FOX, the exclusive international home of The Walking Dead and global leader in delivering the best scripted entertainment to international audiences first, today revealed an impressive 17% year-on-year live ratings growth (+24% reach increase) for the season six return of the world’s #1 show.
In the 18 markets across Europe and Asia where Live Overnights were available at time of release, The Walking Dead consistently outperformed its prior seasons records and dominated as #1 in its slot. In key markets such as the UK, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain, the premiere episode became the highest rated live TV hour on FOX ever.
Hernan Lopez, President and Chief Executive Officer, FOX International Channels commented: "Around the world, FOX is synonymous with "The Best. First," and now clearly also, first in ratings. We are thrilled to see our #1 series continue to perform so well on FOX and are convinced this season will continue to deliver explosive entertainment and ratings to match.”
Performance highlights available at time of issue:
The premiere was up 17% in rating across 18 metered markets from prior season and boosted the channel’s Prime Time average 5-fold. The live opening attracted 4.3 million viewers increasing last year’s reach by +25%.
In the highly competitive UK market, where The Walking Dead was pegged against the Lithuania vs England football match on ITV, the premiere achieved phenomenal success, scoring the highest Overnights audience ever recorded on FOX, +11% vs last year’s season opener. FOX comfortably became the most watched Pay TV channel during the timeslot, with an audience more than four times bigger than its nearest rival, beating out the likes of BBC2, Channel 5 and Discovery. The Talking Dead, which FOX has licensed in the UK, also got off to a positive start, helping FOX to retain its hold as the most watched Pay TV channel through Prime Time. It should also be noted that the #TheWalkingDeadUK was the top UK Twitter trend during the premiere.
This year’s premiere of The Walking Dead in Germany drew the largest viewership to FOX ever, resulting in a new record of 3.7% daily share for MF14-59 Pay TV Individuals for the channel.
In the Netherlands, The Walking Dead premiere became the best ever performing entertainment hour on FOX, attracting 153% more Adults 6+ compared to the season 5 debut and delivering +37% from the previously held record for the season 5 finale.
Also in Spain, the premiere episode drew the largest audience for FOX to date, commanding a 2.4% share of live viewing for the slot. Year-on-year, The Walking Dead was up 5% against prior season premiere and up 18% compared to the whole season 5 average.
In Korea, The Walking Dead ranked #1 among all M30-39 in Pay TV and over performed the prior year’s debut by 77% in total Pay TV Households. The premiere also saw an impressive 375% growth in Metro MF25-39 audiences compare to last year.
The premiere in Taiwan was up 18% compared to the premiere of season 5 part B last year, and was the only foreign language program to make the top 10 total TV ranker for the timeslot.
Across the Balkans, The Walking Dead premiere ranked #1 across all pay in Croatia and Slovenia.
The Walking Dead was simultaneously launched in all 127 FOX markets on October 12, reinforcing the network’s “The Best. First” programming and scheduling strategy and reaffirming FOX’s commitment to its viewers to deliver the best entertainment programming before anyone else.