Do The Walking Dead ratings matter that much to AMC? It’s an interesting question. As the Season 10 numbers continue to dip, it raises some questions about whether fans should be worried about the series.
The great news, here, is that the network has already announced and approved Season 11 for next year. They are working hard on stories and it will include the re-introduction of Lauren Cohan to the TWD cast.
Bringing back a fan-favorite like Maggie Greene should surely lead to some viewers returning to the show. At the same time, it will introduce some more interesting storylines, especially if Negan (played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan) is still wandering around.
This is Beta's happy face. #TWD pic.twitter.com/Z2cR4JR6T1
— The Walking Dead on AMC (@WalkingDead_AMC) November 7, 2019
Season 10 ratings for The Walking Dead
The premiere episode this fall only drew an estimated four million viewers and Episode 5 dipped to just about 3.1 million. Numbers within the key demographic of viewers aged 18 to 49 have also dropped in the five weeks.
Those numbers are series lows for the show and way off the days when TWD was drawing more than 10 million viewers every week. Still, even though the numbers are down, it’s not all bad news for The Walking Dead ratings.
One example to look at is how the show did with Season 10, Episode 4. An estimated 3.3 million viewers tuned in live, which is also a rough number, but let’s take a look at how many people are watching it on the DVR.
In the seven days following the airing of that October 27 episode, an additional 2.2 million people watched the show. That’s an amazing number that pushes the estimated number of viewers to about 5.5 million.
For a little more perspective, with the DVR numbers, those The Walking Dead ratings make it the most-watched show on cable. It also became the most-watched show for viewers aged 18-49, which is what advertisers look at each week.
Java Dean Morgan #TWD pic.twitter.com/qUoYVvJIpy
— The Walking Dead on AMC (@WalkingDead_AMC) November 6, 2019
Sure, the Season 10 ratings for The Walking Dead have dipped quite a bit in comparison to some really successful seasons in the past. But it’s clear why AMC isn’t worrying too much about it all and why the network has already approved a third series for the franchise.
With all of the competition that cable networks provide AMC, it’s very remarkable that The Walking Dead Season 10 still continues to generate enough interest to rank it among the most-watched cable shows each week. You just have to take into account that not everyone can watch it live.
The Walking Dead airs new episodes Sunday night at 9/8c on AMC.