Outlander Season 2 renewal: A look back at the announcement

STARZ confirmed Outlander Season 2 was officially happening

Today in history, STARZ picked up Outlander for a second season. The Outlander Season 2 renewal less than a week after the pilot.

Yes, you just read that right.

The series premiere had only just aired on Aug. 9. It was such a success that six days later, the second season was confirmed. STARZ knew this was a show that fans wanted, whether they were book-first fans or finding the franchise through the show for the very first time.

Viewership and social media success

It wasn’t just about the viewership, although that was good. In the first week alone, STARZ shared that more than five million views between Aug. 9 and Aug. 14.

What’s notable about the viewership breakdown from the press release that TV Series Finale still shares is that it was split evenly between male and female viewers. It can often feel like the Sassenachs are mostly made up of women, but there are a few men here and there. This press release makes it clear that the show really wasn’t just marketed towards women, and it’s a power of a multi-genre series.

Another notable element to the press release is how it wasn’t just about viewership. The show became successful online. It turns out our little show managed to make it to No. 1 in the Neilsen Twitter ratings for the day of the premiere.

We can often wonder if social media interactions mean anything for the future of the show. Well, it turns out they certainly used to. Considering the way of the online world now, it wouldn’t be surprising if social media interactions still helped STARZ make decisions.

With this sort of support, it’s no wonder that STARZ opted to renew the series.

Did you watch Outlander from the beginning? What was your reaction to hear Outlander Season 2 was happening? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Outlander throwbacks continue weekly. Follow Claire and Jamie on Facebook for more straight to your feed.