‘The Walking Dead’: AMC CEO Not Worried About Ratings, Says Network Will Play With ‘TWD’ For A Long Time

The Walking Dead is one of the most popular shows on television. However, some viewers couldn’t help but notice the dip in ratings. However, fans don’t have to worry about the TV show being canceled anytime soon. AMC CEO Josh Sapan addressed the declining numbers, but he isn’t worried at all. Based on his statement, it sounds like TWD could stay on the air for several years.

According to ComicBook.com, the zombie apocalyptic series saw a dip of five million viewers during Season 7. That is a lot of people and it would be understandable if the network bosses were worried. However, that is not the case with Sapan, who described the ratings slide as “some minor erosion.” He also teased that the show could go on for quite some time.

“It’s pretty alive and vital and there’s a long time that we’re going to be playing with The Walking Dead.”

Some believe the fall in ratings is from Negan’s (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) brutality or the slow pace of some episodes. There were even fans threatening to stop watching after Glenn Rhee (Steven Yeun) and Sgt. Abraham Ford (Michael Cudlitz) died. However, Sapan has a different perspective on the low ratings. He thinks it has nothing to do with The Walking Dead itself, but more with the habits of subscribers.

“We’re seeing an offset of subscriber decline through Internet TV subscription, I think it’s likely to accelerate… as prices adjust, as packages adjust, as offerings are customized and so-called disruptors enter the market and offer varieties of packages that may take hold.”

There is no doubt that some viewers have stopped watching the series. It happens with TV shows all the time. People get busy, they lose interest, or they get so behind it would take forever to get caught up. Besides upset viewers, one reason for lower ratings is the number of people who have dropped cable. They sometimes wait until it comes out on Netflix or DVD. For many more, they search the web to find episodes online. Now, that would explain a small dip, but five million is a huge chunk of lost viewers.

The Walking Dead Season 7 premiere brought in 17.03 million viewers. That number drastically fell by Episode 2, but throughout the season, the numbers stabilized, even though they were still on the lower end of the spectrum. Episode 12 raked in only 10.12 million people, the lowest since Season 3.

The CEO of AMC added that it is easier to have faith in content the network owns, such as TWD and Fear The Walking Dead. Sapan explained that if they have to rent or lease content from Sony, like with Better Call Saul, then it is more difficult to have success. This might be why AMC is confident enough to renew their own content for multiple seasons. During Season 6, it was announced that The Walking Dead was renewed for Seasons 7 and 8. More recently, FTWD was renewed for Season 4 before the third season even aired.

Even though The Walking Dead did have plummeting ratings, there are still a lot of loyal fans that will never give up on the show. As previously reported by the Inquisitr, Season 8 will have lots of action, be faster-paced, and feature fewer standalone episodes. These improvements address some issues viewers had in the past. Perhaps that will get fans watching and bring the ratings back up.

What do you think of what AMC CEO Josh Sapan had to say about the ratings for TWD? Are you surprised he isn’t concerned about the declining numbers? Do you expect The Walking Dead Season 8 to have better results?

[Featured Image by John Sciulli/Getty Images for AMC]