AMC’S “THE WALKING DEAD” SEASON THREE PREMIERE DELIVERS 12.3 MILLION VIEWERS MAKING IT THE LARGEST AUDIENCE IN SERIES HISTORY

LAST NIGHT’S EPISODE CEMENTS AMC’S “THE WALKING DEAD” AS THE #1 TELEVISION PROGRAM OF THE SEASON AMONG ADULTS 18-49 WITH SERIES AVERAGE OUTDELIVERING HITS INCLUDING “MODERN FAMILY,” “NCIS,” “THE BIG BANG THEORY,” “TWO AND A HALF MEN,” “DUCK DYNASTY,” AND “AMERICAN HORROR STORY”

 “TALKING DEAD” DELIVERS 2.7 MILLION ADULTS 18-49 AND 4.1 MILLION VIEWERS

Last night, AMC’s mid-season three premiere of “The Walking Dead” returned with its largest audience ever in series history delivering 12.3 million viewers at the 9pm premiere.  The previous record was 10.9 million viewers from the season three premiere on October 14, 2012. The episode is also the strongest telecast for a series in basic cable history for adults 18-49 with 7.7 million. These results shatter the hit series’ previous record with an increase of +6% (A18-49) over the October 14, 2012 season three premiere. “The Walking Dead” season three series average for adults 18-49 delivers 6.8 million outperforming other television series season averages including “Modern Family,” ‘The Big Bang Theory,” “Two and A Half Men,” and “NCIS.”  In addition to the 9 PM premiere, the show encored at 11 PM, midnight and 2am, delivering 16.6 million viewers for the night.

Following the 9 PM premiere of “The Walking Dead,” AMC premiered a new episode of “Talking Dead” at 10 PM. 4.1 million viewers tuned in to the live show.  Hosted by Chris Hardwick, “Talking Dead” is a companion series to “The Walking Dead” and features Hardwick and fans, actors, producers and other TV enthusiasts, discussing and dissecting that night’s “Dead” premiere. The series expanded to a full hour with the final 8 episodes of season three.

Hailed by Entertainment Weekly as “the greatest thriller ever produced for television,” “The Walking Dead” has become a juggernaut on social media. The series currently has close to 15 million likes on Facebook and last night “The Walking Dead” was a top trend on Twitter for the night of the mid-season premiere. Based on the comic book series written by Robert Kirkman, the Emmy Award-winning series tells the story of the months and years that follow the zombie apocalypse. It follows a group of survivors, led by police officer Rick Grimes, who travel in search of a safe and secure home.