Outlander season 3 episode 3 ratings set another series record for Starz

Even before seeing the Outlander season 3 episode 3 ratings, we had high hopes for them to be fantastic. The premiere was hampered in part by Hurricane Irma, whereas the second episode was slowed down by the Primetime Emmy Awards.

Now, we’re pleased to say that the Starz drama has officially set another record for most-watched episode to date. With 1.55 million viewers watching Sunday night’s “All Debts Paid,” this is now the most-popular episode in the show’s history. It beats the previous record set by the season 3 premiere (1.49 million), and the fact that it did this in the middle of its season is all the more impressive. Remember that typically premieres and the finales have the largest total viewership; granted, Starz noted to us following the premiere that they projected more than 1.6 million premiere viewers had Irma not made a dramatic impact on viewing in certain parts of the country. This is a record that could very well be broken with the next episode, or with the big Print Shop – Jamie and Claire reunion in the weeks ahead.

The Outlander season 3 episode 3 ratings record is a testament mostly to the show’s enormous viewer based and dedicated fans, who will watch and support the show without fail. It also fuels their fire by delivering breathtaking, awe-inspiring drama week in and week out. This viewership is, as we often note, only a small fraction of the overall audience, as well — there are many viewers who choose to watch early either via Video On Demand or the official Starz app, and they are not included in this tally. Meanwhile, the same goes for those who watch after the fact via DVR or in repeat airings. We should have a better picture of the show’s weekly total viewers a little bit later in the season.

In the end, the ratings for Starz are interesting in that what really matters here are the total number of subscriptions — for example, if all of these viewers subscribed to Starz a week before the premiere, or are keeping their longstanding subscription in order to watch new episodes, Outlander has even more value than it would otherwise. The main purpose of the live+same-day viewer totals is to gauge the show’s pop-culture impact and to apply more pressure to the network to make a season 5 renewal announcement. If the numbers continue to stay this strong, or if more records are broken, we anticipate such a renewal will come by the time we make it to early 2018. Otherwise, network executives may just like to watch us suffer

What’s your take on the Outlander season 3 episode 3 ratings?

Do you have a prediction as to when some of the next ratings records will be broken on Starz? Be sure to sound off now in the comments!

Meanwhile, we’ve got a wide array of different Outlander stories to check out if you haven’t seen them already. Our most-recent episode review is over at the link here, and you can also preview here what lies ahead for the series. For more news on all things TV, like us on Facebook. (Photo: Starz.)