The Walking Dead Gets Bigger Ratings With Live +3 Numbers
The Walking Dead continues to rise up.The Walking Dead returned Sunday night for the second half [...]
The Walking Dead continues to rise up.
The Walking Dead returned Sunday night for the second half of its seventh season with increases in total viewers and key demos from December's mid-season finale. Sunday night's return delivered 15.9 million total viewers, 9.9 million adults 18-49 and 10 million adults 25-54 in Nielsen live+3 ratings. Total viewers were up 5 percent from December, adults 18-49 increased 3 percent and adults 25-54 increased 5 percent.
Talking Dead remains television's #1 talk show, returning with 5.6 million total viewers, 3.2 adults 18-49 and 3.4 adults 25-54 in Nielsen live+3 ratings.
"Whether you consider The Walking Dead a survivor or an empire, it is gratifying to see the show return with such a big bang, and not just in theory – ratings increases from December's finale in an environment in which growth, when measured and reported, can feel like something of a stranger thing," said Charlie Collier, president of AMC, SundanceTV and AMC Studios. "This is us on Sunday nights, going up against the best of television, the NFL, NBA and big-ticket special events like this week's Grammys, and yet Gimple and Kirkman are still holding the crown. Thanks to the modern family that gives voice to this remarkable show, #1 on television for five years in a row and, with that said, it's actually a franchise we are running and evaluating far beyond weekly Nielsen report cards. To take a shorter-term view of The Walking Dead would be scandal."
The later viewings of the AMC series offer it a 33% increase by comparison to live/same day with a growth of 3.9 million. In the key demo of 18-49, a total of 9.9 million adults tuned into the midseason 7 premiere (Rock in the Road). 10 million adults age 25-54 are included in to adjusted numbers, which is a 36% increase from its live/same day numbers, a growth a 2.6 million viewers.
A well-received episode by both fans and critics, Rock in the Road may prove to be a step in the right direction for The Walking Dead which battled for ratings in the first half of its seventh season as it scattered its characters across episodes on a weekly basis and had to tackle Sunday Night Football.
MORE THE WALKING DEAD: What Happened To Negan In The Comics? / How Tom Payne Plans To Make Negan Look Stupid / Rock In The Road Recap / Khary Payton Explains Ezekiel's Decision / Ross Marquand On Aaron And Eric's Emotional Scene / The Waking Dead Ratings Boost With Midseason 7 Premiere
The Walking Dead airs Sundays at 9 pm ET on AMC. For complete coverage and insider info all season long, follow @BrandonDavisBD on Twitter.
