Though ABC touted the success of the season three “The Secret Life of the American Teenager” premiere in a press release, the reality is that viewership was down more than thirty percent from last summer’s premiere.
Final viewership came in at 3.183 million viewers, according to Mediaweek, which is down 32.3% from last year’s 4.7 million average.
The demographic numbers were still strong for a cable series, but they, too, fell from last season’s marks.
Among the key adults 18-49 demographic, this year’s premiere was good for a 1.3 rating with 1.7 million demo viewers; last year’s premiere scored 2.1 million in that category. The show’s 1.9 rating and 1.3 million viewer count among women 18-49 compared to 1.6 million for last year’s episode.
Among teens 12-17, “Secret Life” posted a 4.3 rating with 1 million Monday. Last season, the show averaged 1.5 million. The viewers 12-34 comparison was 2.3 million to 2.9 million, while the female teens comparison was 875,000 to 1.3 million.