Depending on the perspective, MTV either received really good or really bad news in the ratings for the premiere of its “Skins” adaptation.
On the plus side, “Skins” performed impressively for a scripted cable series, netting 3.26 million viewers and a 3.4 cable rating within the target 12-34 demographic. That performance stands as MTV’s biggest launch audience within the demo and ranks above the series premieres of cable and broadcast shows like “Pretty Little Liars,” “The Secret Life of the American Teenager,” “Gossip Girl” and “The Vampire Diaries.”
But what about the “Jersey Shore” lead-in? MTV scheduled a special episode of “Jersey Shore,” featuring the much-publicized Snooki arrest footage, to serve as a launching pad for the new scripted series. It did not include the ratings in the “Skins” press release.
Though “Shore” did not match its highs the last time an episode aired out of the timeslot (a season two segment preceded last year’s MTV VMAs), it still performed admirably in comparison to its Thursday night peaks. The first two season three episodes averaged more than eight million viewers in the regular timeslot.
If “Shore” performed within similar territory Monday, a 3.26 million-viewer bow for “Skins” is a bust. In a lengthy feature on the new show, Mediaweek speculated that the post-“Jersey Shore” “Skins” could exceed five million viewers for its premiere.
By that metric, unless “Jersey Shore” came in at a very low number due to the heavy competition at 9PM, “Skins” was not a true success.
Update: “Jersey Shore” reportedly garnered 7.7 million viewers; demographic data is forthcoming. While it could not have been expected to retain a truly significant portion of the “Shore” lead-in, “Skins” would have needed to deliver more than 43% of the reality show’s audience to be deemed a true success.
With the show set to lose that lead-in going forward, the show’s numbers should soon look a whole lot more “normal” for a cable soap.
