Nielsens: 'Descendants 2,' 'Insecure' make strong showing
Ratings for the week ending July 23, 2017.
Chip off the old block. Descendants 2, the sequel to the popular 2015 TV movie, showed the continuing strength of the fantasy franchise, attracting 5.3 million viewers Friday on Disney Channel. The first airing of the movie reached about 9 million across multiple Disney channels that included ABC (2.4 million), Disney XD, Freeform, Lifetime and Lifetime Movies. The 2015 film attracted 6.6 million viewers on Disney Channel alone.
Dragon power. With the help of Game of Thrones' massive audience (9.3 million) as a lead-in, the Season 3 premiere of Ballers (2.5 million) and Season 2 opener of Insecure (1.1 million) set series audience records Sunday.
Fake race, real ratings. Phelps vs. Shark: Great Gold vs. Great White provided a big start, 4.8 million viewers, on Sunday for Discovery Channel's annual Shark Week. However, many viewers expressed disappointment later when it was learned the contest was simulated, not real.