‘Special Ops: Lioness’: Taylor Sheridan Espionage Thriller Off To Strong Start With Record Audience On Paramount+

deadline.com:

EXCLUSIVE: Taylor Sheridan might have more ratings royalty on his hands with Special Ops: Lioness. The espionage thriller premiered with two episodes on Paramount+ on July 23, and Paramount Global is now touting it as the streamer’s most-watched global series premiere in its first 24 hours, topping a previous record set by Halo in March 2022.

In addition to debuting on Paramount+, the first two episodes also aired on Paramount Network across the last two weekends. The first episode debuted on July 23 to coincide with the series’ streaming debut, and Episode 2 aired on July 30.

The remaining episodes will only be available on Paramount+. After three days of delayed viewing, Episode 1 scored a combined audience of nearly 6M across viewing on Paramount+ globally and linear viewing on Paramount Network in the U.S., according to Paramount Global. (For reference, Samba TV reported that 918,000 U.S.

households watched Episode 1 on Paramount+ on release day, while 218,000 watched Episode 2.)  “On one of the most competitive weeks of the year, Special Ops: Lioness scored as the #1 new scripted series of the year on cable and one of the highest performers of all time on Paramount+,” said Chris McCarthy, President/CEO, Paramount Media Networks & SHOWTIME/MTV Entertainment Studios.  “Brilliantly created by Taylor Sheridan and brought to life by our stellar cast, this heart-pounding thriller inspired by real-life events clearly struck a chord with a huge audience.” Added Domenic DiMeglio, EVP and Chief Marketing Officer, Paramount Streaming: “The strong viewer reception for Special Ops: Lioness reflects the power of Paramount across the board in creating, producing, marketing and delivering this incredible Taylor Sheridan drama