Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Negan – The Walking Dead Photo Credit: Gene Page/AMC
The Walking Dead’s seventh season premiere kicked the NFL’s backside – growing in total viewers and key demos from its season six premiere and finale.
The biggest number is for Live+3 ratings: 20.8 total viewers and 13.2 adults in the 18-49 demo. If you’re seriously into numbers, a more detailed analysis follows the break.
“THE WALKING DEAD” RETURNS AS THE BIGGEST SHOW ON TELEVISION FOR THE FIFTH CONSECUTIVE SEASON
SEASON SEVEN PREMIERE GROWS IN TOTAL VIEWERS AND KEY DEMOS FROM THE SEASON SIX PREMIERE AND FINALE
IN NIELSEN LIVE+3 RATINGS, SEASON SEVEN PREMIERE DELIVERS 20.8 MILLION TOTAL VIEWERS, 13.2 MILLION ADULTS 18-49 AND 13 MILLION ADULTS 25-54
EXPANDED 90-MINUTE “TALKING DEAD” IS HIGHEST-RATED TALKING DEAD EVER IN ADULTS 25-54 AND SECOND HIGHEST IN TOTAL VIEWERS AND ADULTS 18-49, DELIVERING 8.7 MILLION TOTAL VIEWERS, 5.4 MILLION ADULTS 18-49 AND 5.5 MILLION ADULTS 25-54
LINEAR RATINGS ACCOMPANIED BY RECORD DIGITAL VIEWERSHIP, NEARLY 2.5 MILLION VIEWS TO DATE AND GROWING
NEW YORK, NY, October 28, 2016 – AMC’s “The Walking Dead” returned for its seventh season Sunday night, solidified as the number one show on television by a wide and expanding margin for a fifth consecutive season, with strong growth from the season six premiere and finale in total viewers and key demographics. An expanded 90-minute episode of “Talking Dead,” presented live from the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in front of 2,500 fans, became the highest-rated “Talking Dead” ever among adults 25-54 and second highest in total viewers and adults 18-49.
In Nielsen live+3 ratings, “The Walking Dead” season seven premiere delivered 20.8 million total viewers, 13.2 million adults 18-49 (a national rating of 10.3) and 13 million adults 25-54 (a national rating of 10.8), growth of 7 percent in total viewers from the season six premiere, 3 percent in adults 18-49 and 7 percent in adults 25-54. From the season six finale, the premiere grew 13 percent in total viewers, 14 percent in adults 18-49 and 11 percent in adults 25-54.
In Nielsen live+3 ratings, “Talking Dead,” the live aftershow hosted by Chris Hardwick that follows every episode of the “Walking Dead” and the #2 show on cable television, delivered 8.7 million total viewers, 5.4 million adults 18-49 (a national rating of 4.2) and 5.5 million adults 25-54 (a national rating of 4.6), up 35 percent, 29 percent and 38 percent, respectively, from the “Talking Dead” season six premiere.
“When millions of fans come together at almost exactly the same time to share a story – a story elevated, that viewers anticipate and have time to let sink in and discuss, moments we collectively feel – it’s as good as television gets and a reminder of the power of weekly storytelling,” said Charlie Collier, president of AMC, SundanceTV and AMC Studios. “This week, ‘The Walking Dead’ once again provided that for all of us. Rest in peace, Glenn and Abraham. You will never be forgotten.”
In addition to the linear viewing, “The Walking Dead” premiere saw record viewership on digital platforms, generating nearly 2.5 million views through this morning.
Key Nielsen Highlights for the premiere of “The Walking Dead” (L+3)
Episode 701, 9 p.m., Sunday, October 23
20.8 million viewers, up 22% from live/same day (growth of 3.8 million)
13.2 million Adults 18-49, up 23% from live/same day (growth of 2.5 million)
13.0 million Adults 25-54, up 24% from live/same day (growth of 2.5 million)
Key Nielsen Highlights for the finale of “Talking Dead” (L+3)
Episode 701, 10:06 p.m. (90 minute special) Sunday, October 23
8.7 million viewers, up 15% from live/same day (growth of 1.1 million)
5.4 million Adults 18-49, up 15% from live/same day (growth of 702k)
5.5 million Adults 25-54, up 16% from live/same day (growth of 770k)
Current live+3 season telecast rankers for television (cable and broadcast)
| Broadcast Date | Originator | Program Name | P18-49 (000) L+3 |
| 10/23/16 | AMC | THE WALKING DEAD | 13,193 |
| 09/25/16 | NBC | NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL | 9,731 |
| 10/02/16 | NBC | NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL | 8,603 |
| 09/22/16 | CBS | CBS+NFLN THU NT FOOTBALL | 7,794 |
| 10/23/16 | NBC | NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL | 7,731 |
| 10/09/16 | NBC | NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL | 7,553 |
| 09/25/16 | NBC | SUNDAY NIGHT NFL PRE-KICK | 7,088 |
| 09/21/16 | FOX | EMPIRE | 7,014 |
| 09/19/16 | CBS | BIG BANG THEORY, THE | 6,896 |
| 10/09/16 | NBC | SUNDAY NIGHT NFL PRE-KICK | 6,675 |
| Broadcast Date | Originator | Program Name | P25-54 (000) L+3 |
| 10/23/16 | AMC | THE WALKING DEAD | 12,965 |
| 09/25/16 | NBC | NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL | 10,446 |
| 10/02/16 | NBC | NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL | 9,136 |
| 09/19/16 | CBS | BIG BANG THEORY, THE | 8,822 |
| 10/23/16 | NBC | NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL | 8,492 |
| 09/22/16 | CBS | CBS+NFLN THU NT FOOTBALL | 8,417 |
| 10/10/16 | CBS | BIG BANG THEORY, THE | 8,239 |
| 09/26/16 | CBS | BIG BANG THEORY, THE | 8,232 |
| 10/03/16 | CBS | BIG BANG THEORY, THE | 8,066 |
| 10/09/16 | NBC | NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL | 8,002 |
Source: NMR L+3, 2016-2017 Broadcast Season (9/19/16-10/23/16), Prime (8P-11P)
“The Walking Dead” season seven premiere also became a major event in social media, becoming the most social series program of 2016, according to Nielsen. Fans tuned in and tweeted 4.6 million times globally and 1.8 million times in the U.S. (according to Twitter data), making the premiere the top tweeted show of 2016. Furthermore, “The Walking Dead” secured not only the #1 spot on Nielsen Social, but 9 out of the top 10 hashtags for the night with 7.4 million unique fans and 16.9 million interactions across Facebook and Twitter (Nielsen).
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.