The Golden Bachelor was always a risk, but a calculated one. When ABC made the announcement, fans of The Bachelor franchise were initially confused. How would older adults deliver the drama that the franchise was known for?
However, that didn’t appear to be the intention at all. Reality TV has always had its highest demographic in adults 18-49. The Golden Bachelor would’ve been, in theory, an attempt to capture older audiences. As promotional material for the show went on, all audiences were starting to get on board.
Gerry Turner captured the hearts of thousands before the show even aired. His good looks certainly helped, but his story was even more enthralling. By the time premiere night rolled around, it was looking like the new installment might even outperform Bachelor in Paradise. But it would seem it did even better than anyone expected.
Golden Bachelor premiere shatters expectations
The Hollywood Reporter detailed that The Golden Bachelor’s premiere grossed 4.36 million viewers on Thursday night. That is wildly good viewership. The Golden Bachelor’s numbers were 47 percent higher than Season 27 of The Bachelor. Similarly, the franchise’s new installment had 44 percent higher viewership than Charity Lawson’s first episode.
And if Charity’s season is anything to go off of, The Golden Bachelor’s viewership will only grow from the premiere. The premiere’s same-day audience was the largest for any franchise episode since March 2022. However, The Reporter detailed that same-day ratings do not include streaming.
In theory, The Bachelor and Bachelorette would receive more streaming viewership from younger audiences. Interestingly, The Golden Bachelor drew nearly as many younger viewers as the main franchise in January. Moreover, The Golden Bachelor was the top show among network broadcasts that Thursday night.
The Golden Bachelor continues on Thursdays at 8/7c on ABC.
TELL US – DO YOU THINK THE GOLDEN BACHELOR WILL MAINTAIN HIGH VIEWERSHIP? DID YOU WATCH THE PREMIERE SAME DAY?
