‘Yellowstone’ Season 4 Premiere Has Broken Its Own Ratings Record
The Yellowstone Season 4 premiere was one of the most-anticipated television events in years, and it did not disappoint. The two-episode event delivered massive numbers when the ratings were first reported — but as it turns out, the final numbers were even more jaw-dropping.
Yellowstone's fourth season premiered on Sunday (Nov. 7) on the Paramount Network, and the initial numbers Deadline reported were very impressive, drawing 8 million viewers compared to the 4.2 million viewers who tuned in for the Season 3 opener.
But those numbers didn't tell the whole story. The final Nielsen Live+3 numbers on the Season 4 premiere include the simulcasts on CMT, Pop and TVLand. All told, those numbers add up to 12.7 million total viewers, an increase of 66 percent over the Season 3 premiere. The encores of the Season 4 premiere that immediately followed the premiere brought the total viewers up to 14.7 million viewers on that night, Deadline reports.
“Over 14 million viewers tuned in for our Yellowstone premiere which will now serve as [a] massive launch pad as we sneak episodes of Taylor Sheridan’s new series Mayor of Kingstown, whose full season will be rolling out exclusively on Paramount+ starting Sunday,” says Chris McCarthy, President and CEO, MTV Entertainment Group. “Taylor has created a cinematic experience that our remarkable cast led by Kevin Costner brings to life in a way audiences can’t get enough of, and we are excited to deepen our relationship with him and capitalize on this tremendous momentum by building out the Yellowstone franchise together.”
There are actually two different Yellowstone spinoffs coming. Yellowstone: 6666 has been announced, but few facts are yet available. Fans of country music will be especially interested in1883, which stars Tim McGraw and Faith Hill as James and Margaret Dutton, John Dutton's great-grandparents.
1883 follows the early Dutton family as they head West on a rigorous wagon train journey from Texas to Montana, where they will end up establishing the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch. The show also stars Sam Elliott, and Billy Bob Thornton will appear in a guest role.
Yellowstone Season 4 airs on Sundays on the Paramount Network, while 1883 is set to premiere on Dec. 19 via Paramount+. Subscribe to the streaming service to make sure you don't miss out.