By RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com, originally filed Tuesday, October 13, 2015
The growth had to end sometime.
Like "American Idol," which saw its ratings grow five consecutive seasons, "The Walking Dead" - by far the biggest show shot in metro Atlanta - finally hit a wall with its season six debut this past Sunday.
"The Walking Dead" drew 14.6 million same-day viewers on Sunday with a 7.43 18-49 rating. This is down from season 5 debut of 17.29 million and an 8.65 18-49 rating. That's a 16 percent drop in all viewers and 14 percent among 18 to 49 year olds.
This may not be totally bad news because more and more people are watching TV in delayed fashion or on demand. AMC will certainly compile more numbers in the coming days as they come in. (UPDATE: The show drew 19.5 million viewers including three days of DVR usage compared to 22.4 million for the season 5 debut. That's a less severe drop of 8 percent.)
And seriously, "The Walking Dead' is still the monster No. 1 show among younger viewers. I can't imagine AMC is concerned at this point. I wouldn't be.
Just think: "Idol" has lasted another decade after it peaked. I doubt "The Walking Dead" would last that long but it could very well go eight to 10 seasons.
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