The bleed continues for FX’s “American Horror Story: Hotel,” which again slipped in adults 18-49 and total viewership.
Per Nielsen cable data, Wednesday’s episode drew a 1.48 adults 18-49 rating with 2.867 million total viewers. Both numbers trail those of the previous broadcast, which posted a 1.60 and reached 3.045 million total viewers.
Not simply down from the previous week’s episode, Wednesday’s “Hotel” was the lowest-rated fifth episode in the franchise’s five-season history. It was #3 in total viewers (below “Freak Show” and “Coven” but above “Asylum” and “Murder House”). A breakdown of each season’s fifth episode is included below.
Like this week’s episode, the fifth installments of “Freak Show” and “Coven” faced competition from ABC’s annual CMA Awards broadcast. The 2014 and 2013 CMA Awards, moreover, drew stronger ratings (and thus represented stronger competition) than this year’s edition.
The presence of the CMA Awards does not, therefore, excuse the year-over-year decline.
As for the week-over-week-decline, while the corresponding 2014 episode suffered such a loss on the night of the CMA Awards, the relevant 2013 episode enjoyed weekly gains in adults 18-49 and total viewership.
Following the October 7 premiere, each “Hotel” episode has suffered week-over-week drops in adults 18-49 and total viewership. Despite the downward trend, “AHS” continues to perform well from a competitive standpoint; Wednesday’s episode was the night’s #1 cable program in adults 18-49.
American Horror Story: Ratings for fifth episode
Season 5: 1.48 rating, 2.867 million viewers
Season 4: 2.11 rating, 4.220 million viewers
Season 3: 2.2 rating, 3.799 million viewers
Season 2: 1.6 rating, 2.779 million viewers
Season 1: 1.6 rating, 2.745 million viewers