Outlander season 4 finale ratings rise to new season high
New Outlander video – Be sure to check out our video discussion about the show’s finale at the bottom of this article; meanwhile, remember to subscribe to CarterMatt on YouTube for weekly Outlander videos (they will continue throughout the Droughtlander) and take a look at our full show playlist.
Sunday’s new episode ended up generating 1.45 million live viewers on Starz, which is the show’s best rating since the penultimate episode of season 3 (which drew just over 1.5 million viewers). The season 4 finale rated higher than a few season 3 episodes, and this is the first time we’ve been able to say that all season. Clearly, there’s been something about season 4 that casual viewers (the ones who tend to watch linear television, as opposed to watching Outlander early via the app) seem to really be enjoying — they’ve built their audience in great succession throughout most of this season.
When you look at the overall numbers for season 4 versus season 3, it does still remain true that the show is down more than 30% in live viewers. Yet, that increase would’ve been substantially less if it had managed to draw 1.45 million all season — that’s very close to the season 3 average. We just think that there are a couple of things that hurt the live ratings through the early part of the season: Pro football competition (which, to be fair, was also there for much of season 3) and then also more and more viewers watching via alternative means. Yet, having so much enthusiasm specifically towards the end of this season, plus the cliffhanger, bodes very well for the upcoming fifth season.
What we wish we knew is what percentage of live viewers for Starz were diehard book readers, viewers who already watched via the app or just viewers who don’t actually know all that much about the source material at all. It is entertaining to think about the total demographics of the show, given that there’s only so much of that we get to learn.
Related News – Be sure to check out some Sam Heughan Q&A headlines from last night
Rest assured…
Even though Outlander is on hiatus for the time being, we are going to be bringing you a lot of show-related content over the Droughtlander. Check back for more of the latest, including a discussion about deleted scenes and why certain moments are cut from the show. Hopefully, it’ll be a chance to talk a little bit about some things viewers may not be especially aware of.
What do you think about Outlander posting its best numbers of the season for last night’s finale? Be sure to share right now in the comments. (Photo: Starz.)