Cable television ratings for A&E Network have plummeted since it canceled the hit police reality show, "Live PD" on June 10, according to the
Wall Street Journal.Following the death of George Floyd and
riots led by "Black Lives Matter" across the country, A&E Network capitulated to demands to cancel the law enforcement show saying in a
statement:
"This is a critical time in our nation's history and we have made the decision to cease production on Live PD. Going forward, we will determine if there is a clear pathway to tell the stories of both the community and the police officers whose role it is to serve them. And with that, we will be meeting with community and civil rights leaders as well as police departments."
The woke move turned out to be a devastating financial mistake. Average prime-time viewership for A&E between June 11 and July 19 of this year was 498,000 people, which is down 49 percent from the same period last year. Additionally, for key demographics of adults 18-49 and 25-54,
the declines are 55 percent and 53 percent, respectively. Before A&E pulled the show, its prime-time viewership was up 4 percent from the same period in 2019.
Ironically,
the show promoted police transparency, one of the reforms championed by BLM and others, by following officers on their rounds in cities across the country. "
Live PD" averaged about 1.9 million viewers for its Friday and Saturday night episodes and re-aired episodes on other days.
It inspired several successful spinoff shows, which A&E also canceled.
Comment: In 1919 P.D. Ouspensky said that the Bolshevik revolution was not what it seemed: it was being led by the "criminal element" of society. The same thing is happening in the U.S.