'Yellowstone' Finale Earns Record Ratings On Paramount And CMT ...

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Forbes

Topline

The series finale of the hit drama "Yellowstone" aired Sunday to 11.4 million viewers across the Paramount Network and CMT, Paramount said Tuesday, hitting a series high for episodes watched live across the two platforms weeks after ratings started ramping up in the final season.

Luke Grimes as Kacey Dutton and Kelly Reilly as Beth Dutton in "Yellowstone."

Paramount Network Key Facts

Citing data from Nielsen competitor VideoAmp, Paramount Global said the series finale scored a viewership high for episodes of the show that aired only on the two cable networks, and was in line with other highly rated episodes in the fifth and final season's second half (the 11.4 million viewers are people who watched it live and on the same day it aired).

Earlier this month, Paramount reported the mid-season premiere of "Yellowstone"—which released Nov. 10—was watched by 16.4 million viewers across an eight-network simulcast for the initial airing, encores and an additional showing on CBS (the return of season 5 marked the first "Yellowstone" episode since January of 2023).

The first four episodes of season 5's second half, which aired between Nov. 10 and Dec. 1, averaged 11.4 million viewers each on Paramount Network and CMT after three days, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The return of "Yellowstone" helped to boost Paramount's share of TV usage by company, according to Nielsen's media distributor gauge—the network accounted for 9.3% of all TV usage in November, up from 8.7% in October.

Contracts between Paramount Global and Nielsen, which tracks TV usage and ratings, expired in September and Paramount has been citing VideoAmp data in reporting viewership since the return of “Yellowstone,” though ratings for the first five-and-a-half-seasons of the show were tracked by Nielsen.

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What To Watch For

More from the “Yellowstone” universe. The second season of Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren's spinoff show, "1923," will premiere Sunday, Feb. 23. Another spinoff called "The Madison" is currently in production with actress and executive producer Michelle Pfeiffer, and rumors have long flown about a series focused on the characters of Rip and Beth. The network hasn’t confirmed that show, but the season 5 finale further set up the possibility. Paramount also announced two more series from producer Taylor Sheridan last year—"1944" and "2024." The former will be a sequel to "1923" and the latter will follow the conclusion of "Yellowstone" but largely feature new locations and characters. Another spin off called "6666" is also in the works, focused on a ranch in West Texas.

Key Background

"Yellowstone," the Paramount Network's first scripted drama series, focuses on the Dutton family ranch in rural Montana. Kevin Costner played the series lead role of John Dutton through the second half of season 5 before leaving the show. The series, filmed in Montana and Utah, premiered in June of 2018 and now streams on Peacock, NBC's streaming service, which acquired the rights in 2020. Most of the series' spinoffs are made for Paramount's streaming service, Paramount+. Viewership of the show has steadily grown with each season and it has been met with mixed reviews by critics, which remained true for Sunday's series finale. Some called it a "beautifully done" send-off while others roasted it as the "worst ever." "Yellowstone" was nominated for several industry awards over its run but won almost none, with the exception of a best actor award for Costner at the 2023 Golden Globes.