Report - published February 05, 2015

The Competition is ‘Dead’ Come Sunday at 9pm

The Competition is ‘Dead’ Come Sunday at 9pm

Key insights from this report:

  1. Season 5, part 1 received a 37% increase in average total viewership after Live+7 data, skyrocketing up from a 14.6 million total Live+SD viewer average up to a 20 million total viewer average from Live+7. Looking at P 18-49, the bump from time-shifted data is even greater. The program received a 40% increase in P 18-49 viewership after Live+7, moving from a 9.5 million Live+SD viewer average in the demo for the season to a whopping 13.3 million viewer average in the demo after Live+7. The season premiere, (Episode 501 titled 'No Sanctuary') drew a historic amount of cable television viewers. 'No Sanctuary' earned a 36% bump from total Live+SD viewership to total Live+7 viewership (17.3 million total to 23.5 million total).
  2. Sunday Night Football dominated The Walking Dead in Live+SD total viewership, but the margin was FAR closer after Live+7 data. For the viewer over 50, the Sunday night viewing process likely went: DVR The Walking Dead, watch the SNF game that's being televised in real-time, and then watch The Walking Dead on the following night or later in the week. The story in the 18-49 demo is slightly different. This audience was more willing to watch The Walking Dead in real-time. The two programs were neck-and-neck in the core demo when it came to Live+SD viewing, but the AMC juggernaut dominated SNF in the demo after Live+7 viewing. Looking at P 18-49 Live+SD viewership, episode 1, 4, 5, 6, and 8 went to The Walking Dead. The 49ers/Broncos; Packers/Saints and Cowboys/Giants beat The Walking Dead head-to-head in the demo (Live+SD).
  3. How important is the series to AMC? When the series was on hiatus between season 4 and part 1 of season 5, network possessed a primetime viewership ranking in the 20s, both in P2+ and P 18-49. When the series returned, AMC shot up to the #2-ranked cable network in primetime, right behind ESPN. Since season 5, part 1 concluded up through the present, AMC's primetime ranking has slipped back down into the teens.

The midseason premiere of one of television’s most popular programs, The Walking Dead, airs this Sunday at 9 on AMC. Needless to say, millions of TV viewers are thrilled. Andrew Lincoln and Norman Reedus, stars of the post-apocalyptic horror drama, have been making the rounds on the talk show circuit, and the most recent Entertainment Weekly cover featured star Norman Reedus wearing a custom-made “Bite Me” shirt. According to showrunner Scott M. Gimple, part 2 of season 5 includes a lot of changes—in terms of action, setting, and overall tone. “The story will shift quite a bit,” Gimple warns. “We are going to see a show that in its look and circumstances is very, very different from what we’ve seen.” Not to give too much away, but those changes will begin this Sunday with an episode that will feel unlike any other of the zombie drama. “That is going to be a fan-favorite episode in a lot of ways, and it’s going to be a fan-hated episode in a lot of ways,” creator Robert Kirkman admits. “Because it is somewhat brutal. But there’s a lot of magic in that as well. It’s going to be very unique.

Keeping that in mind, now is an appropriate time to take a deeper dive into the series, analyzing its place against cable and broadcast competition, its effect on the Sunday 9pm timeslot, its impact on AMC’s ratings and the substantial influence time-shifting data has had on the series’ ratings over the season.

The Walking Dead Season 5, Part 1

With part 2 of the series’ 5th season set to return on Sunday, let’s look at the averages from part 1, focusing on average total viewership and P 18-49 viewership:

Originator Program P 2+ Live+SD Proj (000s) P 2+ Live+7 Proj (000s) P 18-49 Live+SD Rtg% P 18-49 Live+7 Rtg% P 18-49 Live+SD Proj (000s) P 18-49 Live+7 Proj (000s)
AMC WALKING DEAD – SSN 5, PT 1 14598 20057 7.48 10.47 9499 13300

Including its season premiere episode on October 12, 2014, season 5, part 1 received a 37% increase in average total viewership after Live+7 data, skyrocketing up from a 14.6 million total Live+SD viewer average up to a 20 million total viewer average from Live+7. Looking at P 18-49, the bump from time-shifted data is even greater. The program received a 40% increase in P 18-49 viewership after Live+7, moving from a 9.5 million Live+SD viewer average in the demo to a whopping 13.3 million viewer average in the demo after Live+7.

Here is a look at viewership trend season 5, part 1 on an episode-by-episode basis. Included are Live+SD and Live+7 impressions, P2+ and P 18-49:

Part 1 of the 5th season aired on Sundays from October 12, 2014 – November 30, 2014. The season premiere, (Episode 501 titled ‘No Sanctuary‘) drew a historic amount of cable television viewers, and was easily the most-watched episode of the season in Live+SD and definitely Live+7 viewership. Viewership dropped a bit in the middle of the season (‘dropped’ is a bit of an arbitrary term here), but came back to life a bit towards the end of the fall season. No Sanctuary earned a 36% bump from total Live+SD viewership to total Live+7 viewership (17.3 million to 23.5 million). The penultimate episode of the fall season, ‘Crossed,’ actually earned the most significant total viewership bump from Live+7 data  (44%), going 13.4 million total Live+SD viewers to 19.3 million Live+7 day viewers. The Live+7 viewership bump was even more significant in the core 18-49 demo. The episode scored a 47% bump, moving from 8.9 million Live+SD 18-49 viewers to more than 13.4 million Live+7 day 18-49 viewers.

The episode aired on 11/23/14, which happened to be one of the most competitive Sunday nights of the season. That night’s Cowboys/Giants Sunday Night Football telecast was one of the highest-rated contests of the season, and the American Music Awards aired that same night on ABC. People want to watch these anticipated events in real-time, where as The Walking Dead will still be there in the morning (or in this case, within 7 days).

Next, let’s take a look at the program on a season-by-season basis. The graph will show P, M and F 18-49 ratings in Live+7 only, and the table below will give a more expansive look at the seasons, not just compared Live+SD and Live+7 averages, but also looking at:

The trajectory looks eerily similar to another AMC standout program, Breaking Bad. The first three seasons see an positive increase in the core demo and then season 4 just dwarfs the previous seasons and shoots up in Live+7 popularity. Season 5 to-date of The Walking Dead is the highest-rated season in the core demo (both men and women) so far. Will the upward trend continue in February through March?

Measurement Interval Program Common Start Time Common Day of The Week Households Live+SD Rtg % Households Live+7 Rtg% P 2+ Live+SD Proj (000s) P 2+ Live+7 Proj (000s) P 18-49 Live+SD Rtg% P 18-49 Live+7 Rtg% P 18-49 Live+SD Proj (000s) P 18-49 Live+7 Proj (000s)
Season 1 WALKING DEAD 10:00 PM SUNDAY 2.94 3.94 5243 6947 2.68 3.63 3526 4769
Season 2 WALKING DEAD 09:00 PM SUNDAY 3.85 5.51 6931 9506 3.63 5.07 4637 6478
Season 3 WALKING DEAD 09:00 PM SUNDAY 5.11 7.11 9663 12866 4.98 6.77 6298 8564
Season 4 WALKING DEAD 09:00 PM SUNDAY 6.89 10.08 13348 18445 6.78 9.63 8609 12225
Season 5, Part 1 WALKING DEAD 09:00 PM SUNDAY 7.28 10.63 14598 20057 7.48 10.47 9499 13300

The across-the-board increases are evident, but there appears to be an interesting trend that might not be as obvious. The 18-49 demo made up over 68.6% of The Walking Dead Live+7 audience in season 1. The 18-49 demo made up 66.3% percent of the season 5, part 1 Live+7 audience. As the ratings in both viewing types have increased in subsequent seasons, the 18-49 percent comp has dropped. This may be a product of the general TV viewer being older in general, or perhaps just a natural occurrence when P2+ viewership totals increase.

Next, let’s compare the 2014 season of NBC’s Sunday Night Football with Season 5, Part 1 of The Walking Dead, first by total average and then by episode:

The interval used here starts on September 7th 2014 and goes through Sunday, December 28th (the duration of the 2014 season of Sunday Night Football). The Walking Dead only aired from October 12th through November 30th, 2014.

Measurement Interval Originator Program P 2+ Live+SD Proj (000s) P 2+ Live+7 Proj (000s) P 18-49 Live+SD Rtg % P 18-49 Live+7 Rtg% P 18-49 Live+SD Proj (000s) P 18-49 Live+7 Proj (000s) Households Live+SD Rtg% Households Live+7 Rtg%
09/07/2014 – 12/28/2014 (All) AMC WALKING DEAD 14598 20057 7.48 10.47 9499 13300 7.28 10.63
09/07/2014 – 12/28/2014 (All) NBC NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL 20914 21034 7.52 7.55 9548 9593 12.35 12.43

 Sunday Night Football dominated The Walking Dead in Live+SD total viewership, but the margin was FAR closer after Live+7 data.For the viewer over 50, the Sunday night viewing process likely went: DVR The Walking Dead. Watch the SNF game that’s being televised in real-time. Watch The Walking Dead on the following night or a night later in the week. The story in the 18-49 demo is slightly different. This audience was more willing to watch The Walking Dead in real-time. The two programs were neck-and-neck in the core demo when it came to Live+SD viewing, but the AMC juggernaut dominated SNF in the demo after Live+7 viewing. Again, it’s important to note that the measurement includes the totality of the Sunday Night Football season. How about when these two programs went head-to-head?

Head-to-Head: 2014 Sunday Night Football vs. The Walking Dead, Season 5, Part 1 

We measured SNF in its entirety, but how about just the 8 consecutive Sunday nights it went up against The Walking Dead? There is a row in between each week for easier comparison purposes:

Date Originator Program Episode P 2+ Live+SD Proj (000s) P 2+ Live+7 Proj (000s) P 18-49 Live+SD Rtg% P 18-49 Live+7 Rtg% Households Live+SD Rtg% Households Live+7 Rtg %
10/12/2014 AMC WALKING DEAD 501 NO SANCTUARY 17300 23528 8.66 12.06 8.24 11.96
10/12/2014 NBC NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL NY GIANTS AT PHILADELPHIA 18088 18177 6.58 6.60 10.79 10.86
10/19/2014 AMC WALKING DEAD 502 STRANGERS 15185 21325 7.75 11.18 7.46 11.27
10/19/2014 NBC NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL SAN FRANCISCO AT DENVER 23792 23925 8.22 8.27 13.84 13.94
10/26/2014 AMC WALKING DEAD 503 FOUR WALLS AND A ROOF 13867 18719 7.02 9.68 6.97 9.92
10/26/2014 NBC NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL GREEN BAY AT NEW ORLEANS 18799 18904 7.06 7.09 10.93 11.01
11/02/2014 AMC WALKING DEAD 504 SLABTOWN 14529 19291 7.57 10.24 7.25 10.14
11/02/2014 NBC NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL BALTIMORE AT PITTSBURGH 18595 18704 6.68 6.71 11.13 11.22
11/09/2014 AMC WALKING DEAD 505 SELF HELP 13587 18069 6.99 9.35 7.01 9.78
11/09/2014 NBC NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL CHICAGO AT GREEN BAY 18131 18234 6.50 6.52 10.59 10.66
11/16/2014 AMC WALKING DEAD 506 CONSUMED 14121 20114 7.30 10.55 7.08 10.70
11/16/2014 NBC NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL NEW ENGLAND AT INDIANAPOLIS 20820 20934 7.13 7.17 12.36 12.45
11/23/2014 AMC WALKING DEAD 507 CROSSED 13368 19280 6.99 10.28 6.69 10.38
11/23/2014 NBC NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL DALLAS AT NEW YORK GIANTS 22384 22563 8.12 8.18 13.11 13.22
11/30/2014 AMC WALKING DEAD 508 CODA 14827 20133 7.58 10.45 7.53 10.88
11/30/2014 NBC NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL DENVER AT KANSAS CITY 21105 21223 7.35 7.38 12.45 12.54

The definitive trends include SNF beating The Walking Dead in Live+SD total viewership and in household Live+SD viewership head-to-head each week, and The Walking Dead dominating SNF each week when it came to 18-49 Live+7 ratings.

Outliers include the season premiere of The Walking Dead defeating the Giants/Eagles in P2+ and HH Live+7 viewership, and episode 504 of Dead (‘Slabtown’) beating the Ravens/Steelers in P2+ Live+7 viewership.

Looking at P 18-49 Live+SD viewership, episode 1, 4, 5, 6, and 8 went to The Walking Dead. The 49ers/Broncos; Packers/Saints and Cowboys/Giants beat The Walking Dead head-to-head in the demo (Live+SD).

Out of all the head-to-head telecasts of The Walking Dead and SNF in 2014, the October 19th telecast of 49ers vs. Broncos averaged the most total viewers (23.8 million Live+SD / 23.9 million Live+7).

Sunday 9pm Shows Versus Season 5, Part 1 of The Walking Dead (P 18-49, Live+7)

What type of influence did The Walking Dead have on its timeslot competition? Below are the top-10 shows among persons 18-49 that aired in the Sunday 9pm slot against The Walking Dead, season 5, part 1:

Predictably, The Walking Dead dominated the Sunday, 9pm slot competition when in-season. #2 in the P 18-49 demo was FOX’s Family Guy (3.13 rtg, Live+7), followed by CBS’ Madam Secretary (2.13 rtg). Madam Secretary was the second-most-watched program with over 14.8 million total viewers (behind The Walking Dead’s 20 million).

How do the ratings garnered by the Sunday 9pm programs vary from when The Walking Dead is not in-season?

Viewership is decidedly different here, and its extremely likely that the absence of The Walking Dead had something to do with it. Family Guy was #1 among P 18-49 while The Walking Dead was in between seasons. Its average Live+7 P 18-49 rating was 5.36, way up from the 3.13 score it grabbed while The Walking Dead, season 5, part 1 was in-season. Game of Thrones follows with a 4.77 and the VMAs grabbed a 4.54 Live+7 number. Madam Secretary was the most-watched show in the timeslot while The Walking Dead was on-hiatus, scoring a 17.4 million Live+7 viewer average. When The Walking Dead returned, the average dropped to 14.8 million P2+ Live+7.

I think it’s safe to say that rival networks are thrilled when The Walking Dead is on hiatus, as it gives their Sunday 9pm programs a chance to get some exposure in the 18-49 demographic.

Lastly, just how much does The Walking Dead impact AMC’s ranking within the primetime landscape? Let’s compare the period in 2014 when the program was off-air versus when it was on-air:

The Walking Dead Impact on AMC’s Primetime Averages

When The Walking Dead was on hiatus (March 31, 2014 – October 11, 2014):

Measurement Interval Media Selection P 2+ Live+7 Proj (000s) P 2+ Live+7 Proj Rank P 18-49 Live+7 Rtg% P 18-49 Live+7 Rtg% Rank
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) TURNER NETWORK TELEVISION 2304 1 0.65 4
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) USA NETWORK 2132 2 0.70 1
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) ESPN 1951 3 0.67 3
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) DISNEY CHANNEL 1896 4 0.32 23
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) HISTORY 1835 5 0.48 7
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) TBS NETWORK 1767 6 0.70 1
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) FOX NEWS CHANNEL 1722 7 0.15 38
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) NICKELODEON 1661 8 0.31 24
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) HBO – THE WORKS 1478 9 0.63 5
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) HOME AND GARDEN TV 1372 10 0.34 19
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) FX 1331 11 0.54 6
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) DISCOVERY CHANNEL 1272 12 0.48 7
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) A&E NETWORK 1254 13 0.41 10
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) SYFY 1123 14 0.36 17
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) NICK-AT-NITE 1088 15 0.26 26
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) ADULT SWIM 1081 16 0.42 9
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) LIFETIME TELEVISION 1079 17 0.38 13
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) FOOD NETWORK 1064 18 0.38 13
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) TLC 1043 19 0.34 19
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) ABC FAMILY 1003 20 0.38 13
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) ENCORE 953 21 0.19 31
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) AMC 945 22 0.30 25
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) BRAVO 916 23 0.40 11
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) SPIKE TV 877 24 0.34 19
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) MTV 784 25 0.39 12
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) INVESTIGATION DISCOVERY 783 26 0.21 30
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) VH1 746 27 0.37 16
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) HBO PRIME 737 28 0.33 22
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) COMEDY CENTRAL 686 29 0.36 17
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) HALLMARK CHANNEL 678 30 0.11 50
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) ANIMAL PLANET 641 31 0.19 31
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) BLACK ENTERTAINMENT TV 619 32 0.22 28
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) TRUTV 613 33 0.22 28
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) TV LAND 593 34 0.14 43
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) DISNEY JUNIOR 573 35 0.13 47
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) MSNBC 570 36 0.10 53
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) STARZ 541 37 0.19 31
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CHNL 536 38 0.17 34
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) E! 532 39 0.24 27
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) CABLE NEWS NETWORK 519 40 0.11 50
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) WETV 498 41 0.14 43
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) SHOWTIME 495 42 0.16 35
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) ESPN2 486 43 0.15 38
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) LIFETIME MOVIE NETWORK 481 44 0.14 43
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) OPRAH WINFREY NETWORK 475 45 0.14 43
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) NICK JR 456 46 0.11 50
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) TRAVEL CHANNEL 440 47 0.15 38
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) MULTIMAX 411 48 0.16 35
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) NBC SPORTS NETWORK 410 49 0.15 38
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) DISNEY XD 399 50 0.06 69
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) OXYGEN MEDIA 370 51 0.15 38
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) H2 367 52 0.10 53
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) FXX 356 53 0.16 35
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) GSN 351 54 0.06 69
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) CMT 348 55 0.13 47
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) HLN 348 55 0.07 63
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) HALLMARK MOVIES & MYSTERIES 321 57 0.03 91
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) SCIENCE 314 58 0.09 57
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) FOX SPORTS 1 310 59 0.10 53
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) NFL NETWORK 293 60 0.12 49
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) INSP 276 61 0.02 102
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) WGN AMERICA 266 62 0.07 63
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) BBC-AMERICA 265 63 0.10 53
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) CNBC 265 63 0.08 58
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) TEENNICK 256 65 0.04 81
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) NICKTOONS 254 66 0.04 81
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) STARZ PRIMARY 235 67 0.08 58
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) ENCORE PRIMARY 233 68 0.07 63
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) SHOWTIME PRIME 231 69 0.08 58
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) DESTINATION AMERICA 229 70 0.07 63
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) NAT GEO WILD 226 71 0.05 74
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) AMERICAN HEROES CHANNEL 223 72 0.04 81
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) THE WEATHER CHANNEL 209 73 0.05 74
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) IFC TV 199 74 0.07 63
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) UP 198 75 0.03 91
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) MLB NETWORK 193 76 0.05 74
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) BOOMERANG 188 77 0.04 81
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) MAXPRIME 187 78 0.08 58
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) DIY NETWORK 184 79 0.05 74
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) MTV2 183 80 0.08 58
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) POP 177 81 0.05 74
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) FYI 173 82 0.06 69
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) VELOCITY 167 83 0.05 74
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) SPROUT 166 84 0.03 91
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) TV ONE 165 85 0.07 63
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) REELZCHANNEL 159 86 0.03 91
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) DISCOVERY FAMILY CHANNEL 154 87 0.04 81
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) SUNDANCE TV 138 88 0.03 91
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) FX MOVIE CHANNEL 136 89 0.04 81
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) GALAVISION 135 90 0.06 69
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) GOLF CHANNEL 134 91 0.03 91
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) RFD-TV 129 92 0.00 116
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) UNIVISION DEPORTES 115 93 0.06 69
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) CHILLER 112 94 0.03 91
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) COOKING CHANNEL 109 95 0.04 81
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) DISCOVERY EN ESPANOL 108 96 0.05 74
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) ESQUIRE NETWORK 108 96 0.04 81
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) ESPNEWS 107 98 0.04 81
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) DISCOVERY LIFE CHANNEL 104 99 0.03 91
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) ESPNU 101 100 0.03 91
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) NBA-TV 100 101 0.04 81
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) SMITHSONIAN 80 102 0.01 110
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) NBC UNIVERSO 77 103 0.03 91
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) OVATION 77 103 0.02 102
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) GREAT AMERICAN COUNTRY 75 105 0.02 102
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) CENTRIC 73 106 0.02 102
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) CLOO 70 107 0.02 102
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) LOGO 67 108 0.03 91
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) FOX DEPORTES 58 109 0.02 102
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) FUSE 48 110 0.02 102
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) FOX BUSINESS NETWORK 42 111 0.01 110
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) VH1 CLASSIC 41 112 0.02 102
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) DISCOVERY FAMILIA 26 113 0.01 110
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) AL JAZEERA AMERICA 21 114 0.00 116
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) FOX SPORTS 2 20 115 0.01 110
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) BEIN SPORT 17 116 0.01 110
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) TR3S 14 117 0.01 110
03/31/2014 – 10/11/2014 (All) G4 4 118 0.00 116

In the interval that The Walking Dead was in between Season 4 and Season 5, Part 1, AMC ranked 22nd in total primetime viewership (versus ad-supported and premium cable networks) and 25th in P 18-49 viewership.

When The Walking Dead was in-season (October 12, 2014 – November 30, 2014)

Measurement Interval Media Selection P 2+ Live+7 Proj (000s) P 2+ Live+7 Proj Rank P 18-49 Live+7 Rtg% P 18-49 Live+7 Rtg% Rank
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) ESPN 3578 1 1.26 1
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) AMC 2241 2 1.02 2
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) FOX NEWS CHANNEL 1992 3 0.21 30
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) NICKELODEON 1800 4 0.31 19
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) DISNEY CHANNEL 1785 5 0.31 19
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) USA NETWORK 1770 6 0.60 5
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) TBS NETWORK 1694 7 0.66 4
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) HALLMARK CHANNEL 1548 8 0.28 25
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) DISCOVERY CHANNEL 1530 9 0.50 6
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) FX 1507 10 0.67 3
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) HISTORY 1346 11 0.36 12
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) HOME AND GARDEN TV 1246 12 0.31 19
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) ABC FAMILY 1152 13 0.45 8
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) HBO – THE WORKS 1143 14 0.46 7
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) TURNER NETWORK TELEVISION 1104 15 0.36 12
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) TLC 1019 16 0.36 12
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) FOOD NETWORK 1008 17 0.35 15
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) ADULT SWIM 960 18 0.37 11
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) LIFETIME TELEVISION 937 19 0.32 17
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) A&E NETWORK 936 20 0.31 19
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) SYFY 933 21 0.32 17
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) BRAVO 916 22 0.41 9
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) ENCORE 914 23 0.18 34
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) NICK-AT-NITE 892 24 0.23 28
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) SPIKE TV 857 25 0.35 15
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) NFL NETWORK 833 26 0.30 24
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) INVESTIGATION DISCOVERY 794 27 0.22 29
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) COMEDY CENTRAL 765 28 0.39 10
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) DISNEY JUNIOR 683 29 0.14 43
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) BLACK ENTERTAINMENT TV 641 30 0.25 27
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) CABLE NEWS NETWORK 620 31 0.17 35
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) VH1 607 32 0.31 19
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) ANIMAL PLANET 577 33 0.17 35
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) MSNBC 577 33 0.10 53
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) FOX SPORTS 1 567 35 0.16 37
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) MTV 549 36 0.26 26
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) ESPN2 524 37 0.15 40
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) TV LAND 520 38 0.12 49
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) HBO PRIME 513 39 0.20 32
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CHNL 507 40 0.16 37
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) WETV 484 41 0.15 40
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) E! 457 42 0.21 30
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) DISNEY XD 448 43 0.07 59
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) SHOWTIME 447 44 0.14 43
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) FXX 442 45 0.20 32
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) H2 431 46 0.12 49
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) OPRAH WINFREY NETWORK 430 47 0.13 46
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) TRAVEL CHANNEL 420 48 0.15 40
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) LIFETIME MOVIE NETWORK 418 49 0.13 46
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) HALLMARK MOVIES & MYSTERIES 397 50 0.05 74
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) NICK JR 396 51 0.09 54
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) TRUTV 391 52 0.16 37
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) STARZ 372 53 0.12 49
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) CNBC 369 54 0.12 49
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) GSN 365 55 0.07 59
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) HLN 341 56 0.07 59
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) MULTIMAX 336 57 0.13 46
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) NICKTOONS 335 58 0.06 68
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) OXYGEN MEDIA 333 59 0.14 43
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) INSP 276 60 0.01 106
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) NAT GEO WILD 276 60 0.07 59
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) WGN AMERICA 271 62 0.07 59
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) BBC-AMERICA 258 63 0.09 54
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) SCIENCE 251 64 0.07 59
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) ENCORE PRIMARY 237 65 0.08 56
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) TEENNICK 234 66 0.04 82
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) CMT 233 67 0.08 56
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) THE WEATHER CHANNEL 224 68 0.05 74
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) SHOWTIME PRIME 218 69 0.07 59
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) SPROUT 207 70 0.05 74
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) DESTINATION AMERICA 206 71 0.06 68
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) AMERICAN HEROES CHANNEL 203 72 0.04 82
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) UP 192 73 0.03 92
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) MTV2 186 74 0.08 56
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) IFC TV 185 75 0.07 59
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) VELOCITY 182 76 0.05 74
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) DIY NETWORK 180 77 0.05 74
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) BOOMERANG 155 78 0.03 92
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) POP 154 79 0.04 82
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) TV ONE 154 79 0.07 59
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) NBA-TV 150 81 0.06 68
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) STARZ PRIMARY 148 82 0.05 74
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) GALAVISION 147 83 0.06 68
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) MAXPRIME 143 84 0.06 68
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) RFD-TV 141 85 0.01 106
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) NBC SPORTS NETWORK 138 86 0.05 74
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) DISCOVERY FAMILY CHANNEL 135 87 0.04 82
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) ESPNU 135 87 0.04 82
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) FYI 134 89 0.04 82
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) SUNDANCE TV 131 90 0.03 92
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) FX MOVIE CHANNEL 124 91 0.04 82
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) COOKING CHANNEL 122 92 0.04 82
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) DISCOVERY EN ESPANOL 120 93 0.06 68
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) CHILLER 107 94 0.03 92
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) REELZCHANNEL 105 95 0.03 92
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) UNIVISION DEPORTES 99 96 0.05 74
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) FOX DEPORTES 88 97 0.04 82
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) DISCOVERY LIFE CHANNEL 86 98 0.02 98
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) ESQUIRE NETWORK 86 98 0.04 82
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) ESPNEWS 80 100 0.03 92
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) CLOO 79 101 0.02 98
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) OVATION 78 102 0.02 98
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) GOLF CHANNEL 73 103 0.01 106
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) SMITHSONIAN 70 104 0.01 106
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) CENTRIC 65 105 0.02 98
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) GREAT AMERICAN COUNTRY 59 106 0.02 98
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) FOX BUSINESS NETWORK 56 107 0.01 106
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) LOGO 54 108 0.02 98
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) FUSE 44 109 0.02 98
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) MLB NETWORK 41 110 0.01 106
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) VH1 CLASSIC 39 111 0.01 106
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) NBC UNIVERSO 38 112 0.02 98
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) AL JAZEERA AMERICA 31 113 0.01 106
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) DISCOVERY FAMILIA 26 114 0.01 106
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) EL REY 26 114 0.01 106
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) FOX SPORTS 2 23 116 0.01 106
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) BEIN SPORT 16 117 0.00 117
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) TR3S 9 118 0.00 117
10/12/2014 – 11/30/2014 (All) G4 4 119 0.00 117

During the time Season 5, Part 1 was on the air, AMC was the 2nd ranked primetime network on cable (Live+7), trailing only ESPN.

A cable ranking in the 20s when The Walking Dead is off the air, and then a #2 cable ranking when the program is back on. So how has AMC been performing in primetime with The Walking Dead on hiatus yet again? (December 1, 2014 – Present)

Measurement Interval Media Selection P 2+ Live+7 Proj (000s) P 2+ Live+7 Proj Rank P 18-49 Live+7 Rtg% P 18-49 Live+7 Rtg % Rank
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) ESPN 3469 1 1.14 1
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) USA NETWORK 1996 2 0.65 4
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) DISNEY CHANNEL 1822 3 0.32 17
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) TBS NETWORK 1780 4 0.69 2
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) ABC FAMILY 1720 5 0.67 3
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) TURNER NETWORK TELEVISION 1699 6 0.48 8
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) DISCOVERY CHANNEL 1617 7 0.55 6
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) HISTORY 1593 8 0.42 9
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) FOX NEWS CHANNEL 1577 9 0.14 42
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) HOME AND GARDEN TV 1390 10 0.36 13
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) FX 1387 11 0.57 5
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) HALLMARK CHANNEL 1292 12 0.21 27
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) NICKELODEON 1290 13 0.20 29
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) HBO – THE WORKS 1207 14 0.50 7
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) LIFETIME TELEVISION 1145 15 0.36 13
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) A&E NETWORK 1069 16 0.35 15
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) ADULT SWIM 1059 17 0.42 9
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) FOOD NETWORK 1054 18 0.37 12
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) AMC 1010 19 0.32 17
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) ENCORE 976 20 0.20 29
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) TLC 974 21 0.31 19
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) SYFY 967 22 0.31 19
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) INVESTIGATION DISCOVERY 911 23 0.26 23
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) BRAVO 910 24 0.42 9
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) SPIKE TV 800 25 0.31 19
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) NICK-AT-NITE 799 26 0.21 27
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) ANIMAL PLANET 711 27 0.20 29
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) COMEDY CENTRAL 660 28 0.34 16
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) DISNEY JUNIOR 657 29 0.14 42
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) TV LAND 653 30 0.15 38
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) BLACK ENTERTAINMENT TV 603 31 0.23 25
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) VH1 591 32 0.30 22
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) CABLE NEWS NETWORK 561 33 0.13 47
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) NFL NETWORK 557 34 0.19 32
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) MTV 531 35 0.24 24
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) MSNBC 526 36 0.08 56
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CHNL 524 37 0.18 34
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) SHOWTIME 479 38 0.16 37
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) ESPN2 474 39 0.14 42
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) STARZ 465 40 0.15 38
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) HBO PRIME 462 41 0.18 34
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) OPRAH WINFREY NETWORK 462 41 0.12 48
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) E! 460 43 0.22 26
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) LIFETIME MOVIE NETWORK 460 43 0.15 38
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) TRUTV 451 45 0.18 34
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) WETV 430 46 0.12 48
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) TRAVEL CHANNEL 425 47 0.14 42
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) H2 420 48 0.11 51
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) HALLMARK MOVIES & MYSTERIES 414 49 0.05 78
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) FXX 410 50 0.19 32
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) CNBC 399 51 0.14 42
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) MULTIMAX 399 51 0.15 38
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) GSN 392 53 0.07 63
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) DISNEY XD 375 54 0.07 63
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) HLN 340 55 0.08 56
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) SCIENCE 340 55 0.10 53
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) NICK JR 338 57 0.07 63
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) INSP 324 58 0.02 98
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) OXYGEN MEDIA 309 59 0.12 48
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) CMT 292 60 0.11 51
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) THE WEATHER CHANNEL 282 61 0.06 69
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) WGN AMERICA 274 62 0.07 63
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) NAT GEO WILD 267 63 0.06 69
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) NICKTOONS 263 64 0.05 78
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) BBC-AMERICA 251 65 0.09 55
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) ENCORE PRIMARY 249 66 0.08 56
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) FOX SPORTS 1 248 67 0.10 53
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) SHOWTIME PRIME 237 68 0.08 56
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) DESTINATION AMERICA 236 69 0.06 69
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) TEENNICK 232 70 0.04 85
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) BOOMERANG 230 71 0.05 78
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) AMERICAN HEROES CHANNEL 226 72 0.04 85
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) VELOCITY 218 73 0.06 69
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) IFC TV 208 74 0.08 56
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) DIY NETWORK 207 75 0.06 69
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) UP 204 76 0.04 85
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) FYI 188 77 0.06 69
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) NBC SPORTS NETWORK 187 78 0.07 63
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) TV ONE 186 79 0.08 56
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) STARZ PRIMARY 181 80 0.06 69
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) MAXPRIME 180 81 0.07 63
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) POP 180 81 0.04 85
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) SPROUT 179 83 0.04 85
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) MTV2 176 84 0.08 56
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) DISCOVERY FAMILY CHANNEL 165 85 0.05 78
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) NBA-TV 153 86 0.05 78
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) REELZCHANNEL 146 87 0.03 94
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) GALAVISION 145 88 0.06 69
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) SUNDANCE TV 136 89 0.03 94
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) ESPNU 131 90 0.04 85
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) RFD-TV 131 90 0.00 116
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) DISCOVERY EN ESPANOL 126 92 0.06 69
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) FX MOVIE CHANNEL 125 93 0.04 85
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) ESQUIRE NETWORK 113 94 0.05 78
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) COOKING CHANNEL 108 95 0.04 85
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) ESPNEWS 106 96 0.04 85
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) CHILLER 102 97 0.03 94
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) GOLF CHANNEL 102 97 0.02 98
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) OVATION 99 99 0.02 98
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) UNIVISION DEPORTES 96 100 0.05 78
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) SMITHSONIAN 92 101 0.01 110
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) DISCOVERY LIFE CHANNEL 86 102 0.02 98
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) CLOO 85 103 0.02 98
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) CENTRIC 63 104 0.02 98
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) FOX BUSINESS NETWORK 60 105 0.01 110
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) GREAT AMERICAN COUNTRY 57 106 0.01 110
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) NBC UNIVERSO 56 107 0.03 94
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) LOGO 54 108 0.02 98
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) MLB NETWORK 51 109 0.02 98
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) VH1 CLASSIC 50 110 0.02 98
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) FOX DEPORTES 47 111 0.02 98
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) FUSE 47 111 0.02 98
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) AL JAZEERA AMERICA 35 113 0.01 110
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) DISCOVERY FAMILIA 35 113 0.02 98
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) EL REY 25 115 0.01 110
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) FOX SPORTS 2 24 116 0.01 110
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) BEIN SPORT 13 117 0.00 116
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) TR3S 9 118 0.00 116
12/01/2014 – 02/03/2015 (All) G4 3 119 0.00 116

AMC is back down to the teens. It’s amazing what one primetime program can do for a network…

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