After Extremely Poor Viewership Ratings, Disney To Push First Two Episodes Of ‘Andor’ To ABC, FX, Hulu, And Freeform
John F. Trent
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The Walt Disney Company announced they will release the first two episodes of their latest Star Wars series Andor to ABC, Freeform, FX, and Hulu as the show’s ratings sit in the toilet.
(Center): Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) with delivery guards (Kenny Fullwood and Josh Herdman) in Lucasfilm’s ANDOR, exclusively on Disney+. ©2022 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.
Andor’s viewership ratings have been at the bottom or even off the charts of Nielsen’s Top 10 streaming series since it initially released on Disney+ back on September 21st.
The first three episodes, which released together, only raked in 624 million minutes viewed.
Nielsen Overall Streaming Ratings for September 19-25, 2022
RELATED: Disney Star Wars Declared A “Dead Brand” After ‘Andor’ Premiere Ratings Revealed By Nielsen
These abysmal viewership numbers led YouTuber Valliant Renegade to declare Star Wars a dead brand.
He stated, “Take a look again at these terrible numbers for Andor, 624 million watch minutes, and soak it in Disney because you did this. Disney’s animosity towards fans is exactly what they’ve received back and even worse they’re received back a wealth of apathy from the Star Wars fandom. They just don’t care anymore.”
“You see, it doesn’t matter how good Andor is,” he explains. “And again I understand a lot of people like the show and it’s wonderful and one of the best Star Wars shows that they have made to this point. And that’s great and I’m happy that those fans are enjoying it. I’m not here to take that away from you. I’m strictly here looking at the business side of things. I’m looking at the numbers and I’m reading the tea leaves and they are just flat bad for Star Wars right now.”
The viewership numbers have only fallen from there. The most recent ratings for the week ending October 16th show Andor only bringing in 405 million minutes viewed.
That’s only good for 7th on Nielsen’s “Original” category behind She-Hulk and Great British Baking Show.
Nielsen “Original” Streaming Ratings for Week of October 10-16, 2022
RELATED: ‘Andor’ Creator Tony Gilroy Says He Views Mon Mothma As “Sort Of A Nancy Pelosi Character”
With the ratings sagging and the Star Wars brand flagging if not dead as Valliant Renegade claims, The Walt Disney Company announced they will air the first two episodes of the series, “Kassa” and “That Would Be Me” on ABC, FX, Freeform, and Hulu:
ABC: Wednesday November 23, 9-10:30 pm ET/PT
FX: Thursday, November 24, 9-10:30 pm ET/PT
Freeform: Friday, November 25, 9-10:30 pm ET/PT
Hulu: Available from November 23 through December 7
In a press release, Disney attempted to spin the release of the first two episodes as a celebration of the series finale writing, “To celebrate the highly anticipated Andor finale on Disney+, and to help kick off the Thanksgiving holiday, The Walt Disney Company will offer viewers a special opportunity to watch the first two episodes of the acclaimed series across its unparalleled distribution platforms including ABC, FX, Freeform and Hulu.”
(L-R): Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) and a KX-series Droid in Lucasfilm’s ANDOR, exclusively on Disney+. ©2022 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.
The official description for the series states, “The Andor series – set five years before the events of Rogue One – focuses on Cassian Andor and his journey toward becoming a rebel hero. The tale is set against the backdrop of a burgeoning rebellion against a ruthless Empire, where people and planets are drawn into a conflict that will have far-reaching effects across the galaxy. It’s an era filled with danger, deception and intrigue, and one that will test the courage and resolve of a reluctant hero determined to make a difference.”
The final two episodes have yet to debut. They will air on Disney+ on November 16th and November 23rd.
Lieutenant Gorn (Sule Rimi) in Lucasfilm’s ANDOR, exclusively on Disney+. ©2022 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.
What do you make of Disney’s apparent desperation to get people to sign up to Disney+ by releasing the first two episodes to ABC, FX, Freeform, and Hulu?
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