Outlander discussion: How important is international success?
At times, it is admittedly somewhat hard to quantitate, given that every country releases television ratings a different way and even for the ones who do, much of them don’t take into account delayed viewing. Countries like UK, meanwhile, don’t have a network partner who is airing the series live in a traditional manner. Some countries have to rely on streaming providers, who are often hesitant to release information at all.
So let’s get back now to the question at the start of the article and that is just how important the show’s global performance really is. When it comes to the decision by Starz as to whether or not to renew the series for another batch of episodes, we really don’t think that it matters all that much in a direct sense. Starz cares about its own ratings domestically, and they don’t really have to be concerned so much with how well it is doing in other countries. They have other concerns that are more on their mind.
Where this does matter a great deal, though, is on the studio end given that they are the ones who reap some of the benefits via global licensing, DVD sales, and much of everything else. They also help to fund the show, so that in turn makes it so valuable that they are able to bring in a lot of money. The series being successful internationally helps with a number of things, whether it be budget to improving the scale of the series to also being able to offer up more fun promotional events to fans. The more attention Outlander gets all over the world, the more power and ability it gives Sony to prepare for the future of the series. International popularity is, of course, also a valuable recruiting tool for many people on social media. If they see a user talking about how much they enjoy Outlander, do you really think that they are going to spend too much time paying attention to whatever country said person is from? Probably not. They care more with getting a recommendation for a good show that follows along with some of their own interests.
The value of international success for Outlander of course is seen in the bottom line, but beyond that, it’s also the thing that really enables the show and its cast and crew to do more opportunities. It enriches the series and allows for so much more to be done from conventions to elaborate DVD launches. While it may not be important as a ratings junkie to follow along with specific figures for countries outside the US, we do like to keep the pulse of the series’ global reach. International success is often an unsung hero in a show’s ability to stay on the air for many years.
We’ll, of course, have more updates on this subject as we dive more into season 4. We welcome your thoughts on this story in the comments and, to go along with that, be sure to like CarterMatt on Facebook for more news, updates, and discussions related to the series. (Photo: Starz.)