The long-term fallout from A&E’s suspension of Duck Dynasty star Phil Robertson remains to be seen. What we can view now is a quick, sizable ratings stumble following said the suspension.
According to Nielsen live-plus-same-day data, in the days after the Duck Dynasty patriarch was benched for his anti-gay remarks to GQ writer Drew Magary, A&E experienced a significant downturn in its deliveries. In the week of Dec. 16-22, A&E averaged 1.51 million viewers in prime time, down 13 percent from 1.73 million in the year-ago period.
The target demos took a bigger hit, as adults 25-54 dropped 22 percent to 678,000, while members of the 18-49 set fell 18 percent to 646,000.
Total-day deliveries also slumped, as overall viewers were down 11 percent to 792,000, while adults 25-54 dropped 20 percent to 361,000. A&E’s standing among adults 18-49 declined 15 percent to 367,000.
Fans of the reality show smash still don’t know if Duck Dynasty will continue on A&E in the new year even though the bulk of the show’s fifth latest season are already in the can.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.