First Half of AMC's WALKING DEAD Season 4 Sees Strong Ratings Growth

The mid-season finale of AMC's The Walking Dead capped the first half of season four and posted gains of 29% over the first half of season 3, running against NFL football, broadcast sweeps and high-profile special events. Last night's explosive episode delivered 12.1 million viewers and 7.7 million adults 18-49. The show will return for the second half of its fourth season at 9 p.m. on Sunday, February 9, followed by a new episode of Talking Dead at 10 p.m. Comic Book Men, which has been delivering 1 million viewers at midnight consistently across the first half of its third season, will also return to AMC on Sunday, February 9.

The Walking Dead continues to be the #1 show on all of television among the coveted 18-49 demographic and remains the highest-rated series in the history of cable television. The first eight episodes of its fourth season delivered an average of 13 million viewers and 8.4 million adults 18-49.

"We couldn't be happier that audiences are continuing to respond in ever-larger numbers to the outstanding work of this amazingly talented team," said Charlie Collier, AMC's president. "We're only at the mid-point of this fourth season, but I know I speak for the entire cast and crew in Atlanta when I say thank you to the fans for joining in our passion for these characters and their journey."

Now in its third season, The Walking Dead aftershow, Talking Dead, also is seeing strong gains in viewership. The mid-season finale of Talking Dead delivered a record 6 million viewers, including 3.8 million adults 18-49. For the first eight episodes of this season, airing at 10 p.m., Talking Dead is averaging 4.5 million viewers and 3 million adults 18-49. Up +128% in viewers over the first half of season two (when it aired at 11 p.m.), and up +120% among adults 18-49. Hosted by Chris Hardwick, Talking Dead features Hardwick and fans, actors, producers and other TV enthusiasts discussing and dissecting that night's Dead premiere. The mid-season finale episode featured cast members Scott Wilson (Hershel Greene), Lauren Cohan (Maggie Greene) and Robert Kirkman, executive producer of the show and creator and writer of The Walking Dead comic book.

Key Nielsen Highlights for the mid-season (season four) finale of The Walking Dead

9 pm airing - 6.5 HH rating
9 pm airing - 12.1 million viewers
9 pm airing - 7.7 million adults 18-49

Key Nielsen Highlights (averages) for the first eight episodes of The Walking Dead Season Four
9 pm airing - 6.8 HH rating
9 pm airing - 13.0 million viewers
9 pm airing - 8.4 million adults 18-49

Key Nielsen Highlights for the mid-season (season three) finale of Talking Dead

10 pm airing - 3.2 HH rating
10 pm airing - 6.0 million viewers
10 pm airing - 3.8 million adults 18-49

Key Nielsen Highlights (averages) for the first eight episodes of Talking Dead Season Three

10 pm airing - 2.4 HH rating
10 pm airing - 4.5 million viewers
10 pm airing - 3.0 million adults 18-49

Source: Nielsen Media Research fast nationals (US ratings) 12/1/13. Excludes sports programs. Growth Season 4A 10/13/13- 12/1/13 vs. 3A 10/14/12-12/2/12.

The mid-season finale of The Walking Dead also dominated TV-related social media Twitter activity, and was the #1 show of the night on Twitter across all cable and broadcast networks with 880,450 show-related Tweets from 391,210 unique authors, generating a total of 43.9 million impressions, according to Nielsen SocialGuide. Twitter activity peaked at 9:48 p.m. EST with 31,861 Tweets-per-minute, representing 83 percent of all television-related Twitter activity at that time. The Walking Dead was also the #1 program for the day in TV-related social media Twitter activity, including the mid-season finale and seven previous episodes that ran during a catch-up marathon on AMC, with the most unique authors and total Tweets. The mid-season finale also generated a number of simultaneous trending topics including #TheWalkingDead, TWD, Hershel, RIP Hershel, Not Hershel and #PrisonShowdown.

About AMC
Whether commemorating favorite films from every genre and decade or creating acclaimed original programming, AMC brings to its audience something deeper, something richer, Something More. The network reigns as the only cable network in history ever to win the Emmy® Award for Outstanding Drama Series four years in a row, and five out of the last six, and boasts the most-watched drama series in basic cable history with The Walking Dead. AMC's original drama series include Mad Men, Breaking Bad, Hell on Wheels and Low Winter Sun. The network will premiere two new drama series, Halt and Catch Fire and Turn, in 2014. AMC also explores authentic worlds with bold characters through its slate of unscripted original series including Comic Book Men, Small Town Security, Talking Dead and Freakshow. AMC is owned and operated by AMC Networks Inc. and its sister networks include IFC, Sundance Channel, and WE tv. AMC is available across all platforms, including on-air, online, on demand and mobile. AMC: Something More.