Showtime’s Roger Ailes miniseries “The Loudest Voice” debuted to just 651,000 viewers on Sunday night. That *very* all-in sum is counting its 10 p.m. linear TV debut, two reruns, and streaming/on-demand tune-in.
According to Nielsen, the first linear-TV airing at 10 o’clock Sunday drew just 299,000 viewers. Sunday replays added 152,000 more viewers, according to Showtime, and streaming/on-demand tacked on an additional 200,000 viewers.
Among adults 18-49, the premiere episode at 10 p.m. pulled in a mere 26,000 viewers. The limited series did better — but still not good — in what is considered the key demographic for news programming (like Ailes’ Fox News), which hones in on adults 25-54. Among adults 18-34, “The Loudest Voice” premiere drew just 8,000 viewers at 10.
It’s important to note here that Showtime doesn’t really care about demos as it is not ad-supported. Showtime also prefers to focus on viewership that includes three days of delayed viewing. Those numbers are expected later this week.
A spokeswoman for Showtime told TheWrap that the all-in numbers for “The Loudest Voice” are “in line with other recent limited series premiering on the network.” The premium-cable channel expects its latest premiere to eclipse one million viewers — across multiple platforms and counting additional airings — “within a few days.”
Showtime’s last limited series, “Escape at Dannemora,” debuted to 397,000 “live” linear viewers, which is 25% higher than what “The Loudest Voice” did in those comparable Nielsen numbers.