The Walking Dead Season 9 premiered on Sunday, but it drew in a relatively small viewership.
Per The Hollywood Reporter, the episode pulled in 6.08 million viewers, which marks the smallest audience the show has had since partway through Season 2. In comparison, the Season 8 premiere brought in 11.44 million viewers. The lowest season premiere ratings still belong to Season 1, which garnered 5.35 million viewers.
Specifically, its key 18-49 demographic had a historically low turnout, reportedly rating lower than any other season premiere in the series and tying with the lowest scoring rating of any episode of The Walking Dead in this demographic.
Source: IGN.com The Walking Dead's Season 9 Premiere Is One of Its Lowest Ever