‘Yellowstone’ Prequel ‘1883’ Sets New Ratings Record in Smash Premiere
The new Yellowstone prequel is a runaway hit. 1883 set new records for Paramount+ with its premiere on Sunday night (Dec. 19), posting numbers for its debut that were double any previous premiere in the history of the streaming network.
According to a press release, in addition to the numbers on the Paramount+ streaming service, the premiere of 1883 drew 4.9 million viewers to its televised premiere on the Paramount Network following the most recent episode of Yellowstone, making it the most popular new series premiere on cable since 2015. 1883 was also the most socialized drama series online on Sunday evening.
“The results of 1883’s debut are truly phenomenal,” says Tanya Giles, Chief Programming Officer, ViacomCBS Streaming. “The day 1 streaming numbers coupled with the results of the linear sampling effort, and social response from our audience show the tremendous promise for this series. We look forward to continuing on this epic journey with our subscribers.”
1883 is offering viewers two free episodes via the Paramount Network before the show begins to air exclusively via the Paramount+ streaming service.
“The success of Taylor Sheridan’s 1883 is another proof point of our unique model to leverage our linear platforms and franchise our biggest hits to supercharge Paramount+,” adds Chris McCarthy, President and CEO of ViacomCBS Media Networks. "We went big with 1883 — the Yellowstone prequel — and it delivered big and shattered all records — as both the #1 most-watched original series premiere ever on Paramount+ and the biggest new cable premiere since 2015, with nearly five million viewers tuning into Paramount Network Sunday's airing. Given the tremendous viewership on Paramount Network, I’m confident our strategy of sampling on the Paramount Network will drive awareness and viewers to Paramount+.”
1883 stars Tim McGraw and Faith Hill as James and Margaret Dutton, the great-grandparents of Dutton family patriarch John Dutton (Kevin Costner) on Yellowstone. The show follows their family's journey West from Texas to Montana, where they will establish the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch that serves as the setting for the hit show. Sam Elliott also stars as Shea Brennan, the Pinkerton agent who helps shepherd the wagon train they join.
1883 returns every Sunday via Paramount+.
Stay tuned to Taste of Country as we provide week-to-week coverage of both Yellowstone and 1883, including episode analysis, news on the shows, cast interviews and more. As part of our comprehensive coverage, check out the Dutton Rules podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Subscribe to the Paramount+ streaming service to make sure you don't miss out on future episodes of 1883.