“Empire” Takes Small Dip But Still Shows Power

Fox’s “Empire” hit television series suffered a minor dip in its overall ratings this week but still managed to leave its competition in the dust.

According to reports, “Empire” lost just over 2 million viewers and roughly a 20 percent drop of its premiere-episode adults 18-to-49 in comparison to its season two opener last week.

According to Nielsen live-plus-same-day data, “Empire” averaged a 5.5 in the all-important demo, which marked an 18% drop from the preliminary 6.7 notched by the season premiere. For what it’s worth, most shows tend to drop between 15% and 20% between their first and second broadcasts. (Ad Age)

Find out why this small hit won’t hurt “Empire’s” overall ratings on the next page…

Despite the slight decline, “Empire” still managed to reign supreme in key categories.

As expected, “Empire” on Wednesday still ran the table in all relevant demos, putting up a staggering 6.8 rating among women 18-to-49, a 7.4 with women in the 25-to-54 set, and a 4.8 among adults 18-to-34. The show also ran away with each and every male demo. (Ad Age)

Last week, 16.2 million viewers tuned into the “Empire” season two premiere.

“Empire” was a breakaway hit in its first season, with improbable week-to-week viewership growth over the course of 10 weeks, leading into a season finale, broadcast in May, that attracted 16.7 million viewers. The premiere on Wednesday technically snapped that growth streak in ratings. The numbers should rise even more after delayed viewing totals are included in the coming days. (New York Times)

According to Fox TV Group co-chief Dana Walden, an “Empire” spinoff could come together as early as 2016.

“If there’s a character … that feels original enough, has enough momentum and enough of a storytelling engine, we will definitely look to spin Empire off for next season,” she said. Said character, Walden added, “would, in all likelihood, appear in the second half of this season.” (Vulture)