The return of “Yellowstone” continues to drive big ratings for Paramount.
The viewership for the premiere of Part 2 of Season 5 of the epic neo-Western drama rose to 21 million viewers in the Live+3 ratings. That is according to VideoAmp data, as Paramount Global is not currently using Nielsen data given the fact the contract between the two companies expired in September. Talks remain ongoing.
Also according to Paramount, the episode is the biggest premiere in the history of Paramount+ outside the U.S. It is currently available to stream exclusively on Paramount+ in the UK, Latin America, France, and Canada, and will be available on Paramount+ in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria next year.
Previously, Paramount reported via VideoAmp that the premiere attracted 16.4 million viewers across Paramount Network, CBS, and various other Paramount-owned cable networks that simulcast the episode as well as encore airings. That would mean the premiere is up approximately 29% in Live+3 over the Live+Same Day viewership.
However, Nielsen data reviewed by Variety put the premiere at approximately 13.62 million viewers in Live+Same Day across all the aforementioned networks. This post will be updated with Nielsen Live+3 data should it become available.
The premiere episode picked up where Season 5 left off in January 2023 and marks the series’ first episode without Kevin Costner, who led the Western drama as patriarch John Dutton for five and a half seasons. Costner departed from the show after scheduling conflicts with his film saga “Horizon” could not be resolved.