Functioning as a case study in the disconnect between social discussion and television viewership, last year’s “Sharknado” premiered as a ratings flop.
While it ultimately found a respectable audience via encore audience, its first broadcast drew a paltry 0.4 adults 18-49 rating with 1.37 million viewers.
It might have been one of SyFy’s most buzzed about original movies ever, but it was not one of the network’s best-rated.
Wednesday’s debut of “Sharknado 2: The Second One” fell victim to the same sort of disconnect. It garnered a billion Twitter impressions and more overall social media activity than any episode of “Game of Thrones,” “The Bachelorette” or “Survivor,” but it did not draw an audience nearly as large as that typically garnered by those series.
It did, however, emerge as a record-setting movie broadcast for SyFy.
According to the network, Wednesday’s broadcast drew 1.6 million adults 18-49 (likely a 1.3 rating) and 3.9 million total viewers. It was the cable network’s most-watched movie ever.
Thanks to strong reviews, the encore telecasts on Saturday, August 2 and Sunday, August 3 are also expected to draw respectable ratings.