Terrifying Television – A Huge Hit for Cable TV

The premiere of FX’s ‘American Horror Story: Coven’ was a series-high, with nearly millions of viewers tuned in.  Ranking #2 in adults, only slightly behind ‘Modern Family,’ the show has been an enormous success for FX. 

AMC’s ‘Walking Dead’ was another record-breaker, drawing in a premiere audience of 8.1 million (total viewers - adults 18-49). ‘Walking Dead’ set the record for the most-watched basic cable drama in the history of television. 

So, what is it about these shows that draw-in record numbers?  The success is due, in part, to scheduling.  At a time when US audiences are looking for something spooky to watch, what better than ‘AHS’ or ‘The Walking Dead?’  Plus, both networks leveraged creative marketing strategies alongside their series’ killer content.  ‘AHS’ racked up Emmy nominations, and was the first series since FX’s ‘The Shield’ to win for best actor

'The Walking Dead' premiered October 13.  'American Horror Story' premiered October 17.