The premiere of HBO’s “Big Little Lies” outperformed the first episode of “The Young Pope,” but it was far from a live+same-day ratings force Sunday night.
According to L+SD data posted by Showbuzz, Sunday’s “Big Little Lies” premiere drew a 0.31 adults 18-49 rating and averaged 1.13 million total viewers.
By comparison, the recent “Young Pope” premiere drew a 0.30 rating and 0.96 million viewers.
While favorable to “Big Little Lies,” the comparison may not be entirely fair. “Big Little Lies” seemed to receive more hype and definitely features a bigger-name ensemble than “The Young Pope.” Expectations were almost certainly higher.
On the other hand, “Big Little Lies” was forced to do battle with AMC’s juggernaut “The Walking Dead.” “The Young Pope” did not face competition of that magnitude.
Either way, it is important to note that HBO programming is not purely judged on live+same-day viewership. Reliant on subscriptions rather than advertising revenue, HBO can more easily justify looking at encore, on-demand and streaming/multi-platform viewership. Prestige/buzz can also influence renewal decisions.
