I’ll admit that I’m not a part of the Yellowstone movement but watching the show’s ratings success has been fascinating to watch. With each season, Yellowstone breaks new ground with its fanbase and the numbers for Sunday’s season four premiere continued the upward trend.
The season four premiere of Yellowstone drew 8 million total viewers in Live+Same day which is up a staggering 104% from its season three premiere one year ago (4.2 million total viewers). The premiere was the most-watched cable series telecast since a 2018 episode of AMC’s The Walking Dead, according to Nielsen via “Deadline“, and it also eclipsed the season four opener of HBO’s Game of Thrones, which was watched by 6.6 million total viewers.
New highs were also achieved in the coveted 18-49 demo. The premiere drew a 3.26 demo rating and was up 82% from the demo score of the season three premiere. In terms of the demo rating that Yellowstone averaged for its entire third season, the season four premiere was up an impressive 119% (3.26 vs. 1.49). The 2 million adults in the 18-49 viewer numbers and the 2.9 million achieved in adults 25-54, were the largest L+SD demo viewership for an entertainment telecast on any network, broadcast or cable, in 2021. Lastly, across four networks, (Paramount Network telecasts and simulcasts on CMT, TV Land, and Pop), the season four premiere drew 9.5 million total viewers, which is up 86% vs. the season three premiere across the same networks (5.1 million total viewers). Chris McCarthy, president, and CEO of MTV Entertainment Group, had this to say about the season four premiere numbers:
“Taylor has created a riveting world that our remarkable cast led by Kevin Costner brings to life in a way audiences can’t get enough of. The Yellowstone season four premiere numbers are just another reason why we are thrilled to deepen our relationship with Taylor and capitalize on this tremendous momentum by building out the Yellowstone franchise together.”
Co-created by Taylor Sheridan and John Linson, Yellowstone follows the Dutton family, led by John Dutton, who controls the largest contiguous ranch in the United States, under constant attack by those it borders – land developers, an Indian reservation, and America’s first National Park. The series stars Kevin Costner, Luke Grimes, Kelly Reily, Cole Hauser, Jefferson White, Wes Bentley, and Will Patton. Season four also sees new cast additions that include Piper Perabo as Summer Higgins, an outside protestor who’s against industrialized farming, Jacki Weaver as Caroline Warner, the CEO of Market Equities, Kathryn Kelly as Emily, a vet tech who gets close to a cowboy; and Finn Little as Carter, a young boy who’s like a miniature version of Rip.
Did YOU watch the season four premiere of Yellowstone? Check out our interview with star Cole Hauser below!