Unlike the previous episode, Sunday’s “True Detective” did not air on 4th of July weekend. It did not face competition from the World Cup post-game show.
It still suffered week-over-week losses in adults 18-49 and total viewership.
Sunday’s episode, which was the fourth of the current second season, posted a 1.08 adults 18-49 rating with 2.359 million viewers. Both marks trail those of the previous broadcast, which scored a 1.15 with 2.622 million viewers.
It was the third consecutive decline for “True Detective.”
— The high-profile drama was not the only HBO broadcast to take a hit this week.
After posting a 0.51 rating with 1.166 million total viewers last week, 10:30PM comedy “The Brink” slipped to a 0.39 with 989,000 viewers.
10PM comedy “Ballers,” which was recently renewed for a second season, slipped in viewership but gained in adults 18-49. This week’s episode posted a 0.84 with 1.591 million audience members; last week’s episode drew a 0.78 with 1.702 million.
While the adults 18-49 gain should not be ignored, the fact that HBO generates revenue from subscriptions rather than advertisements means the viewership number is the more important figure.
“Last Week Tonight” closed HBO’s night with a 0.41 and 1.013 million total viewers.