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HBO’s ‘The Newsroom’ Sees Big Drop in Ratings

Jul 3, 2012  •  Post A Comment

“The Newsroom” has already been renewed for a second season, but with the ratings in for Sunday’s second episode, HBO may have reason to question whether it acted too soon.

New York Magazine reports that total viewership for the Aaron Sorkin drama about cable news was down about 20% from the premiere, to 1.7 million. The decline was even bigger in viewers under 50, with Nielsen reporting a demo rating of 0.7, down 30% from the 1.0 for episode one.

Sunday’s installment trailed Bravo’s “Real Housewives of New Jersey,” Lifetime’s “Army Wives” and a movie on FX, the story notes.

The report adds: “The heavy guns on Bravo and Lifetime may also be contributing to the show’s continued gender gap: ‘Newsroom’ ranked No. 33 among cable series Sunday among women under 50, but it was No. 6 with men of the same age. Another factor this week was likely intense competition from the BET Awards, which featured a Whitney Houston tribute and lured 7.4 million viewers (down a tick from last year’s Bieber-boosted 7.7 million).”

With the show in heavy rotation on HBO — and given its availability on alternative platforms — it’s too soon to sound alarms about a decline in viewership, the story notes.

The report concludes: “If ‘The Newsroom’ were on a broadcast network, this week’s declines would be cause for modest concern, particularly since last week’s premiere numbers were more ‘good’ than ‘great.’ But HBO has trained its subscribers to look for multiple repeats of its shows throughout the week or to view via its HBO On Demand or HBO GO platforms, so until all those numbers are in, it’s really impossible to know whether this week’s drop-off is a sign of viewers opting out, or simply deciding to watch the show on their own timetable.”

8 Comments

  1. How ironic. “The Newsroom” which rails against brain-dead shows like “Real Housewives” can’t top their ratings. I glanced at Bravo’s lineup the other day. Can someone just nuke this country now and put us out of our misery?

  2. This show has more idiotic characters than I can count. From shouting personal business in the middle of a work environment to outrageous behavior on airlines…no one behaves this way in real life; you would be fired, arrested, beaten up by your peers. No wonder everyone outside of America thinks we’re a bunch of crazy people. Add to that Sorkin’s biased, leftist rants that spew forth from the characters in this show…I will laugh if HBO actually carries through with season 2.

  3. This show has more idiotic characters than I can count. From shouting personal business in the middle of a work environment to outrageous behavior on airlines…no one behaves this way in real life; you would be fired, arrested, beaten up by your peers. No wonder everyone outside of America thinks we’re a bunch of crazy people. Add to that Sorkin’s biased, leftist rants that spew forth from the characters in this show…I will laugh if HBO actually carries through with season 2.

  4. This is the best show I’ve ever seen – but then, I’m in the over 50 male category. Excellent writing, magnificent acting and short abrupt humor. It’s a show that contains no fools, which is rare. I absolutely identify with Will. As a republican that believes the party has been overwhelmed by fundamentalist religious fanatics (having started with Reagan’s wife’s deal with the devil in the 80’s – the Moral Majority) I hope it helps lead the party back to a platform that more acurately relects the true role of government. But then again, it probably won’t, and will be cancelled because it doesn’t offer up what the “Real Housewives” does – whatever that is.

  5. I was Tivo’ing this show, but no longer. Every week it was pushing me further away from it with their liberal agenda. Is Sorkin really trying to tell us his main character is a conservative? Really?? LOL! Sorkin, you can’t fool Americans into believing the crap you believe. And bringing Jane Fonda in? She wouldn’t star in anything that went against her political ideals. You’re a fool, Sorkin. And out-of-touch liberal Hollywood type who doesn’t have a clue what it is to live in the real world any more.

  6. You’re offended by the “Liberal” bias of a fictional television show?
    I’m offended by the Conservative agenda in real life.
    At least you can change the channel.

  7. Chuck H, Your age and expressed views aptly reflect my own.

  8. really is this true or did you hear it on Faux News – if you don’t understand The Newsroom it is because you are one of those who will never get it.

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