AMC roared into 2016 with five original premieres in two nights, including the return of The Walking Dead, attracting more than 20 million viewers in three days on linear and digital platforms. With 12.1 million adults 18-49 in linear live+3 ratings and more than 1 million more 18-49 digital viewers within three days, The Walking Dead mid-season premiere is the highest-rated entertainment show this year among adults 18-49, excluding sports and specials.
Talking Dead returned after The Walking Dead with its highest-rated episode this season, delivering 7.5 million total viewers and 4.6 million adults 18-49. The episode featured host Chris Hardwick and guests Greg Nicotero (series executive producer, special effects makeup supervisor and episode director), country star Carrie Underwood and cast member Benedict Samuel, who played one of the Wolves.
Airing at midnight, after The Walking Dead and Talking Dead, Comic Book Men returned with – once again – remarkable performance for its time slot and one of the higher concentrations of 18-49 viewers of any show on television. The episode delivered 1.3 million viewers, 65 percent of whom were in the 18-49 demo – 865,000 18-49 viewers in all, live+3.
The audience for the second season premiere of Better Call Saul grew 83 percent in total viewers and 98 percent in adults 18-49 in three days, for a total live+3 audience of 4.7 million viewers and 2.7 million adults 18-49. The critically acclaimed series returned for its second season airing against the Grammy Awards and without “The Walking Dead” as a lead-in. The second episode of “Better Call Saul” airs tonight at 10 p.m. on AMC.
Finally, a special episode of the Talking Saul after-show delivered 943,000 viewers in live+3 ratings, including 521,000 adults 18-49. AMC will also air Talking Saul following the Better Call Saul season finale on April 18.
“What a terrific start to the year for these iconic AMC series, and what a pleasure to share our biggest weekend of originals ever with such passionate and engaged fans,” said Charlie Collier, president of AMC, SundanceTV and AMC Studios. “We are proud to be working with all the remarkable creative talent driving these shows. Five premieres over one holiday weekend: Together, we walked, we talked, we called and now we can’t wait to explore what’s next for these unforgettable characters and unique worlds.”
