“Better Call Saul” had the biggest series premiere in cable history (among young viewers) on Sunday (February 8) night and it definitely had absolutely nothing to do with its “Walking Dead” lead-in.
Nope. Absolutely nothing.
AMC is boasting this morning that the series premiere of “Better Call Saul” drew 4.4 million viewers among adults 18-49 in its special 10 p.m. airing on Sunday. The “Breaking Bad” prequel drew 6.9 million viewers in total, including 4.0 million viewers among adults 25-54.
How much of that audience will stick around for the “Better Call Saul” premiere in its regular time period tonight?
We'll have to wait and see.
And how many of those viewers were drawn in by the latest midseason premiere for “The Walking Dead”?
A lot.
“The Walking Dead” drew 15.6 million viewers in its 9 p.m. premiere airing, including 10.1 million viewers in the 18-49 demo. That's up from the 14.8 million viewers and 9.6 million 18-49 who watched the midseason finale in December. It's far below the 17.3 million viewers who watched the premiere in October 2014.
The “Walking Dead” return made it “the biggest regularly-schedule program of 2015, which means not the Super Bowl or the Grammys or the post-Super Bowl “Blacklist,” but other stuff.
Delayed by “Better Call Saul,” the winter premiere for “Talking Dead” drew 2.8 million viewers, including 1.9 million viewers in the 18-49 demo.
“In a competitive environment that sometimes gets as much press as the shows themselves, it is gratifying to deliver programming that breaks through and reaches passionate audiences,” blurbs AMC President Charlie Collier. “For AMC, it starts with the creative talent we are so fortunate to be working with including, among many others – in the order of last night”s unforgettable schedule – Robert Kirkman and Scott Gimple of 'The Walking Dead,' Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould of 'Better Call Saul,' and Chris Hardwick of 'Talking Dead.' We are supremely thankful for the talented people who call this network home, and for the fans who continue to make AMC a television destination unlike any other. Walking. Calling. Talking. Humbling.”
Stay tuned for Monday “Saul” numbers when they become available, which probably won't be till after the episode airs.