UPDATE 10/8: HBO’s numbers finally climbed too, with the finale setting series highs in the U.S. and worldwide, and a renewal reportedly pending.
UPDATE 10/2: The streak is now three weeks, with Lanterns climbing to No. 7 for its biggest week yet.
UPDATE 10/1: HBO’s own numbers didn’t climb along with Nielsen’s. Episode 7 tied the series high at 7 million U.S. viewers, and the season is averaging way below The Penguin, which never got a Season 2.
Lanterns is on Nielsen’s streaming Top 10 for a second straight week, and the number went up.
Nielsen’s new chart covers September 7–13. Lanterns holds at No. 8 on the acquired list with 525 million minutes watched, up from 500 million the week before.
Five episodes are in the count: the first four, plus the opening hours of Episode 5, which premiered the night of September 13.
It’s the first time a DCU series has made Nielsen’s Top 10 two weeks in a row.
Creature Commandos never charted, and Peacemaker Season 2 made it once, in finale week.
The First Full Week After The Backlash
This chart week is Episode 4’s full week of viewing, the first complete week after the Episode 3 blowup.
Episode 3, “OutKast,” set off the loudest fan backlash of the season.
The two weeks Nielsen has measured since are the two weeks Lanterns has charted (the first two episodes never charted), and the second is bigger than the first.
The controversy may be doing some of the work here.
People keep hearing about the episode everyone is fighting over, and they’re tuning in to see it for themselves.
‘Hate Watching Does Not Translate’
It’s what CBN’s insiders said.
In our September 15 exclusive on Paramount holding meetings over the backlash to HBO’s shows, a source laid out what negative buzz does for a series:
“Negative engagement might pad the ratings a bit but wrecks ancillary income channels,” the source said. “Hate watching does not translate into merch sales, DVD sales, book sales, etc.”
The padded ratings just showed up on Nielsen’s chart.
Still No Season 2
Two weeks on the chart, rising minutes, and still no renewal.
HBO boss Casey Bloys said last week that no Lanterns Season 2 is in development, and no other DCU projects either.
Nielsen’s next chart covers September 14–20, Episode 5’s week, and lands days before the October 4 finale.
The streak Lanterns takes into the renewal call is now two weeks and climbing.
