A&E Lost Half Of Audience After Cancelling Live PD

A&E has lost half of its viewership since deciding to cancel Live PD. The network saw the worldwide demonstrations against police brutality in the wake of the murder of George Floyd and decided it would be best to remove the show from the airwaves. Now, in a statement to TheWrap, A&E has addressed the findings that their ratings have fallen by 49% from last year because of the prominent place that Live PD held in their programming blocks. It was a strong statement by the brand in the wake of the protests, but it would seem that they need to find something to replace the reality crime show and quickly.

“When you take one of the top series in cable off the network in the middle of a pandemic and only air mostly non-premiere programming, you’re obviously going to take a temporary hit in the ratings. It’s to be expected, but what has always set A&E apart is the brand’s ability to find new hits and reinvent ourselves,” an A&E spokesperson said in a statement.

They continued, “We always maintain a robust pipeline, and will begin airing new premieres in August, including the upcoming new series ‘What’s it Worth?’ with Jeff Foxworthy and ‘Extreme Unboxing.’ In the meantime, we are continuing to listen to both community leaders and Live PD fans to find a way to serve both moving forward.”

Previously, the former host Dan Abrams talked about his disappointment concerning the decision on Twitter. There are a chorus of fans pointing to this revelation as proof of the show’s importance. But, the decision stands without any indication to revisit it.

“Shocked & Beyond disappointed about this,” Abrams wrote. “To the loyal #LivePDNation please know I, we, did everything we could to fight for you, and for our continuing effort at transparency in policing. I was convinced the show would go on. More to come.”

“This is a critical time in our nation’s history and we have made the decision to cease production on Live PD. Going forward, we will determine if there is a clear pathway to tell the stories of both the community and the police officers whose role it is to serve them,” A&E’s statement read. “And with that, we will be meeting with community and civil rights leaders as well as police departments.”

Were you a fan of Live PD? What did you think of the decision? Let us know down in the comments!