‘Twin Peaks’ Premiere Ratings: Showtime’s Revival Opens Low In Initial Linear Numbers
The linear ratings for “Twin Peaks” are in, and at first glance it’s not the phenomenon that Showtime was bracing for.
The return of the David Lynch drama netted 506,000 viewers in its initial premiere on Showtime, as reported by Deadline. That number is expected to jump once streaming and time-shifted data is included.
Showtime insiders noted that traditionally “over 75%” of its audience watches on delay, and that the Twin Peaks two-part premiere has already averaged over 1.1 million viewers on Sunday – 626,000 viewers on-air Sunday and 450,000 from on-demand/streaming. (That doesn’t include viewership for parts three and four, online now.) Live + 3 time-shifted data will be available on Friday.
At this point, it’s not clear whether the two-hour “Twin Peaks” premiere will beat “Billions” for the best debut ever for a Showtime original series. That show averaged nearly 3 million viewers across platforms (including 1.4 million viewers watching live on the network). Before “Billions,” Showtime’s “Ray Donovan” was champ.
READ MORE: ‘Twin Peaks’ Bible: Here’s IndieWire’s Full Coverage of the David Lynch Revival
“Twin Peaks” was aided by the intense interest surrounding the cult series’ revival, and the fact that Lynch had kept a tight wrap over the show. With so little footage available to promote, audiences tuned in to see what the new “Twin Peaks” even looked like.
Per Showtime, “Twin Peaks” helped generate a record number of signups for Showtime’s streaming service, with the single biggest day and weekend of signups ever. “Twin Peaks” also received 4.7 million total impressions Sunday night on Twitter, ranking No. 1 in prime time among all series.
“In the world that we live in now, offering original programming that attracts new subscribers is our primary business objective,” said David Nevins, President and CEO, Showtime Networks in a statement. “By that standard, the ‘Twin Peaks’ premiere is the biggest single-night driver we’ve ever had.”
Stay on top of the latest film and TV news! Sign up for our film and TV email newsletter here.
