The seasons has officially begun, and it seems to be well received by its viewers — but how many people actually tuned in?
The Challenge: Vets & New Threats: Episode 1 was watched by 243,000 live viewers and received a 0.10 rating in the 18-49 demographic. It was the 9th highest-rated cable show of the night.
This is a pretty bad start for the season. I know ratings are down on all networks, but this is a big drop compared to last season’s premiere. It’s also lower than other programs on MTV right now, it’s even a decline in viewership compared to All Stars Rivals’ first episode. Hopefully, buzz generates around the season and numbers go up fast.
Here are some benchmarks to compare this episode:
Day Zero Launch Special: 198,000 viewers (0.07 rating)
All Stars Rivals Episode 1: 314,000 (0.13 rating)
Battle of the Eras Episode 1: 426,000 viewers (0.19 rating)
Battle for a New Champion Episode 1: 342,000 viewers (0.14 rating)
Stop Being Polite 
This is what happens when viewers haven’t heard of half the cast.
Perhaps. It’s not what happened on War of the World 1