Hmmm, viewership dropped by 75%, and they have a whole season in the can. Call me very surprised (NOT) to see them wise up here.
Imagine only 25% of the audience remaining for that season, and A&E with a lot of spots to sell at 25% of the former value.
CaCHING!
I know that the 75% drop in viewers has been widely reported among conservative websites, but really, it is a very bogus number.
Comparing last Thursday’s repeats with this Thursday repeats showed some showings were down, some were up.
The bogus number comes from comparing the season finale with the repeats that were part of the marathon. Obviously a new aired episode will draw many more viewers than a repeat.
As I understand it the drop was for reruns they just ran the weekend before, so I don’t know how significant that is. I suspect the new season will have higher ratings at least at first, as a lot of folks who never watched it will check it out to see what it’s all about. It’s also kind of odd to show 9 new episodes in Jan that feature Phil, while claiming he is suspended. My guess is the bigwigs at A&E are kicking themselves and looking for a way to back down.
On a side note I just heard that Cracker Barrel announced they will continue to sell Duck Commander merchandise, but will no longer sell Duck Dynasty stuff. Take that A&E.