For the third straight week, Showtime’s critically acclaimed “Masters of Sex” slipped to a new low mark in total viewership.
Airing from 10:02-10:57 PM, the episodic premiere of this week’s “Masters” reached an audience of only 509,000 viewers. Last week’s episode, which was then the least-watched installment on record, reached 535,000.
Thanks to a markedly younger skew, this week’s episode enjoyed a significant rise in adults 18-49. Whereas last week’s broadcast managed a 0.09, this week’s posted a 0.16.
The fact that “Masters of Sex” airs on a subscription-based network, however, dampens the impact of the adults 18-49 rating. Such a rating still speaks to resonance with the valuable young adult crowd, but it has no direct commercial bearing on a series that does not sell advertisements.
— “Ray Donovan,” which led into “Masters,” enjoyed a second straight gain. This week’s episode posted a 0.51 adults 18-49 rating with 1.442 million viewers. Last week’s drew a 0.37 with 1.263 million.