http://www.forbes.com/sites/insertcoin/2016/11/27/five-reasons-why-the-walking-deads-ratings-are-crashing-to-season-3-levels/#7d4de0786041
The current biggest threat to Rick’s group isn’t Negan and the Saviors, it’s audience disinterest.
AMC’s plan worked initially, and The Walking Dead put up record numbers as 17 million tuned into the Season 7 premiere to see who Negan had actually killed during after the Season 6 cliffhanger. But afterward? The show’s ratings have fallen off a cliff in the weeks that followed. They dropped precipitously from 12.5 in episode 2 to now just 11 million viewers in episode 5.
While viewers always drop off to a certain extent after season premieres, this is simply unprecedented for The Walking Dead. Losing over 6 million viewers in just five episodes is not a fluke, and the downward trend may not be over yet. Having just 11 million viewers drops The Walking Dead to a viewership level not seen since season 3. The show was still popular then, but with seasons 4 and 6 averaging about 12-13 million viewers an episode, and season five averaging more like 13-15, this is obviously not the direction The Walking Dead wants to be moving. Season 6 may have indicated a slow decline, but now in season 7, viewer interest is dying off at a simply alarming rate.
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You are not alone, makes me wonder about future of the series.
I enjoy it as Negan is best thing to happen in a while. I'm surprised "The Farm" didn't kill interest back in season 2.
