Bad news for AMC as The Walking Dead‘s ninth season premiere bagged the lowest ratings for a series opener the show has ever seen in its history…
Collider is reporting that the season nine premiere, ‘A New Beginning’, raked in a 2.5 rating in the 18-49 demographic and 6.1m viewers. This is down from the season eight premiere’s 11.4m viewers – and it’s the lowest rating since the show’s understandably quiet debut of 5.3m.
From seasons three through seven The Walking Dead drew in audiences of double digits, peaking with 17.29m viewers for season five. The sharp decline in ratings is a major blow for the studio.
With Andrew Lincoln departing and a showrunner change-up behind the scenes it doesn’t entirely bode well for the once-strong cultural juggernaut. How the series handles the departure of its main character since season one is likely to sway viewers.
The Walking Dead continues next week on AMC in the US and FOX in the UK.