The new cast of Real Housewives of New York Season 14 might be exactly what the network and franchise need. For those who don’t recall, Season 14 was given an all-new cast of Housewives as a response to Season 13’s low ratings.
It was a bit of a Hail Mary, and Bravo execs were almost certainly biting their nails once Season 14 hit the airwaves. If a soft reboot couldn’t save RHONY’s low viewership, what could? There was a genuine fear that the show might just be eliminated.
And those fears were no doubt exacerbated when the Season 14 premiere returned with a viewership of 672,000, about 300,000 less than the Season 13 premiere. But as it turned out, those initial numbers were just part of a much larger whole.
Peacock may have just saved RHONY
While RHONY Season 14’s first episode appeared to have an underwhelming opening at 672,000 viewers, looks can be deceiving. An exclusive from The Wrap reported that the total viewership of the Season 14 premiere was 1.7 million viewers. But how could that be?
The premiere did amass 672,000 viewers through live viewership on premiere night. But when combining all available platforms—linear, digital, and Peacock—the viewership increased by 1.1 million. That’s good news for everyone involved. And for those who deeply want the new RHONY to succeed, positive word of mouth is the best thing to aid in that success.
And not only did the premiere fare well in the end, but it was part of an overall wildly successful night. July 16 was the second most-watched Sunday evening for Bravo, on the whole, this year. RHONY combined with Real Housewives of Atlanta, Crappie Lake, and Watch What Happens Live, made for a booming network evening.
Real Housewives of New York continues Sundays at 9/8c on Bravo.
TELL US – WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE RHONY REBOOT SO FAR? DO YOU THINK THE NEW CAST CAN SAVE THE SHOW IN THE LONG RUN?
