Unlike the previous week’s episode, Monday’s “Scream” did not face competition from the NBA Finals.
The lighter competitive landscape did not, however, prevent MTV’s drama from falling in adults 18-49 and total viewership.
According to national data posted by Showbuzz, Monday’s “Scream” drew a 0.13 adults 18-49 rating and 271,000 total live+same-day viewers. The numbers, which are both series lows, trail the 0.17 and 348,000 (figures which were themselves series lows at the time) drawn by last week’s broadcast.
Lead-in “Are You The One” was also down this week. After posting a 0.37 rating and 0.69 million viewership figure for last week’s season premiere, which was opposite the basketball game for the entirety of its run time, the show fell to a 0.30 adults 18-49 rating and 0.54 million total viewers this week.
While it was done no favors by the reduction in lead-in support, “Scream” cannot necessarily blame the entirety of its decline on that fall. “Scream” did not typically receive meaningful lead-in support throughout its first season.
Granted, it did air in the more desirable Tuesday at 10PM slot. The move to Monday at 11PM may not explain the entirety of the decline — interest definitely seems to have faded — but it definitely does not play to the show’s advantage.
