Ratings for the Season 4 Finale Are In
Well, I had hoped that the Lost season finale would experience a huge upswing in the ratings, but unfortunately that was not the case. What else was there to do last night aside from watching one of the best episodes of one of the best shows ever? Who knows. Anyway, the Lost finale averaged 12.2 million viewers over its two hours. That’s up a little bit from part 1, but down compared to the ratings of past finales, which you can see below:
Season 1 Finale: 20.71 million
Season 2 Finale: 17.84 million
Season 3 Finale: 13.86 million
Season 4 Finale: 12.2 million
It’s kind of sad that eight million people have abandoned the show since the first season, but that sort of thing is bound to happen as the series grows more complicated and sci-fi heavy. Here’s how the finale stacks up with the ratings from the rest of the season:
"The Beginning of the End" — 16.07 million
"Confirmed Dead" — 15.06 million
"The Economist" — 13.62 million
"Eggtown" — 13.53 million
"The Constant" — 12.9 million
"The Other Woman" — 13.0 million
"Ji Yeon" — 11.87 million
"Meet Kevin Johnson" — 11.28 million
"The Shape of Things to Come" — 12.4 million
"Something Nice Back Home" — 11.14 million
"Cabin Fever" — 11.28 million
"There’s No Place Like Home, Part 1" — 11.43 million
"There’s No Place Like Home, Part 2" — 12.2 million
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Could 8 million Lost fans have bought DVR in the last few years?
Comment by PZ — May 30, 2008 @ 1:29 pm
Hey — I was traveling on business three times this spring, all on Thursdays, so I needed to catch up by watching full episode on abc.com - there has to be a good number of people who watch the shows in this manner as well as those who are using DVR.
Comment by Vin — May 30, 2008 @ 1:49 pm
I think you are forgeting torrent users/downloaders. Who just hate all the adverts so download to get just the show with the ads edited. The numbers who do this now are massive.
Although i think the ratings will probably not drop off much more now. They will stay around the 11-13 mil level IMO.
Comment by Ritchie — May 30, 2008 @ 1:56 pm
they need a big name on the show, like a well known actor, that would be cool as hell..how about robert de niro as Jacob?! that would the fuckin sweet lol but that aint happening
i hope they do a 2 hour season premiere for season 5 to wrap up a number of things from season 1,2 n’ 3…they STILL take a long time to explain things, w/e though, season finale was really good, i read a spoiler before the showa bout john locke and had i not known going in, i would have been baffled
but they better show who jacob is next season, like early in the season, he better not show up at the end of season 6
Comment by Keith — May 30, 2008 @ 5:15 pm
A lot of people I know abandoned the show because they felt it wasn’t moving along fast enough. I disagree and agree with this assessment. As a Lost devotee I follow the show quite extensively and continue my enjoyment of the show beyond watching the show an hour a week. Like many others here I go on message boards and get involved in the various games during the hiatus.
For many casual viewers which I think comprise the vast majority of the viewers who have left are not as intensely involved. Lost has a genre show has a very small built in audience and as it moves further and further towards its core genre values those mainstream viewers have left and will continue to leave. The average person doesn’t want to have to think about how all the peices add up they want a little escapist fun for an hour a week.
At the same time I agree that the makers of lost have not used their time as effectively as they could have. The best episodes of seasons two and three could easily have been combined to form one season and not have lost narrative consistency.
Comment by Michael — May 30, 2008 @ 5:22 pm
I totally agree with the fact that LOST is getting way more Sci-Fi than it was in seasons one and two. Sometimes, i think the writers did a good job with it and other times i think they went way to far. To me, i do not understand why LOST is loosing viewers. It could be DVR or abc.com but after every episode, i can’t wait for the next one.
Comment by Joey — May 30, 2008 @ 7:49 pm
My humble opinion is that the drop-off in views is directly proportional to the escalation in violence on the show. Brutal killers, killing for no reason, gratuitus violence that doesn’t even go with the “mythology”. I’ll probably stop tuning in if the body-count continues to grow.
Comment by rzimm — May 31, 2008 @ 4:56 am
Maybe the drop in viewers is due to the fact that ABC now posts full episodes of Lost on their website to watch/other websites post the full episodes also. I admit it, sometimes I just don’t have time to watch every Thursdays, but it’s my all-time favorite show so I catch up by watching the episodes online.
Comment by Anna — May 31, 2008 @ 6:57 am
Who cares? Besides the network of course. But, they contracted with ABC for a certain number of episodes over the next couple of years. It’s not going to be canceled. It will play out.
Comment by Mark — May 31, 2008 @ 10:27 am
More and more people are figuring out that all they have to do is download the episode and watch it when they want instead of following tv schedules. That’s your dip in ratings right there.
I myself live in Ireland and have a choice of downloading it direct on the Thursday or waiting until Sunday week for the same episode. It’s a no brainer really.
Of course some people aren’t fans of the direction Lost has gone since the first season and probably tuned out. Oh well!
Comment by Jecht — May 31, 2008 @ 1:52 pm
I am never home thursday night. I have to watch all the episodes on abc.com. I am sure that many people have to do that. I am sure abc knows how many veiws it gets for the show online
Comment by db — May 31, 2008 @ 9:50 pm
One must also not forget the European and Asian viewers especially, who probably watch Lost through downloads. It is very probable that these downloaders would add around another 20 million.
Comment by Carlos — June 1, 2008 @ 12:33 am
I have never watch the show live. I TiVo it and usually watch it on the weekend when I have more time. I am allergic to commercials.
Comment by Baileycc — June 1, 2008 @ 12:57 am
Im a massive fan but ive always downloaded it even from season 1
im sure theres thousands that do.
then when the box sets come out i get them!
Comment by chris — June 1, 2008 @ 2:15 am
IMO, the episodes leading up to the finale were pretty bad. I guess the finale was worth it. Now that we know they’re all going back, we’ll see what they do with that.
Comment by rayy — June 1, 2008 @ 3:54 am
I don’t think you guys get the point. ABC doesnt really care if you TIVO the show. its not a popularity contest with how many people watch the show, its about how many people watch the adds. The advertisers dont pay the network to play the show because a lot of people watch the show without commercials, they pay the network for how many people watch commercials. Im not faulting those who have a time commitment but seriously the previews aren’t that bad to sit through. I actually enjoy the break as it allows me time to digest. I mean tv scripts are written to include advertisements and the writers play on the tense moments to increase the tension of the show. But its a fact that by skipping advertisements and watching it in ways that do not pay the network you really are slowly hurting the show. Not by much no. And LOST will prolly never feel the effects of this, buts its probable that if this trend continues TV shows in the future will be of less quality. I mean why do you think reality tv is so big? Its so cheap to make it doesnt matter how many people TIVO it. Lost is one of the most expensive shows of all time. It needs people the money. Sorry just my feeling. I think TIVO is destroying television.
Comment by Jalocke — June 1, 2008 @ 8:42 am
Jalocke, TIVO is a paid for service and as such, licensors effect the cost of ‘missed ads’ into the licensing and subscription costs. It may well be that Torrents etc are negatively affecting, however this too is unlikely as exposure still ads value to the brand names of Lost, Abrams, Carlton, Lindlehof, Bad Robot and of course, the main stars of the show, let alone the other writers and production staff. All of which increases the network branding overall. A successful production, regardless of the medium, ultimately means that these people will be employed in the future. Indeed, Abrams and Bad Robot already have a couple of irons in the fire with new series in production and other upcoming concepts having been greenlighted. Reality TV is successful yes and it doesn’t involve professional actors on the whole, but the processes to organise and groom non professional “stars” for broadcast is almost as expensive, sometimes moreso in the case of Big Brother and Idol, as it is to have professional actors and screenwriters on payroll. Oh and lastly, if you think that Reality TV isn’t scripted and edited extensively then you , speaking frankly, are deluded.
Reality TV is here to stay (I personally hate it) but that’s not due to the synicism of network heads, it’s as a result of the voyeuristic nature of the society in which we live. Even China has reality TV.
Lost and shows like it, including Battlestar Galactica, Heroes et al that have large teams of cast, crew, writers and production staff are not going anywhere soon. Yes, it’s true that Galactica ended but another series from the same team is already in production. The fact is network television and their parental film houses see much profit to be had in such large scale productions, so don’t worry drama is here to stay.
Comment by TIVOisn'tafreeservice — June 2, 2008 @ 1:33 am
Jalocke, TIVO is a paid for service and as such, licensors effect the cost of ‘missed ads’ into the licensing and subscription costs. It may well be that Torrents etc are negatively affecting, however this too is unlikely as exposure still ads value to the brand names of Lost, Abrams, Carlton, Lindlehof, Bad Robot and of course, the main stars of the show, let alone the other writers and production staff. All of which increases the network branding overall. A successful production, regardless of the medium, ultimately means that these people will be employed in the future. Indeed, Abrams and Bad Robot already have a couple of irons in the fire with new series in production and other upcoming concepts having been greenlighted. Reality TV is successful yes and it doesn’t involve professional actors on the whole, but the processes to organise and groom non professional “stars” for broadcast is almost as expensive, sometimes moreso in the case of Big Brother and Idol, as it is to have professional actors and screenwriters on payroll. Oh and lastly, if you think that Reality TV isn’t scripted and edited extensively then you , speaking frankly, are deluded.
Reality TV is here to stay (I personally hate it) but that’s not due to the synicism of network heads, it’s as a result of the voyeuristic nature of the society in which we live. Even China has reality TV.
Lost and shows like it, including Battlestar Galactica, Heroes et al that have large teams of cast, crew, writers and production staff are not going anywhere soon. Yes, it’s true that Galactica ended but another series from the same team is already in production. The fact is network television and their parental film houses see much profit to be had in such large scale productions, so don’t worry drama is here to stay.
Comment by TIVOisn'tafreeservice — June 2, 2008 @ 1:33 am
Jalocke, TIVO is a paid for service and as such, licensors effect the cost of ‘missed ads’ into the licensing and subscription costs. It may well be that Torrents etc are negatively affecting, however this too is unlikely as exposure still ads value to the brand names of Lost, Abrams, Carlton, Lindlehof, Bad Robot and of course, the main stars of the show, let alone the other writers and production staff. All of which increases the network branding overall. A successful production, regardless of the medium, ultimately means that these people will be employed in the future. Indeed, Abrams and Bad Robot already have a couple of irons in the fire with new series in production and other upcoming concepts having been greenlighted. Reality TV is successful yes and it doesn’t involve professional actors on the whole, but the processes to organise and groom non professional “stars” for broadcast is almost as expensive, sometimes moreso in the case of Big Brother and Idol, as it is to have professional actors and screenwriters on payroll. Oh and lastly, if you think that Reality TV isn’t scripted and edited extensively then you , speaking frankly, are deluded.
Reality TV is here to stay (I personally hate it) but that’s not due to the synicism of network heads, it’s as a result of the voyeuristic nature of the society in which we live. Even China has reality TV.
Lost and shows like it, including Battlestar Galactica, Heroes et al that have large teams of cast, crew, writers and production staff are not going anywhere soon. Yes, it’s true that Galactica ended but another series from the same team is already in production. The fact is network television and their parental film houses see much profit to be had in such large scale productions, so don’t worry drama is here to stay.
Comment by TIVOisn'tafreeservice — June 2, 2008 @ 1:33 am
Jalocke, TIVO is a paid for service and as such, licensors effect the cost of ‘missed ads’ into the licensing and subscription costs. It may well be that Torrents etc are negatively affecting, however this too is unlikely as exposure still ads value to the brand names of Lost, Abrams, Carlton, Lindlehof, Bad Robot and of course, the main stars of the show, let alone the other writers and production staff. All of which increases the network branding overall. A successful production, regardless of the medium, ultimately means that these people will be employed in the future. Indeed, Abrams and Bad Robot already have a couple of irons in the fire with new series in production and other upcoming concepts having been greenlighted. Reality TV is successful yes and it doesn’t involve professional actors on the whole, but the processes to organise and groom non professional “stars” for broadcast is almost as expensive, sometimes moreso in the case of Big Brother and Idol, as it is to have professional actors and screenwriters on payroll. Oh and lastly, if you think that Reality TV isn’t scripted and edited extensively then you , speaking frankly, are deluded.
Reality TV is here to stay (I personally hate it) but that’s not due to the synicism of network heads, it’s as a result of the voyeuristic nature of the society in which we live. Even China has reality TV.
Lost and shows like it, including Battlestar Galactica, Heroes et al that have large teams of cast, crew, writers and production staff are not going anywhere soon. Yes, it’s true that Galactica ended but another series from the same team is already in production. The fact is network television and their parental film houses see much profit to be had in such large scale productions, so don’t worry drama is here to stay.
Comment by TIVOisn'tafreeservice — June 2, 2008 @ 1:33 am