ACS Versace | FX Networks
FX’s “The Assassination Of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story” has been on a ratings slide since the January 17 premiere.
Wednesday’s episode, which aired on Valentine’s Day and faced competition from the Winter Olympics, did not reverse the trend.
According to live+same-day data posted by Showbuzz, Wednesday’s “Versace” drew a 0.24 adults 18-49 rating and averaged 913,000 overall viewers.
The numbers trail the 0.30 rating and 981,000 viewer mark posted by last week’s episodes.
While the context (Winter Olympics, Valentine’s Day) surely did not help this particular episode, it is undeniably clear that L+SD interest in “Versace” pales in comparison to that of the previous, OJ Simpson-themed “American Crime Story.”
At this point in its run, “The People v. OJ” was attracting roughly 3x the live+same-day viewership. Its adults 18-49 ratings were more than quadruple those of “Versace.”
Granted, that “ACS” season — and Ryan Murphy’s fellow FX franchise “American Horror Story” — set the bar very high. One obviously cannot call “Versace” a live+same-day ratings hit, but its numbers are certainly not terrible by contemporary cable standards.
FX, moreover, continues to downplay live+same-day ratings in favor of data that accounts for time-shifted and multi-platform viewership. A solid DVR draw, “Versace” benefits from FX’s perspective.