RISE UP!
TELEVISION’S #1 PROGRAM RETURNS FOR THE SECOND HALF OF ITS SEVENTH SEASON WITH INCREASES IN TOTAL VIEWERS AND KEY DEMOS FROM THE MID-SEASON FINALE IN DECEMBER
MID-SEASON PREMIERE DELIVERS 15.9 MILLION TOTAL VIEWERS, 9.9 MILLION ADULTS 18-49 AND 10 MILLION ADULTS 25-54 IN NIELSEN LIVE+3 RATINGS
#1 SHOW ON TELEVISION FOR FIFTH CONSECUTIVE YEAR UP 5 PERCENT IN TOTAL VIEWERS AND 3 PERCENT IN ADULTS 18-49 FROM DECEMBER’S MID-SEASON FINALE
“TALKING DEAD” REMAINS TELEVISION’S #1 TALK SHOW WITH 5.6 MILLION VIEWERS AND 3.2 MILLION ADULTS 18-49 IN NIELSEN LIVE+3 RATINGS
NEW YORK, NY, February 17, 2017 – “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.”
Key Nielsen Highlights for the mid-season premiere of “The Walking Dead” (L+3)
Episode 709, Sunday, February 12
15.9 million viewers, up 33% from live/same day (growth of 3.9 million)
9.9 million Adults 18-49, up 35% from live/same day (growth of 2.6 million)
10.0 million Adults 25-54, up 36% from live/same day (growth of 2.6 million)
Key Nielsen Highlights for the mid-season premiere of “Talking Dead” (L+3)
Episode 709, Sunday, February 12
5.6 million viewers
3.2 million Adults 18-49
3.4 million Adults 25-54
“The Walking Dead” continues to far outpace everything else on television in delivering 18-49 and 25-54 viewers. Current season averages for the top ten shows on television are:
All Programs, Ranked on Live+3 P18-49:
| Network | Program Name | Live+3
P18-49 (000) |
| AMC | WALKING DEAD | 10,295 |
| NBC | NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL | 8,603 |
| NBC | NBC+NFLN THU NT FOOTBALL | 6,712 |
| CNN | ELECTION NIGHT IN AMERICA | 6,681 |
| CBS | BIG BANG THEORY, THE | 6,227 |
| CBS | CBS+NFLN THU NT FOOTBALL | 6,188 |
| FOX | EMPIRE | 5,631 |
| NBC | THIS IS US | 5,478 |
| ESPN | NFL REGULAR SEASON L | 4,948 |
| ABC | MODERN FAMILY | 4,470 |
Nielsen, 2016-2017 Broadcast Season (9/19/2016 – 2/12/2017), Prime 8P-11P, Live+3, P18-49, excludes 1 t/c programs and programs < 15 min
Excluding sports & news, Ranked on Live+3 P18-49:
| Network | Program Name | Live+3 P18-49 (000) |
| AMC | WALKING DEAD | 10,295 |
| CBS | BIG BANG THEORY, THE | 6,227 |
| FOX | EMPIRE | 5,631 |
| NBC | THIS IS US | 5,478 |
| ABC | MODERN FAMILY | 4,470 |
| ABC | GREY’S ANATOMY | 4,314 |
| NBC | VOICE | 3,860 |
| NBC | VOICE-TUE | 3,855 |
| ABC | BACHELOR, THE | 3,785 |
| FX | AMERICAN HORROR STORY | 3,753 |
| ABC | SCANDAL | 3,606 |
| ABC | DESIGNATED SURVIVOR | 3,521 |
| AMC | TALKING DEAD | 3,331 |
| BET | NEW EDITION STORY, THE | 3,250 |
| CBS | SURVIVOR | 3,169 |
Nielsen, 2016-2017 Broadcast Season (9/19/2016 – 2/12/2017), Prime 8P-11P, Live+3, P18-49, excludes sports, news, 1 t/c programs and programs < 15 min
Key Social Highlights for the mid-season premiere of “The Walking Dead”
- The mid-season premiere episode of “The Walking Dead” was the #1 most social series episode of the week, with 2.6 million interactions on Facebook and Twitter.
- Among all primetime series, “The Walking Dead” mid-season premiere episode was the most social episode of 2017 so far, with more than double the interactions than the next-closest episode (premiere of The Bachelor, which had 934K).
Source: Nielsen Social Content Ratings, 2/6 – 2/12 Episodes, Linear Metrics, Nielsen Social Content Ratings, Primetime Series Episodes, 1/1 – 2/12, Ranked by Total Interactions
An AMC Studios production, “The Walking Dead” is executive produced by Scott M. Gimple, Robert Kirkman, Gale Anne Hurd, David Alpert, Greg Nicotero, and Tom Luse.
About AMC
AMC is home to some of the most popular and acclaimed programs on television. AMC was the first basic cable network to ever win the Emmy® Award for Outstanding Drama Series with “Mad Men” in 2008, which then went on to win the coveted award four years in a row, before “Breaking Bad” won it in 2013 and 2014. The network’s series “The Walking Dead” is the highest-rated series in cable history and the number one show on television among adults 18-49 for the last five years. AMC’s other current original drama series include “Better Call Saul,” “Hell on Wheels,” “TURN: Washington’s Spies,” “Halt and Catch Fire,” “Humans,” “Fear the Walking Dead,” “Into the Badlands,” “The Night Manager,” “Preacher,” and the forthcoming “The Son,” “The Terror,” “Lodge 49,” “Loaded” and “McMafia.” AMC also explores authentic worlds and discussion with original shows like “Talking Dead,” “The Making of The Mob,” “Comic Book Men,” “Ride with Norman Reedus” and “The American West.” AMC is owned and operated by AMC Networks Inc. and its sister networks include IFC, SundanceTV, BBC America and WE tv. AMC is available across all platforms, including on-air, online, on demand and mobile.