How Paramount+ Propelled ‘Landman’ Season 2 to Record-Breaking Ratings

While nearly any Taylor Sheridan series is a sure bet on TV, “Landman” stands out as its second season reached record-breaking heights for Paramount+, kicking off with the Season 2 premiere reaching 9.2 million views globally in its first two days.

The debut, which marked a 262% increase from the Season 1 premiere, was just the start of a ratings success story for the Billy Bob Thornton-led Western drama. “Landman” saw week-over-week growth, per Nielsen, leading up to the Season 2 finale, which Paramount reports reached 14.8 million global views in its first two days, up 70% from the Season 1 closer. With Season 2 episodes averaging 14.9 million global views in their first seven days — a 58% increase over Season 1 — “Landman” now ranks as Paramount+’s biggest show.

The ratings growth, which made an easy case for an early Season 3 renewal, is a result of what Paramount+ data chief Domenic DiMeglio identifies as a year-long effort that kickstarted after seeing viewership growth throughout Season 1, along with new viewers finding the show in the off-season.

“Very early on, we knew that we had a very special opportunity coming off a show that really found an audience, that fans love, that grew and was building momentum even after the season ended [and] that Season 2 is going to be that pivotal opportunity to really take the show to another level,” DiMeglio told TheWrap.

As the team began pulling marketing and social media levers to raise awareness for “Landman,” the series was already well-positioned within the Paramount Global ecosystem for its Season 2 launch in November, given the buzz around other Sheridan shows like “Tulsa King” Season 3 and “Mayor of Kingstown,” as well as fall sports and the CBS primetime slate — many of which DiMeglio said align with the viewers tuning in for “Landman.”

Paramount+ also arranged several crossovers that took advantage of the parent company’s existing properties to boost “Landman,” as Thornton and “The Running Man” star Glen Powell collaborated on a promo video while “The Price Is Right” and Roku also embraced “Landman”-specific themes. Thornton also made the rounds among the podcast circuit, including “Smartless” and “The Joe Rogan Experience” and the NFL’s “ManningCast.”

“We knew what the size of the opportunity was for Season 2, and we, both from an organic and a paid perspective, really wanted to make sure that the Paramount+ team, as well as, frankly, the entire company, were putting together a campaign that would really break through and help catapult Season 2 to the level that we hope … and have seen it achieve,” DiMeglio said.

That also meant turning to social media even before the season launch, where “Landman” found a devoted fan base. Season 2 racked up 11.5 million engagements across its rollout, up 46% from the 7.9 million engagements tallied up for Season 1, per figures from Domo. 

“We do the work when no one’s looking — we’re feeding that fandom, not just through Season 1, but really doubl[ing] down and level[ing] things up in between seasons,” DiMeglio said. “We’re finding what’s working for fans. We’re keeping a good variety of content, whether it’s seamless compilations, you name it, we’re really trying to make sure we’re serving what the fans want to see and that then … sets the table when Season 2 is coming.”

Following the Season 2 debut on Nov. 16, “Landman” tallied up an impressive 1.19 billion viewing minutes across all episodes during the week of Nov. 17 on Paramount+, landing as the No. 3 most-watched streaming program on Nielsen’s streaming charts, behind Netflix juggernaut “Stranger Things” and new limited series “The Beast in Me.” And notably, “Landman” still logged 573 million minutes during the week of Nov. 10, despite the new season launch only overlapping one day with the interval.

While it’s already a feat to pass the 1 billion viewing minute threshold, “Landman” has grown its viewership every week of its Season 2 rollout so far where figures have been reported by Nielsen — it even climbed up to the No. 2 spot with 1.34 billion viewing minutes during the week of Nov. 24. 

“Landman” notched even more viewers in subsequent weeks despite going down in the rankings, with the week of Dec. 1 seeing 1.47 billion viewing minutes and the week of Dec. 8 logging 1.52 billion minutes. The following week, “Landman” was back as the No. 2 most-streamed program with 1.61 billion viewing minutes. Viewership data for the rest of the Season 2 rollout will be available via Nielsen in the coming weeks.

Paramount did not provide data on how many Paramount+ signups were generated by the launch of “Landman” Season 2, but DiMeglio noted the team was “very pleased” by the signup rate around the premiere, confirming that “the show is helping us generate new interest and bringing new subscribers to the service.”

While most Sheridan shows fit somewhat easily into the white, male demo, DiMeglio touted “Landman” for resonating “across borders and through different demographics,” highlighting its impressive performance among Hispanic audiences this season — without noting specifics.

Season 2’s bump in diverse viewership reflects an increased diversity among its cast and storylines, with Paulina Chávez’s Ariana receiving more material this season while Andy Garcia joined the cast in Season 2 — both arcs that were set up to continue in Season 3 based on the events in the finale.

“While it is resonating with certain audience segments … the transcendence of audience segments is what I think is making it special and really allowed to be the broad hit that it is,” DiMeglio said.

“Landman” Seasons 1-2 are now streaming on Paramount+.

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