'Kardashians' Ratings Drop Double Digits in Total Viewers, Key DemoTheWrap

The reality this week wasn’t so great for Kim Kardashian and Co.: Sunday’s “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” dropped double digits from last week’s season premiere in both the advertiser-sought 18-49 demographic, and in total viewers.

The unscripted series’ 2.081 million total viewers was down 18 percent from its prior episode. In the key demo, its 1.327 million viewers fell by 15 percent week-over-week.

Previously, versus its most-comparable season premiere, the March 15, 2015 “Kardashians” opener was down eight percent in the demo year-over-year, but just one percent in overall audience.

Also Read: ‘Keeping Up With the Kardashians’ Premiere Down From Last Season’s Debut

Some drop-off is of course expected for most series from premiere to subsequent episode. “KUWTK” experienced a similar drop (within one percent) from Week 1 to Week 2 last year. There are some exceptions, however — like E!’s first scripted series “The Royals,” for example.

The Elizabeth Hurley show rose a strong 19 percent among adults 18-49 (to 756,000), though it slipped six percent in total viewers (to 1.321 million).

That means that the retention from the 9 p.m. March 22, 2015 “Kardashians” to the 10 o’clock “Royals” saw a difference of 760,000 total viewers, slipping 37 percent from one show to the next. That margin is slimmer than last week’s 45 percent overall drop.

Also Read: Rush Limbaugh Thinks if Kanye West Sang Racist Frat Song, ‘It’d Be a Hit’ (Video)

“The Royals,” which also stars Merritt Patterson, William Moseley, Joan Collins and Alexandra Park, among others, follows a fictional British Royal family set in modern day London, who inhabit a world of opulence and regal tradition that caters to any and every desire — but one that also comes with a price tag of duty, destiny and intense public scrutiny.

To its credit, the new drama had the biggest original cable launch to-date in 2015 among women 18-34 and women 18-49, excluding spinoffs and kids programming.

E! will release Live 3-Day numbers for both shows on Friday, which is the cable channel’s current standard for sharing Nielsen numbers.

22 Most Groundbreaking Reality TV Shows (Photos)

SURVIVOR
Now in its 30th season, viewers have tuned in to the reality game show in droves since 2000 to watch ordinary people physically, mentally and strategically duel with each other in order to win $1 million and the title of Sole Survivor.
CBS
AMERICAN IDOL
The first televised competition show to let viewers vote on the talent themselves, "Idol" may no longer be a ratings juggernaut, but it still proves exciting.
Fox
THE BACHELOR
Though the actual long-term success rate remains shockingly low, viewers do seem to love the idea of "the bachelor" selecting from a pool of beautiful women in order to find a wife.
ABC
PROJECT RUNWAY
Even viewers not into fashion can understand this show's appeal: a reality competition that requires its contestants to actually make something to prove they deserve to win.
Lifetime
REAL HOUSEWIVES OF ORANGE COUNTY
The originator of the "Real Housewives" brand, "RHOC" showed viewers that being rich doesn't spare people messed-up lives; oftentimes, it actually makes those messes worse.
Bravo
JON AND KATE PLUS 8
Viewers tuned in to get a glimpse of how an exceptionally large family operates, but they stayed once Jon and Kate decided to divorce.
TLC
JERSEY SHORE
The housemates show earned record ratings for MTV, due in large part to controversy of how Italian-Americans on the East Coast were portrayed.
MTV
THE OSBOURNES
At one time MTV's highest rated show, it offered a behind-the-scenes glimpse of a rock legend and his family. Viewers also tuned in to see if Ozzy was ever not stoned. (He wasn't.)
MTV
THE HILLS
Originally a spinoff of "Laguna Beach," this semi-scripted series initially followed Lauren Conrad's pursuit of a career in fashion, but slowly degenerated into a series of feuds with Heidi Montag.
MTV
THE REAL WORLD
Before it regressed to the mean, "The Real World" was one of the first reality shows to explore issues facing young adults: sex, religion, death, politics and even AIDS.
MTV
AMAZING RACE
Combining a physical reality competition with exotic locales most viewers will never get a chance to see continues to prove a winning formula.
CBS
DEADLIEST CATCH
This fishing boat-based program offers a rarity for viewers: a docu-series about a dangerous profession. Coast Guard rescue squads have frequently been a part of the show.
Discovery
BIG BROTHER
If you throw a number of volatile personalities into a room together, you can bet people will tune in to watch the explosions.
CBS
RUPAUL'S DRAG RACE
If Tyra Banks could find the world's next supermodel, why can't RuPaul do the same for drag queens?
Logo TV
PAWN STARS
It's hard to say what's more appealing: getting a dose of history in everyday artifacts that are brought in for appraisal, or the interactions of the colorful Harrison family that owns the shop.
History
AMERICAN CHOPPER
Centered on the Teutel family and their shop, the series showcased contrasting styles and verbal arguments between Paul Sr. and his son. Arguments drove ratings until Junior's dismissal from the show.
Discovery
TOP CHEF
Fans of good food love this competition show about aspiring chefs cooking their way to the prize money awarded to the winner.
Bravo
HERE COMES HONEY BOO BOO
Described as both offensive and exploitative, this spinoff of "Toddlers & Tiaras" instantly became must-see-TV and made its 6-year-old star a cultural lightning rod.
TLC
JACKASS
Who wouldn't want to watch a group of friends torture and humiliate each other? Such is the appeal of "Jackass," which spawned three (and a half) movies and an acting career for Johnny Knoxville.
MTV
KEEPING UP WITH THE KARDASHIANS
Attracting instant notoriety for a sex tape featuring its star, this Kardashian chronicle has proven to be one of the most popular reality shows of the current era.
E!
DUCK DYNASTY
Following a Louisiana family made wealthy by their duck-hunting products, the Robertsons became cultural icons for their ZZ-Top beards and frank yet cheerful outlooks.
A&E