Chalk up one more ratings superlative for Yellowstone as it (potentially) rides into the sunset.
The Dec. 15 finale of season five — which wrapped up a host of plot threads — brought in 11.4 million same-day viewers on Paramount Network and CMT, according to VideoAmp data. That’s the largest night one audience (excluding encores and broader simulcasts) in Yellowstone’s history.
Three-day ratings, released Dec. 23, pushed the episode up to 13.1 million viewers, growing by 1.7 million viewers (about 15 percent) and also setting a high mark for the series over three days (and again, not including wider-ranging simulcasts.
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The 11.4 million viewers for the finale matches the three-day average for the first four episodes of season 5B, and it pulls the back half of the season to a night one average of 10.3 million viewers, up 4 percent from about 9.9 million across Paramount Network and CMT for the first part of season five in late 2022.
Yellowstone leaves a long string of ratings milestones in its wake as the Taylor Sheridan-led franchise moves onto its next chapter (whatever form that may take). The Nov. 10 premiere for season 5B delivered 16.4 million viewers across two eight-network simulcasts, other encores and an additional showing on CBS (which made up about a third of the total). That show surpassed the 15.9 million for the season five opener in November 2022, again across multiple networks and encores. The series is the most watched cable show (not including sports) since the heyday of The Walking Dead on AMC in the mid-2010s.
None of those previous Yellowstone record-setters, however, drew as big an audience for the initial telecast on only Paramount Network and CMT as Sunday’s episode did.
The show’s all-in viewership for the back half of season five stands at 13.6 million, including the CBS and multi-net simulcast for the Nov. 10 episode. That too is a series high, up 3 percent from the 13.2 million viewer average for season 5A, according to VideoAmp.
Sheridan executive produces Yellowstone with co-creator John Linson, Art Linson, Kevin Costner, David C. Glasser, Bob Yari, Stephen Kay, Michael Friedman, Christina Voros and Keith Cox.
Dec. 23, 12:30 p.m.: Updated with three-day ratings for Yellowstone’s finale.
