“The Walking Dead” has hit a new midseason finale ratings low for the second year in a row.
The episode that aired this Sunday, the midseason finale for the show’s ninth season, averaged a 2.0 rating in adults 18-49 and 5.1 million viewers, according to Nielsen Live+Same Day data. The Season 8 midseason finale was previously the lowest-rated, with that episode having drawn a 3.4 rating and 7.9 million viewers last year. That means this year’s midway point for the show was down a steep 41% in the key demo and 35% in total viewers compared to the same episode last year. This season’s episode is also now not only the lowest-rated midseason finale for the show to date, but also it’s least-watched.
The midseason finale ratings for the show now rank as follows, organized from highest-rated to lowest.
Season 5: 7.6 rating, 14.8 million viewers
Season 6: 7.0 rating, 14 million viewers
Season 4: 6.1 rating, 12.1 million viewers
Season 3: 5.4 rating, 10.5 million
Season 7: 5.1 rating, 10.6 million
Season 2: 3.5 rating, 6.6 million
Season 8: 3.4 rating, 7.9 million
Season 9: 2.0 rating, 5.1 million
Season 1 of “The Walking Dead” consisted of just six episodes and did not have a midseason finale.
The series has hit new ratings lows at multiple times during this season, with just the second episode of Season 9 officially putting up a new series low in the demo with a 2.0. It fell below that mark with a 1.9 rating the following week, with last week’s episode dipping further to a 1.8. Last week’s episode also flirted with a new series low in total viewers, chalking up 4.8 million. The current low in that measure is 4.7 million, set during Season 1.
On the bright side, this week’s episode was up a few percentage points in each measure from last week’s episode. It was also once again the highest-rated show on cable for the night, with the show currently ranking as cable’s top-rated show for the season.