“Sopranos” finale whacked in ratings

By Andrew Wallenstein

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – “The Sopranos” went out
with a whimper instead of a bang Sunday, according to Nielsen
Media Research ratings.

The mob drama’s final episode of the year drew a
disappointing 8.9 million total viewers — just a hair over the
average audience that turned out for the series throughout its
sixth season. Finales usually manage to build over season
averages by millions of viewers.

“Sopranos” will close out its run with the final eight
episodes of the series in January 2007.

Still to come are the cumulative ratings for the finale
episode, which take into account the multiple reruns in a
subsequent week that give HBO a more accurate picture of who
watched. The cumulative season average to date, not including
the finale, is 13.1 million.

That total will likely rise when the final episode is
accounted for, but won’t match the 14.4 million cumulative
average that “Sopranos” earned in its fifth season.

However, HBO also has a robust video-on-demand audience for
“Sopranos.” Sources said the network isn’t sweating the
underwhelming finale numbers too much because internal research
indicates VOD adds another 10% to the audience haul, which
makes it roughly on par with the previous season.

Still, a finale that doesn’t deliver a ratings crescendo is
new for “Sopranos.” In June 2004, “Sopranos” managed to attract
nearly 11 million to its fifth-season finale, up significantly
from the 9.8 million it averaged in that season. That finale
was also handicapped by going up against the NBA Finals.
“Sopranos” didn’t face any significant broadcast competition
this time around.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter