iPhone | iPad
Android
Huawei
The actor has been honoured twice by the Time Magazine
KT APPDOWNLOAD
Kevin Costner's 'Yellowstone' sets viewership milestones
It proves the enduring popularity of the Western as a genre
Kevin Costner's Paramount epic Yellowstone reached 12.1 million viewers for the opening night of its fifth season on Sunday, the most popular scripted series episode so far in the new television season, the Nielsen company said.
That it was a cable network series — instead of a big broadcaster like CBS, NBC or ABC — makes the achievement that much more impressive.
The total viewership involved a little trickery: the show simultaneously aired on Viacom networks CMT, TV Land and Pop, and there were some same-day reruns. Even with that, there were 9.4 million viewers who saw the premiere episode on Paramount alone.
“We've been able to create a show that didn't start out being popular but did it on its own terms,” Costner said in a recent interview.
Yellowstone is one of the most appointment viewing-friendly shows on television now, in part because it appeals to an older audience more used to watching TV in a traditional way, said Josef Adalian, West Coast editor of New York magazine's Vulture.com.
“People want to watch it and they want to watch it now,” Adalian said.
It also proves the enduring popularity of the Western as a genre and, in some respects, it's surprising there haven't been copycats.
The show is overwhelmingly popular in red states. States with Republican governors — topped by Texas — watch Yellowstone three times as much as states with Democratic governors, according to Philo, a live TV streaming service.
No scripted series on a broadcast network has reached more than 8 million same-day viewers this season, although audiences usually increase when delayed viewing is taken into account.
For instance, the most popular broadcast scripted show last week, CBS' Young Sheldon, was seen by 7.14 million people, Nielsen said.
More news from Entertainment
The actor complained about a widely-circulated deepfake video that showed him promoting political views
Fans flooded the comments section with expressions of excitement and nostalgia
The 'Dangal' actor has shed light on his choice to skip film award ceremonies, emphasising the value of time
The actor discussed what he has learned from his relationship with the singer on a podcast hosted by Jay Shetty
The actor is a mother to three children whom she shares with ex Ben Affleck
The former Spice Girl, who turned 50 recently and celebrated with a lavish birthday event shared numerous photos from the party on her Instagram Stories
No matter how often the algorithms shift, the key to making your videos popular is to create content that will hook viewers
