‘Yellowstone’ Up 26% on Peacock Following CBS Airings
The Western drama series drew solid ratings in its CBS debut, but users may have decided they want to watch at their own pace on Peacock.
The Writers Guild of America strike is officially over. Members of the guild are expected to ratify the new deal struck between their union and Hollywood producers earlier this week, and now all that remains for producers is to bring still-striking actors back into the fold.
One of the consequences of the strike was that broadcast networks like CBS had no scripted shows ready to go for the beginning of the fall TV season. As a result, CBS decided that it would air the popular Western drama series “Yellowstone”, allowing Paramount+ with Showtime subscribers to stream it using the CBS livestream that comes standard on that plan.
A new report from Variety indicates that while “Yellowstone” has been garnering decent ratings on CBS, the decision to air the show on that channel is helping one of Paramount’s biggest competitors: NBCUniversal. According to Variety, viewership of “Yellowstone” on Peacock — which has held the show’s streaming rights since 2020 — rose by 26% in the period between Sept. 17 and Sept. 27. The show’s first episode also drew 6 million views on CBS, which is excellent given the conditions under which it was placed there.
Observers would be forgiven for thinking that Paramount might be upset about this, but Variety also reports that during last Sunday’s episode of “Yellowstone” on CBS, viewers were shown a commercial prompting them to head to Peacock if they wanted to watch episodes faster. It’s unknown if Paramount’s licensing deal with NBCU includes a viewership-based bonus for “Yellowstone,” or if they simply got a big haul from airing that advertisement, but they’re not trying to shut Peacock out of new ratings generated by offering the show on broadcast TV.
A recent survey from Samba TV found that 72% of streaming customers identify themselves as “binge-watchers,” so it’s not terribly surprising that so many fans have decided to head to Peacock to stream “Yellowstone” on their own schedule. It doesn’t hurt that the service offers fewer commercials than watching on TV, not to mention the fact that the series appears in its full, unedited glory on Peacock, with all the colorful language and more violent or risqué moments intact.
Shows licensed to new streaming homes have been all the rage, recently. “Suits” has driven monster engagement metrics on Netflix after NBCU licensed the show to that streamer. Former HBO exclusives like “Insecure” have also been licensed to Netflix, and the move has improved engagements for those shows on both Netflix and Max.
Now that the writers’ strike has ended, viewers are wondering when the second half of Season 5 of “Yellowstone” will resume production. Season 5 has been announced as the show's last, as the relationship between lead actor Kevin Costner and series co-creator Taylor Sheridan has grown so acrimonious that future collaboration is no longer possible.
Once the actors end their strike and get back to work, “Yellowstone” could begin production again quickly. For now, fans of the show can choose to watch one episode per week on CBS, or head to Peacock to stream it as fast or as slow as they want.
Peacock
Peacock is a subscription video streaming service from NBCUniversal that includes original shows, blockbuster movies, and classic television series. Peacock is home to “Yellowstone,” and “The Office,” as well as original hits like “Poker Face” and “Bel-Air.” You can also watch live sports including NFL, MLB, WWE, Olympics, Premier League, NASCAR, French Open, College Football and Basketball, and PGA Tour. Premium Plus subscribers can stream their local NBC feed in all 210 markets.