NEWSMAKERS

NEWSMAKERS

Once a sensation, ‘Walking Dead’ is just another show

NEW YORK

At some point, a television sensation becomes just another show. The numbers illustrate how that’s become the case with AMC drama “The Walking Dead.”

The zombies are taking a break at the halfway point of their ninth season after an episode Sunday that was seen by 5.1 million people. The Nielsen company said that at a similar point last year, the midseason finale reached 7.9 million people.

For the first seven episodes of the season, the show’s viewership was down 23 percent compared with last year for people who watched on the night of its premiere, and down 21 percent when people who record it and watch within three days are taken into account, Nielsen said. Increasing numbers of the show’s fans, particularly younger ones, are waiting a couple of days to see a new episode.

For the week of Nov. 19-25, the top 10 shows, their networks and viewerships: “NFL Post-Game Show,” Fox, 23.36 million; NFL Football: Atlanta at New Orleans, NBC, 21.73 million; NFL Football: Green Bay at Minnesota, NBC, 20.44 million; NFL Football: Kansas City at L.A. Rams, ESPN, 16.89 million; “NFL Pre-Game Show” (Thursday), NBC, 15.33 million; “NFL Pre-Game Show” (Sunday), NBC, 14.17 million; “60 Minutes,” CBS, 12.96 million; “NCIS,” CBS, 11.95 million; “Football Night in America,” NBC, 10.71 million; “NFL Pre-Game Show, Part 2” (Thursday), NBC, 9.6 million.

Associated Press