The Walking Dead Makes Big Gain In Live +7 Ratings

The Walking Dead saw massive gains in ratings when adding Live +7 numbers to an already impressive penultimate episode of the show’s 2016 run.

Positive word of mouth and midseason finale on the horizon may have been what prompted an additional 5.29 million viewers to watch the second to last episode of the AMC series for 2016 within a week of its live broadcast. It added 2.7 points to its already 5.0 rating for a 7.7 in the key 18-49 demographic.

With a new total of over 15 million viewers, The Walking Dead Episode 7×07, Sing Me A Song, could not top the live viewership of the highly anticipated Season 7 premiere on October 23.

The Walking Dead finishes at number 1 on Sunday night, yet again, with Westworld taking second place in terms of gains with its first season finale in the same timeslot on December 4. Westworld originally earned a 1.0 rating but bumped up to a 1.7 for a 70% increase in Live +7 numbers.

The expectations of character deaths in the midseason finale may have also prompted some “catch up” viewing for fans frustrated by a Tara-centric Oceanside episode one week earlier. Furthermore, iconic moments from Robert Kirkman’s original comic books may have sparked a bit of additional interest as Negan and Carl’s relationship was finally explored and Carl’s scarred eye was revealed for the first time.

In any case, the numbers may have gone down over the course of The Walking Dead Season 7 but the show is still a power house on cable and winning Sunday nights by a considerable margin.

MORE WALKING DEAD:

Who Is Creeping On ASZ? / Did The Whisperers Arrive? / Internet Reacts To Midseason Finale / Gallery Of Negan’s Midseason Finale Kills / Important Fat Joey Detail You May Have Missed / New Season 7B Key Art / Andrew Lincoln Is Unhappy About Unhappy Fans / Violent Takes Were Removed From Midseason Finale

The Walking Dead returns for the second half of Season 7 on February 12, 2017. For complete coverage and insider info all season long, follow @BrandonDavisBD on Twitter.

(via TVbytheNumbers)