‘Yellowstone’ Continues to Score Big With Season 4 Premiere Ratings

Kelly Reilly as Beth, Kevin Costner as John in Yellowstone
Paramount Network

Not only did a lot of people tune in to the two-hour Yellowstone Season 4 premiere the night it aired (November 7), but in the days that followed as well.

The L+3 (same-day ratings, plus three days of DVR and on-demand viewing) numbers are in: 14.7 million viewers, 400,000 more viewers than NFL Sunday night (14.3 million). Yellowstone is the #1 series of 2021 across all of television (broadcast, cable, and premium).

“Over 14 million viewers tuned in for our Yellowstone premiere which will now serve as massive launch pad as we sneak episodes of Taylor Sheridan’s new series Mayor of Kingstown, whose full season will be rolling out exclusively on Paramount+ starting Sunday,” Chris McCarthy, President and CEO, MTV Entertainment Group, said in a statement. “Taylor has created a cinematic experience that our remarkable cast led by Kevin Costner brings to life in a way audiences can’t get enough of and we are excited to deepen our relationship with him and capitalize on this tremendous momentum by building out the Yellowstone franchise together.”

On Paramount Network alone, 10.5 million watched the premiere, which is up 60% from the Season 3 premiere. (It’s also up 64% in the key demo among adults 18-49, a 4.19 rating vs. 2.56). It was the most-watched season premiere on cable since The Walking Dead in 2017. With the simulcast on CMT, Pop, and TV Land as well, 12.7 million tuned in (up 66% from the Season 3 premiere’s 7.6 million). On premiere night, factoring in the first airing and encores, the 14.7 million viewers is up 58% from Season 3 premiere’s 9.3 million.

This news comes ahead of the third episode of Yellowstone Season 4 airing on Sunday, November 14 on Paramount Network. Sheridan’s Yellowstone prequel, 1883, will premiere in December on the streaming service.

Yellowstone, Sundays, 8/7c, Paramount Network