‘American Horror Story: Roanoke’ DVR ratings further prove strength of franchise

When discussing the ratings for “American Horror Story” for most of this past season, one of the things that we said several times over is that the live+same day ratings were misleading, and not necessarily a real and accurate depiction of just how many people are watching. Now, we’re starting to feel that way more than ever.

According to the numbers that are out there, the “Roanoke” finale drew in total a 2.7 rating in the 18-49 demographic in live+3 data, which calculates date across several different venues for both the initial airing and the three days that follow. This is more than double what the show initially drew in a 1.3 rating. It also almost doubled its total-viewer figures, going from 2.5 million viewers to over 4.8 million.

One of the reasons why this gain is so notable is because it’s an aberration even from most of the rest of cable in the live+3 measure. Shows like “The Walking Dead” are lucky to get half of this percentage increase, while there are several others in the 50-60% range. It’s not unheard of for a cable show to more than double its demo rating, but it’s rare. It just goes to show that with this franchise in particular much of its success is disguised in a certain way. These DVR figures, which also include other measurements such as live+7, are not the only factors used in determining renewals, but they’re near the top of the list.

Ultimately, the biggest takeaway of all here is that it’s all the more clear that this show is one that is not going anywhere in the near future, especially in an era where FX is looking for more breakout hits.

For more news on “American Horror Story,” head over here to get our list of people we’d like to see on another season of the show! (Photo: FX.)