “Walking Dead” season premieres have rated:
Season 1 (2.7, 5.35 million)
Season 2 (3.8, 7.26 million)
Season 3 (5.8, 10.86 million)
Season 4 (8.2, 16.11 million)
Season 5 (8.7, 17.29 million)
Season 6 (7.4, 14.63 million)
Season 7 (8.4, 17.03 million)
Season 8 (5.0, 11.4 million)
Due to its massive fanbase, “The Walking Dead” is one of the only show that can experience such a steep decline and still remain the number one show on television in the key demo along with performing well on social media.