Outlander Season 5 premiere ratings: Is the dip concerning?

The live ratings for the Outlander Season 5 premiere are in. There’s a dip in the figures, but is this something to be concerned about?

Outlander Season 5’s beautiful premiere brought an end to Droughtlander. Now all eyes are on the live TV ratings, as they’re the only sign we all get to see how the series is performing. The Outlander Season 5 premiere saw a dip in the Live + Same Day ratings, but is this a concern?

According to TV Series Finale, the Live + Same Day ratings sit at 0.815 million viewers and a demo rating of 0.12. This sounds bad, especially when you consider the figures are 24% down and 42% down from the Season 4 premiere respectively. The percentage drop is much higher compared to the Season 4 finale.

However, there are a number of factors that will affect the live ratings. One of those is the fact that many people are now subscribing directly to the STARZ App. Comcast removed the premium cable network from its standard packages just before the arrival of the season. Instead of paying extra money to the cable company, fans opted to sign up directly to STARZ instead.

We don’t get to see the STARZ App figures unless the company chooses to reveal them. The ratings Neilsen is able to get are only for those who watch on the channel when new episodes air.

Another factor is that the show released the premiere early. Fans got to watch it on the STARZ App on Valentine’s Day. Many wouldn’t have thought about watching it on the channel at 8 p.m. when they’d already watched it at least 100 times over the course of the weekend.

Does the dip mean no chance of Outlander Season 7?

I wouldn’t worry about the future of the series just yet. STARZ will know just how many people are watching through the app, as well as those watching live on the channel. As I mentioned at the weekend, both figures are considered important for STARZ, but the subscriber numbers watching Outlander will be the most important. This is how STARZ makes its money.

While the total audience is at a series low, there are many factors that have affected this. The series remains in second place out of all STARZ shows from the 2019-2020 season. In fact, it’s in first place when you consider the fact that Power has come to an end. When it comes to total audience, it’s not getting knocked off second place for some time.

STARZ will consider the overall performance compared to other shows before making a decision. With the good results, there isn’t too much to worry about just now. The drop is disappointing, but there’s still plenty of hope for a seventh season.

How and when did you watch the Outlander Season 5 premiere? What did you think of the episode? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Outlander Season 5 continues on Sundays at 8/7c on STARZ.