Walking Dead Premiere Draws 17 Million Viewers

The cliffhanger worked, I guess.

By Nicole Carpenter

AMC's The Walking Dead reached 17 million viewers during its October 23 premiere, taking the top spot for broadcast and cable programming.

The Walking Dead beat out Sunday Night Football, Empire, and its own Season 6 premiere, according to Deadline. The Season 7 premiere, "The Day Will Come When You Won't Be," just missed record-breaking numbers currently held by the Season 5 premiere from 2014.

Season 5's opener reached 17.3 million total viewers, with 11 million of those in the 18-49 age demographic. That's a two percent decline in total viewers and a 10 percent dip in the 18-49 age demographic. Compared to the Season 6 premiere, though, Season 7 was up 16 percent. From the Season 6 finale, Sunday's premiere was up 20 percent in total.

These numbers boded well for The Walking Dead's aftershow, Taking Dead, as well. Hosted by Chris Hardwick, Talking Dead reached its highest viewership numbers yet, bringing in 7.6 million viewers.

Despite the high viewership, The Walking Dead's season premiere didn't please everyone. The Walking Dead Season 7 premiere scored a 6 out of 10 in our review.

Nicole is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter.

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