Which viewer and TV ratings count for Outlander’s renewal?

While Outlander Season 6 is already confirmed, we’re looking ahead at the future of the series. Which Season 5 ratings count for renewals?

Despite Outlander Season 6 already being in the bag, we’re looking at the future of the series. After all, there’s a lot of talk about Season 7 and beyond. Which viewer and TV ratings are the most important for the future of the series?

STARZ will consider a number of different ratings and figures to determine is a show is viable. I will start this by saying that I don’t think the series is in danger just yet. According to a previous interview with Caitriona Balfe, the cast is contracted for another season after Season 6, while Jeffrey Hirsch has also made it clear that the series is one of the top shows on STARZ and the future is bright.

But that doesn’t stop us from wondering, right? It doesn’t stop us from wanting to do everything we can to make sure the series is renewed. So, we need to consider the figures that STARZ will use to determine the show’s viability in the future.

The Nielsen live ratings are used for many TV shows. These are pulled for Outlander, but they only include the ratings from when the show airs live on the STARZ channel. It doesn’t include the figures of those who watch directly on the STARZ App or those who view on the app through Hulu, Amazon Prime, and other methods. It’s for those who tune in at 8/7c on Sunday nights.

Does that mean nothing else counts? Certainly not! STARZ has access to the number of viewers on the app. And those figures are considered heavily. Unlike primetime TV networks that rely on ads to keep them going, STARZ relies on subscribers to the app. Like Netflix and Amazon Prime, it’s going to look at the number of people who subscribe ahead of certain TV shows and the number of people who watch a show from start to finish.

You signing up ahead of Outlander and watching the show each week (and probably watching more than once) makes it clear to STARZ that you get the app for this show. That’s especially the case for those who decide to cancel the app once the show is over.

Then there are the social figures. While not as important, tracking the amount of people who are talking about the show on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram is used to determine popularity. Nielsen counts these mentions three hours before an episode airs, the hour the episode airs, and three hours after the episode airs for the first time. Use #Outlander as one of your first two hashtags in a tweet.

What about international views? While not used as heavily as the U.S. views, they do still count. That’s especially the case for those countries that get the episodes on the same night or the following day. So, it’s worth tuning in live as much as possible. These figures are also good for the renewal of contracts internationally. If networks see that the show is popular, they’re more likely to renew their own licensing agreement to keep the show coming.

So, which viewer and TV ratings are important for an Outlander Season 7 renewal? Everything! However you watch, make sure you do it legally and make it clear to STARZ that you want more.

Outlander Season 5 premieres on Feb. 16 at 8/7c on STARZ.