AMC’s juggernaut drama series The Walking Dead continued to outpace ESPN’s Monday Night Football telecast for top ratings honors among cable shows last week.
The Walking Dead drew 15.1 million viewers for the second episode of its fifth season this past Sunday, outdistancing the 12 million viewers ESPN drew for its San Francisco 49’ers-St. Louis Rams Oct. 13 MNF telecast, said network officials.
The Walking Dead’s numbers were down from the cable record 17.3 million viewers the series devoured during its Oct. 12 seaon five premiere, which that week beat out ESPN’s Oct. 6 Seattle Seahawks-Washington Redskins MNF telecast.
ESPN was the most watched cable network for the week of Oct. 13 to Oct. 19, averaging 2.7 million viewers, according to Nielsen. TBS finished second with 1.9 million viewers for the week, followed by Fox News, Disney Channel and USA Network, all tied with 1.7 million viewers.
Nickelodeon and Disney Channel finished in a tie for first place on a 24-hour basis with 1.2 million viewers as both kids-targeted networks continue to roll out Halloween-themed programming. ESPN and Adult Swim followed close behind with 1.1 million viewers each, according to Nielsen.
Most Watched Cable Shows For The Week Of Oct. 13 – 19
DateShowNetwork Total Viewers
10/19 The Walking Dead AMC 15.1 million
10/13 Monday Night Football: 49’ers-Rams ESPN 12.7 million
10/14 MLB Playoffs – Royals-Orioles TBS 6.0 million
10/19 Talking Dead AMC 5.1 million
10/15 MLB Playoffs – Giants-Cardinals FS1 5.0 million
10/16 MLB Playoffs – Giants-Cardinals FS1 4.8 million
10/15 American Horror Story: Freak Show FX 4.5 million
10/14 Sons Of Anarchy FX 4.4 million
10/19 NASCAR Sprint Cup ESPN 4.3 million
10/15 MLB Playoffs – Royals-Orioles TBS 3.9 million
Source: Nielsen
