Outlander season 3 episode 5 narrowly sets another ratings record

Did the hype of a Claire – Jamie reunion on Outlander season 3 episode 5 lead to the Starz series setting another live+same-day ratings record? We come bearing some very good news.

In the end, Sunday’s “Freedom & Whisky” drew just shy of 1.6 million viewers on Sunday, which makes it the most-watched episode to date. This is the fourth time that the series has managed to set a new record for itself since the premiere — the only week it did not was when it was airing opposite the Primetime Emmy Awards, which always does tend to be worthy competition.

As for week-to-week increases, the rise for “Freedom & Whisky” (read our full review here at CarterMatt) is a little smaller than some of the others in the past. The show gained around 10,000 live viewers for the episode, which is a rise of less than 1% from the week prior. Still, isn’t a win still a win? Huge congratulations are in order for Starz and to the show’s producers, cast, and crew for finding a way to create a show so addictive that more and more viewers are routinely checking it out.

Typical disclaimer: These ratings don’t include app views or repeat airings, nor do they include numbers of anyone who watched via DVR on Monday. There will be multiplatform ratings released hopefully at some point this season and those will give you a larger indication of how many viewers are actually watching Outlander a week. The live+same-day ratings are the most useful to look at for press considerations — they generate headlines like these and help to encourage Starz to offer up a season 5 renewal.

Could we see another ratings record on October 22?

This is an interesting discussion point. From one vantage point, we’re getting the aftermath of the big Jamie – Claire reunion. The scenes that follow are highly anticipated by many fans of the Diana Gabaldon books — it’s really what we have been building towards for the entirety of the season. Yet, there are also those concerned that the one-week hiatus could cause some of the more casual viewers out there to lose interest in watching the show live — that’s the same concern you have anytime that a show takes a break.

For the time being, we’re going to assume that the hiatus won’t impact Outlander much and it stands a reasonably good chance of keeping its audience or setting a new record. One of the things that it has going for it the most is the enormous amount of publicity that is out there. Even though Outlander may be off the air for a week we have a hard time thinking that it will be pushed far out of anyone’s mind during the break. There’ll still be plenty of articles written about it, whether they be here or elsewhere on the web.

What’s your take on the Outlander season 3 episode 5 ratings?

Be sure to sound off with some of your thoughts on the subject below! Meanwhile, click here to see more news on Outlander season 4 or like us on Facebook for scoop on this or other shows we cover at the site. (Photo: Starz.)