The Bible-based series The Chosen has experienced a surge in viewers on The CW in recent weeks and hit an all-time high on Dec. 10, as fans and newbies alike catch up on the plot in preparation for the Season 3 finale on Christmas Eve.
The Dec. 10 episode of The Chosen drew 553,000 viewers -- a record for the series this year -- while November attracted the highest average number of viewers yet for a specific month, according to public data at SpoilerTV.com.
In fact, the viewership average has increased for two straight months, with October averaging 440,600 viewers to best September’s average of 424,750. November’s average of 492,250 viewers topped October. December’s average for the first two weeks (514,000) would be another record for the series.
The first three series of The Chosen began airing in July on The CW and will run through Christmas Eve. The series consistently ranks as one of the top three most-watched shows on The CW each week, even though it’s available on other platforms, on-demand, for free -- on Prime Video, for example. Its viewership numbers are double many of the network’s other series.
In October, Kyle Young, vice president of global distribution for The Chosen, told Christian Headlines and other media outlets that viewership data on The CW was impressive.
“We've been completely blown away by the size of the audience engagement, the ongoing viewership, and it's led to a bunch more people being exposed to the show,” Young said.
The over-the-air broadcast on The CW, he said, is “bringing in new audiences.
“We're just seeing that this story resonates with people all over the world and in so many different amazing ways.”
It is the first time that a broadcast TV network has aired a full season of The Chosen. The CW is an over-the-air broadcast channel that covers virtually 100 percent of the United States.
Season 4 of The Chosen will launch in theaters in February before it goes to The Chosen app and other platforms.
Meanwhile, the holiday-themed movie Christmas with The Chosen: Holy Night will be in theaters Dec. 12-17.
Related: Elizabeth Tabish: ‘The Chosen’ Christmas Movie Is a ‘Beacon of Hope’ for a War-Torn World
Photo Courtesy: ©Angel Studios
Video Courtesy: The Chosen via YouTube
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
