‘Walking Dead’ Premieres to Series-High Audience

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The fifth season of AMC’s The Walking Dead premiered Sunday night to 17.3 million total viewers, the most for an episode in show history, up 7% from last year’s season four premiere, according to Nielsen.

Sunday night’s premiere also drew 11 million adults ages 18-49, up 6% from last year. The broadcast outdrew NBC’s Sunday Night Football by more than 2.5 million viewers in the demo, and earned an 8.7 18-49 rating. Among adults 25-54, the premiere drew 9.9 million viewers

Aftershow Talking Dead premiered its fourth season to 6.9 million total viewers and 4.5 million adults 18-49, both series highs.