AHSOKA: Disney Responds Following Claims Of Low Viewership Numbers For Last Week's Two-Part Premiere

AHSOKA: Disney Responds Following Claims Of Low Viewership Numbers For Last Week's Two-Part Premiere

After it was widely reported that Ahsoka debuted as one of Disney+'s lowest-viewed Star Wars TV shows, Disney has responded with official numbers which tell a very different story. Read on for details!

By JoshWilding - Aug 30, 2023 05:08 AM EST
Filed Under: Star Wars
Source: SFFGazette.com

When Bob Chapek was still in charge of Disney, creating as much content for Disney+ was a priority. The studio is now feeling the effect of that, hence why several movies and TV shows have been removed and others scrapped, all in the name of saving money. 

As a result, Star Wars has become a small-screen franchise rather than one which breaks box office records in theaters. That's something Bob Iger hopes to change, though it's unclear what that means for this Galaxy's television future. 

Samba TV claimed that only 1.2 million U.S. households tuned in for the first episode, with 965,000 watching the second, during their first six days on Disney+. That's roughly on par with Andor's 1.2 million viewers in 2022. However, it's quite a bit behind Obi-Wan Kenobi (2.4 million) and The Mandalorian season 3 (1.7 million).

ALSO READ: Ahsoka Just Revealed The Galaxy's New
Chancellor And Introduces Star Wars Rebels' [SPOILER]

Disney has since responded by issuing a press release confirming Ahsoka's first episode, titled "Master and Apprentice," was the most-watched title on Disney+ this past week with 14 million views.

That sounds impressive, though it's worth noting don't have official viewership numbers for any other Star Wars titles on the streamer. 

"Ahsoka has become a fan favorite with people of all ages and it’s wonderful to see her continue to resonate with viewers in her very own headlining series," says Kathleen Kennedy, Lucasfilm president. "I want to recognize the fantastic work done by our creative team, led by Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau, the incredible cast led by Rosario Dawson, and our talented crew."

ALSO READ: Ahsoka Episode 3 Reveals Whether Sabine Wren
Can Use The Force And Drops First Look At Live-Action [SPOILER]

"On behalf of the team and all of Lucasfilm, we give our thanks to all the fans who have been with Ahsoka on every step of her journey and to all those who are just learning about her now in Ahsoka on Disney+."

Reviews for Ahsoka have been very positive, but if it doesn't perform as well as Disney hopes, don't be surprised if future TV shows look to put the spotlight on characters the general audiences are better acquainted with.

Stay tuned for updates as we have them. 

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Thing94
Thing94 - 8/30/2023, 5:33 AM
Boring girl boss shite
McMurdo
McMurdo - 8/30/2023, 11:45 AM
@Thing94 - ep 3 was FIRE. You need full frontal cock in everything????
Mugens
Mugens - 8/30/2023, 5:36 AM
It's a damn good show for me so far with good potential if they can stick the landing. But who or what in the hell is Samba TV? Don't think I have ever heard of them.
Blergh
Blergh - 8/30/2023, 7:45 AM
@Mugens - it’s essentially a service trying to realistically gauge viewing figures for streaming TV.
As SServices are hesitant to release viewing figures for shows (to keep residual payments low) Samba is attempting to make a realistic estimate based on the data they have (no matter how limited that info is)
Mugens
Mugens - 8/30/2023, 9:20 AM
@Blergh - Thanks. I stand enlightened.
WhatIfRickJames
WhatIfRickJames - 8/30/2023, 5:40 AM
Last night’s episode was significantly better in pacing than the first two.
ReverseFlasher
ReverseFlasher - 8/30/2023, 9:50 AM
@WhatIfRickJames - agreed … and despite the short run time, I am very excited for episodes 4 and on.
McMurdo
McMurdo - 8/30/2023, 11:46 AM
@WhatIfRickJames - it was non stop. Training stuff was sick too.
UncleHarm1
UncleHarm1 - 8/30/2023, 2:16 PM
@WhatIfRickJames - The introduction of the purple haired lady seemed like it was actively trying to make me hate the show, I was physically repulsed. I haven't been able to bring myself to watch episode 2 but people keep telling me this show is great
WhatIfRickJames
WhatIfRickJames - 8/30/2023, 2:36 PM
@UncleHarm1 - purple haired lady? Sabine? Yeah, don't give up hope just yet. Ep 2 was better than 1 for sure and Ep 3 keeps the party going. Great dogfighting and training scene was legit.

To me, NLB is super attractive so I'm sorry that you were repulsed.
UncleHarm1
UncleHarm1 - 8/31/2023, 10:15 PM
@WhatIfRickJames - It was the music and the whole vibe. What a badass, she rides a motorcycle and listens to edgy music lol. Felt as far from star wars as it gets to me. I watched the next 2 episodes and they're better, the dialogue is just horrible tho in places. George Lucas would be proud
AscendedExtra
AscendedExtra - 8/30/2023, 5:51 AM
I have thoroughly enjoyed this series so far and I’m really looking forward to seeing where the story goes. My only complaint so far is last night’s episode was a bit on the short side.
MarvelousMarty
MarvelousMarty - 8/30/2023, 5:51 AM
I'm mostly enjoying it. Hadn't really noticed that it was so heavily female led until this mornings episode when for the brief scene that Ray Stevenson showed up my excitement level went up a notch. I am getting a bit tired of Rosario's delivery of her lines. I know she's meant to be more of a Yoda type Jedi but it sometimes doesn't feel natural and starts to get boring. I like the cast and love Chopper. £0 minutes or so is not long enough for an episode in my opinion. 45 minutes to an hour is my preference. On the subject of viewing numbers, Disney has ruined the franchise so much that a lot of the more casual fans simply don't care about Star Wars any more and I can't blame them.
MartianManHuntr
MartianManHuntr - 8/30/2023, 6:06 AM
thespiderkat
thespiderkat - 8/30/2023, 6:09 AM
Gotta keep gaslighting those shareholders and investors…
FireandBlood
FireandBlood - 8/30/2023, 6:09 AM
Seeing how these idiots be acting with Hera, it’s no wonder Leia started the Resistance.
OrgasmicPotatoe
OrgasmicPotatoe - 8/30/2023, 6:19 AM
Where does Samba TV get their numbers from if Disney doesn't share them publicly ? Because between 1.2 million viewers and 14 million viewers, someone is full of shit.
Taonrey
Taonrey - 8/30/2023, 10:33 AM
@OrgasmicPotatoe - no way Disney spending 200m and only getting 1.2 to 2.4m in 7 days. That’s embarrassing numbers for all of their Star Wars shows. Netflix originals do that without even trying.
mastakilla39
mastakilla39 - 8/30/2023, 10:40 AM
@OrgasmicPotatoe - They get it off the smart phones and tvs. When you turn on a smart tv it tells you that they are tracking everything you watch and your location....thats where Samba Tv gets the data. Notice how they list "number of households" and not "viewers" because they can only track it based on devices. Samba TV is really accurate though as a majority of people in the USA uses smart devices now.
OrgasmicPotatoe
OrgasmicPotatoe - 8/30/2023, 10:46 AM
@Taonrey - How much did Ant-Man 3 cost them again ?

Paying 200M$ does not guarantee any success, you have to put in the necessary effort for that. There are reports of D+ having yet to turn a profit for Disney, meaning most projects cost more than they bring.
OrgasmicPotatoe
OrgasmicPotatoe - 8/30/2023, 10:47 AM
@mastakilla39 - Thanks, that makes sense !
mastakilla39
mastakilla39 - 8/30/2023, 10:49 AM
@Taonrey - thats just part of investing in the streaming wars. took netflix 15 years to break even, it was only last year they started making profits. disney needs to spend about 6 billion or more per year if d+ is going to profit. Disney needs to invest more or else they are going to be dead in less than 5 yrs, they are already having problems retaining viewers because they don't have enough "new" content compared to netflix. You gotta spend money to make money.
Taonrey
Taonrey - 8/30/2023, 11:03 AM
@mastakilla39 - yeah that makes sense , sounds like it would’ve been cheaper to just make shows for Netflix and Amazon
Origame
Origame - 8/30/2023, 6:20 AM
...14 mil? That seems disproportionately high. I mean, kenobi had a lot of hype around it and only had 2.4 mil. And I'm inclined to believe it's a lie since this is the same sh!t disney is being sued over.
mountainman
mountainman - 8/30/2023, 7:11 AM
@Origame - I’m pretty sure that 2.4 was also a Samba TV reporting. I know the software is only built into certain streaming devices, so it was never considered a true representation of 100% of the people that watched it. But the samba number being less than 10% of the disney provided number seems really off.

This show is the definition of niche. Sounds like the hardcore Star Wars fans love it. But it doesn’t seem to have any buzz with the general public.
Taonrey
Taonrey - 8/30/2023, 10:34 AM
@Origame - that 2.4m is a samba tv number, not the actual number
Origame
Origame - 8/30/2023, 10:48 AM
@Taonrey - ...then what's the actual number?
harryba11zack
harryba11zack - 8/30/2023, 6:29 AM
so much damage control, I guess the force isn't female.
Thing94
Thing94 - 8/30/2023, 6:51 AM
@harryba11zack - I can't wait to not get my The Force is Female T-shirt
Feralwookiee
Feralwookiee - 8/30/2023, 7:36 AM
@harryba11zack - Maybe it's just "that time of the month" for the force.

Toonstrack
Toonstrack - 8/30/2023, 12:06 PM
@harryba11zack - this show so far is one of their best so if it is ill take it
Order66
Order66 - 8/30/2023, 6:37 AM
I love every single minute of it. One of the best Star Wars shows.
FireandBlood
FireandBlood - 8/30/2023, 7:44 AM
@Order66 - It’s so good. Full on Filoni Star Wars
McMurdo
McMurdo - 8/30/2023, 11:53 AM
@PlusUltra - ep 3 was FIREEEEE
FireandBlood
FireandBlood - 8/30/2023, 11:59 AM
@McMurdo - When she said she was going out there, she really meant it
Rokhorn
Rokhorn - 8/30/2023, 6:40 AM
That is some serious copium. Disney's back with the spin Doctors.
philinterrupted
philinterrupted - 8/30/2023, 6:50 AM
So far I like it a lot. We’ll see where the story goes. My issue with season 3 of Mando was the pacing.

This feels like they’re doing more with world building as far as force users than we’ve seen before. To me it feels like they’re establishing the force not necessarily being solely used by Jedi or Sith.
AnthonyVonGeek
AnthonyVonGeek - 8/30/2023, 6:50 AM
Shows ok but Rosario Dawson seems extremely bored to me. Her line delivery and acting feels lazy and dull.
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