‘The Walking Dead’ Ratings Plummet: Is This The End For ‘TWD’?
The Walking Dead ratings have taken a hit in season seven. What has been nothing short of a phenomenon seems to have plateaued, and some are speculating the end might be coming. So, what is the reason for the downturn in the ratings? Television critics across the web are giving their take as the show is in the middle of its winter break.
Forbes offered up their opinion on the problems they feel led to a decline in viewership. Most of it relates to the treatment of fans by the showrunners in their opinion, and it all started with the cliffhanger ending of season six.
A whopping 17 million people tuned in for the premiere episode of season seven to see who was the victim of Negan’s wrath. Just a month later that number dropped by 6 million. While viewership does usually decline from the premiere, over a third of fans have walked away from The Walking Dead (TWD). Forbes attributes the decline to the characters lost, as well as what they term the “purposely messing with you” attitude the writers take.
There is also an attitude that fans have not taken to the new man in charge, Negan. They mention that while no one should like the bad guy, TWD has gone out of its way to stress Negan as the main character of the season, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s portrayal is just not coming off menacing enough.
“His quippy lines, his plastered smiled, his eternal swagger. He comes off like a cartoon character. This is a show that has produced some truly harrowing villains, from the Governor to the Terminus cannibals to the Wolves, and Negan just seems too goofy by comparison.”
Television critics are not the only ones who have taken notice of The Walking Dead ratings decline. Deadline has reported that the lost viewership is having an effect on the performance of AMC stock. When shareholders worries start to get involved, sometimes action is taken sooner rather than later.
Share prices of AMC have remained stagnant, and The Walking Dead has not given the stock the boost it did last year over the same period. In October, when the ratings started to fall, analysts were not overly concerned, but Anthony DiClemente of Nomura wanted to take a “wait and see” approach as TWD went further into the seventh season.
“(The Walking Dead) is a powerful asset that continues to drive advertising and affiliate monetization.”
The idea was to keep an eye on the ratings to determine whether they would shift their stance on the outlook for the stock.
Two other factors get lost on TWD ratings and the cause of the decline. One is the National Football League. When TWD returns, it will no longer be competing with Sunday Night Football. This should free up viewers that might choose to DVR the latest episode.
The final factor that Forbes alludes to is that TWD may have run its course. Fans may just be tired of it. They mention the fact that Rick’s group has yet again come up against what seems to be insurmountable odds. Despite the shocking death here and there, the show is becoming predictable.
There is also not a shortage of zombie shows on television these days. The spinoff, Fear the Walking Dead, doesn’t compete directly, but it may contribute to the influx of shows involving the flesh eaters. Other shows, including Z-Nation, iZombie, and Glitch, can all contribute to the flooding of the market for shows of this genre.
What do you think is the cause of The Walking Dead ratings decline? Is it Negan? Is it too many zombie shows, or is it just time to move on to something else?
[Featured Image by AMC]
