‘Duck Dynasty’ Ratings: A&E Show Hits One-Year High With Wedding Episode
A&E’s “Duck Dynasty” may no longer be a ratings juggernaut, but it proved with Wednesday’s eighth-season finale that it still has plenty of fans.
Wednesday’s hourlong episode, in which Willie and Korie Robertson’s eldest son, 19-year-old John Luke, tied the knot with fiancee Mary Kate McEacharn in a ceremony at the Robertson farmhouse, averaged a 1.04 rating in adults 18-49 and 3.26 million viewers overall, according to Nielsen’s “live plus same-day” ratings. This made it cable’s No. 1 program on Wednesday in both categories, while it ranked No. 2 among all television originals in men 18-34 (behind only CBS’ “Big Brother”).
“Duck Dynasty” was up week to week by 20% in the demo and by more than 1 million total viewers (from 2.22 million). These are the show’s best numbers in 19 episodes — since its season six finale in August of last year (1.4 in 18-49, 3.81 million viewers overall).
“Duck” continues to generate strong DVR playback, too. Prior to last night’s finale, it was growing on average by 59% in 18-49 rating (0.82 to 1.30) and by 49% (or more than 1 million viewers) in overall audience (2.23 million vs. 3.32 million) when going from “same-day” to “live plus-3” ratings (three days’ worth of time-shifting included).
In its heyday of 2013, “Duck Dynasty” was among the top-rated shows on television in key demos of adults 18-49 and 25-54. And though it has fallen off — due in part to controversial comments by family patriarch Phil Robinson that got him suspended from the show in December 2013 — it remains a ratings force.
For the summer, according to Nielsen’s “most current” estimates, “Duck Dynasty ranks No. 10 among basic cable series in total viewers (3.44 million), No. 9 in adults 18-49 (1.3 rating) and No. 8 in adults 25-54 (1.5 rating).
In other same-night cable ratings news Wednesday, USA’s rookie drama “Mr. Robot” shot up to six-week highs in both 18-49 (0.49 rating) and 25-54 (0.58 rating) and a five-week high in total viewers (1.32 million). The critically acclaimed drama, which wraps its first season next week, is summer’s top-rated new scripted basic cable drama in adults 18-49 (0.92 rating), according to Nielsen’s “most current” estimates.
Chris Cuomo’s hourlong interview with Donald Trump gave CNN a boost (1.14 million viewers, including 369,000 in the adults 25-54 demo) — more than doubling the network’s 9 o’clock hour’s averages on Monday and Tuesday of this week. Still, Fox News Channel’s Trump-less “The Kelly File” easily won the hour (2.56 million overall, 513,000 in the demo), even with Martha MacCallum filling in for Megyn Kelly as guest host.
Over at ABC Family, “Young & Hungry” kicked off the second half of its sophomore season nicely (0.42 in 18-49, 851,000 viewers overall), up 17% in the demo (from 0.36) and 11% in total viewers (from 767,000) vs. its second-season premiere in March. But newcomer “Kevin From Work” was again soft in its second week (0.20 in 18-49, 402,000 viewers overall), retaining less than half of its “Young” lead-in in what is its new regular 8:30 p.m. timeslot.
WEDNESDAY’S TOP PRIMETIME ORIGINAL CABLE PROGRAMS
Adults 18-49 rating
1. Duck Dynasty (A&E), 1.04
2. Suits (USA), 0.61
3. Wahlburgers (A&E), 0.58
4. Little Women L.A. (Lifetime), 0.54
5. Catfish (MTV), 0.52
6. Mr. Robot (USA), 0.49
7. Property Bros. Buy and Sell (HGTV), 0.47
8. American Pickers (History), 0.45
9. Camp Cutthroat (Food), 0.44
10. Key and Peele (Comedy), 0.42
10. Young and Hungry (ABC Family), 0.42
Total Viewers (in millions)
1. Duck Dynasty (A&E), 3.26
2. The O’Reilly Factor (Fox News), 3.08
3. American Pickers (History), 2.65
4. The Kelly File (Fox News), 2.56
5. Suits (USA), 2.30
6. Hannity (Fox News), 2.03
7. Property Bros. Buy and Sell (HGTV), 1.91
8. House Hunters Off the Grid (HGTV), 1.76
9. The Woodsmen (History), 1.66
10. Girl Meets World (Disney), 1.65
Source: Nielsen; each 18-49 ratings point represents about 1.27 million viewers
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