‘Walking Dead’ Debut Down; Devours 14.6M Viewers

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Sunday’s The Walking Dead season six premiere didn’t have the same audience bite as last year’s season five debut but still managed to generate 14.6 million viewers, according to Nielsen.

AMC’s zombie-themed series fell short of the show’s record 17.3 million viewers garnered in its October 2014 season five premiere, but was the most watched premiere for any cable show this year.

The debut also helped AMC finish third for the week in primetime viewing among cable networks for the week of Oc.t 5 to Oct. 11, according to Nielsen.

ESPN won its sixth consecutive weekly ratings crown, averaging 4.1 million viewers, followed by TBS’ 3.5 million viewers, according to Nielsen.

AMC was followed by Disney Channel and Fox News, which tied with 1.7 million viewers. USA Network (1.6 million); FX (1.3 million); HGTV (1.2 million); FS1 and History (1.0 million) rounded out the top 10 most watched networks for the week.

ESPN was also tops in total day ratings as well as among adults 18-49, according to Nielsen.

R. Thomas Umstead
R. Thomas Umstead

R. Thomas Umstead serves as senior content producer, programming for Multichannel News, Broadcasting + Cable and Next TV. During his more than 30-year career as a print and online journalist, Umstead has written articles on a variety of subjects ranging from TV technology, marketing and sports production to content distribution and development. He has provided expert commentary on television issues and trends for such TV, print, radio and streaming outlets as Fox News, CNBC, the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times and National Public Radio. Umstead has also filmed, produced and edited more than 100 original video interviews, profiles and news reports featuring key cable television executives as well as entertainers and celebrity personalities.