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The CW’s “Reign” Avoids Big Ratings Drop on Halloween

Update: While the Halloween night airing of “Reign” endured deflated viewership, it managed to hold steady in the coveted adults 18-49 demo.

Like last week, Thursday’s “Reign” posted a 0.6 adults 18-49 rating. Total viewership, meanwhile, slipped from 1.83 million to 1.57 million.

Neither number is impressive, but given the potential impact of Halloween and the fact that lead-in “The Vampire Diaries” only delivered a 0.9 adults 18-49 rating with 2.07 million viewers, the performance was definitely not a bad one in context.
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Facing the competitive draw of Halloween parties with weakened lead-in support from “The Vampire Diaries,” The CW’s new drama “Reign” appeared poised for another ratings decline Thursday.

Unable to combat the inevitable, this week’s episode indeed suffered slight audience attrition.

According to TV Media Insights, “Reign” posted a 1.3 overnight metered market rating. its decline of 0.1 from last week’s rating mirrored the amount that episode fell from the show’s October 17 premiere.

Lead-in “The Vampire Diaries,” which was pre-empted in the New York City market for a Village Halloween special (and thus aired as a lead-out at 10PM), declined by 0.2 to a 1.6 overnight rating.

By virtue of its premise–re-imagining the life of Mary, Queen of Scots as an exaggerated primetime soap–“Reign” doomed itself to alienation with a segment of critics and viewers.

Many influential voices have, however, responded positively to the show’s effort.

Unfortunately, ample buzz and visible critical support have not yet been enough to draw an impressive quantity of viewers–particularly in key demos–to The CW’s most ambitious new offering.

Written by Brian Cantor

Brian Cantor is the editor-in-chief for Headline Planet. He has been a leading reporter in the music, movie, television and sporting spaces since 2002.

Brian's reporting has been cited by major websites like BuzzFeed, Billboard, the New Yorker and The Fader -- and shared by celebrities like Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber and Nicki Minaj.

Contact Brian at brian.cantor[at]headlineplanet.com.

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