The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power's first season divided Middle-earth fans and it seems many of them decided against coming back for season 2.
Deadline has shared viewing data from Samba TV which suggests only 902,000 U.S. households tuned in for the premiere within four days of its debut. As the trade explains, "It’s half the audience that the first episode of Season 1 drew in less time. Samba says that, within three days of viewing, 1.8 [million] U.S. households had watched the first episode."
Even though these aren't "official" viewing figures, they do offer an idea of how The Rings of Power's season 2 premiere performed and we can't imagine Prime Video will be overjoyed by this (particularly as it's a very pricey series to produce, hence the move from New Zealand to the UK).
Samba TV bases these figures on a panel of 3 million terrestrial TVs weighted to the U.S. Census; the company's TV panel is nearly 100x larger than Nielsen's household footprint of 45,000 homes.
Amazon touted the first season of The Rings of Power as "an unprecedented success," claiming it was viewed by more than 100 million people worldwide, with more than 32 billion minutes streamed. In fact, it's said to have attracted more than 25 million global viewers on its first day, marking the biggest premiere in the history of Prime Video.
With that in mind, even a 50% drop could still be a huge win for the streamer.
In season 2 of The Rings of Power, Sauron has returned. Cast out by Galadriel, without an army or ally, the rising Dark Lord must now rely on his own cunning to rebuild his strength and oversee the creation of the Rings of Power, which will allow him to bind all the peoples of Middle-earth to his sinister will.
Building on season 1's epic scope and ambition, the new season plunges even its most beloved and vulnerable characters into a rising tide of darkness, challenging each to find their place in a world that is increasingly on the brink of calamity. Elves and dwarves, orcs and men, wizards and Harfoots - as friendships are strained and kingdoms begin to fracture, the forces of good will struggle ever more valiantly to hold on to what matters to them most of all...each other.
The first three season 2 episodes of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power premiered on August 29, 2024, with additional new episodes streaming each week thereafter until the season finale on October 3, 2024.