New York, NY – AMC’s The Walking Dead returned for its fourth season, delivering the highest ratings of any episode in series history. The S4 premiere was watched by 16.1 million total viewers and 10.4 million adults aged 18-49.
The Walking Dead continues to be the No. 1 show on all of U.S. television among the 18-49 demographic. The 2013/ 4 season to date ranks as the No. 1 telecast in adults 18-49, outperforming all programmes. With time-shifted playback, the premiere should exceed 20 million viewers.
“Sincere thanks to the fans, who have welcomed The Walking Dead back for its fourth season with the highest-rated episode in the show’s history,” said AMC President Charlie Collier. “We could not be more proud of this show and everyone on both sides of the camera who work so hard to give life to this story of character, leadership and survival. It starts with series creator, writer and executive producer Robert Kirkman, show runner and executive producer Scott Gimple and the director of last night’s episode (and the man behind the make-up) executive producer Greg Nicotero, their fellow executive producers and an extraordinary cast and crew who are giving their all every day. So clearly, thanks to them, the dead have never been more alive.”
The previous record for an episode of The Walking Dead was 12.4 million total viewers and 8.1 million viewers 18-49 for the season three finale.
Following the premiere of The Walking Dead, AMC premiered the third season of Talking Dead, it became the most viewed premiere in series history with 5.1 million viewers, including 3.3 million adults aged 18-49. Hosted by Chris Hardwick, Talking Dead features Hardwick and fans, actors, producers and other TV enthusiasts, discussing and dissecting that night’s Dead premiere. The premiere episode featured guests including executive producer and show runner Scott Gimple and Nathan Fillion of Castle.
The key Nielsen ratings for S4 of The Walking Dead include 8.1 rating with 16.1 million viewers, 8.2 rating with 10.4 million adults 18-49 and 7.3 rating with 8.8 million adults 25-54.