Warner Bros. Discovery has been celebrating the apparent ratings success of DC Studios’ Lanterns, but an independent measurement of the series’ performance is painting a somewhat different picture.
According to Cosmic Book News, Lanterns dropped from No. 2 to No. 4 on Samba TV’s ranking of the most-watched streaming programs in the United States during its second week.
That certainly doesn’t mean Lanterns is suddenly a ratings disaster. However, it does provide the first indication that the series may not be maintaining its position against the wider streaming competition quite as strongly as Warner Bros. Discovery’s own numbers suggest.
And that makes the next round of independent ratings particularly important.
Lanterns Drops Two Spots
Lanterns premiered on HBO and HBO Max on August 16 and initially performed well on Samba TV’s weekly streaming rankings.
For the week of August 17 through August 23, Lanterns debuted as the No. 2 streaming program in the United States, trailing only Amazon’s Reacher.
Samba TV itself highlighted that performance in TheWrap, noting the DC Studios series had entered its Wrap Report at No. 2.
Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan in Lanterns – HBO, DC Studios
However, things changed the following week.
According to the newest Samba TV chart, covering August 24 through 30, Lanterns fell two positions to No. 4.
Reacher remained firmly planted at No. 1 for the third consecutive week, while two new Netflix programs—Death of the Pastor’s Wife and The Whisper Man—debuted ahead of Lanterns at No. 2 and 3, respectively.
Lanterns remains the only HBO Max series in Samba TV’s top 10, so the result is hardly catastrophic.
But it does mean the series’ position weakened after its debut rather than strengthening.
Warner Bros. Says Lanterns Is Growing
That becomes particularly interesting when compared with the numbers Warner Bros. Discovery has been touting.
As TheWrap reported, Warner Bros. Discovery claims Episode 3 of Lanterns, “OutKast,” attracted 10 million global viewers during its first three days of availability, including 7 million viewers in the United States.
That would represent a new series high.
The premiere previously generated 9.3 million global viewers during its first three days, including 6.6 million viewers domestically.
John Stewart in Lanterns – HBO Max
Warner Bros. Discovery also claims the Lanterns premiere has now surpassed 20 million viewers worldwide and ranks among HBO Max’s five biggest series launches.
On the surface, that sounds like fantastic news for James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DC Studios.
But there’s an important distinction.
Those numbers come directly from Warner Bros. Discovery.
Samba TV, meanwhile, is independently measuring U.S. household reach through opted-in smart TVs. It’s not measuring the exact same thing as Warner Bros. Discovery, meaning the two datasets cannot simply be placed side-by-side as though one disproves the other.
Nevertheless, they are producing two very different narratives.
Warner Bros. Discovery says Lanterns is growing. Samba TV says its position among the most-watched streaming programs in America dropped from No. 2 to No. 4.
Episode 3 Isn’t Part of This Samba TV Story Yet
There’s another extremely important caveat.
The newest Samba TV chart covers August 24 through 30. Episode 3 of Lanterns premiered on August 30.
That means the episode Warner Bros. Discovery says attracted 10 million viewers in three days arrived on essentially the final day of Samba TV’s weekly measurement period.
Therefore, this chart should not be treated as an independent rebuttal of Warner Bros. Discovery’s Episode 3 claims.
A clip from Episode 3 of Lanterns – HBO Max
READ: Lanterns Continues to Attract Big Viewership For HBO Max Despite Controversies
Instead, the next Samba TV chart will be much more revealing.
If Lanterns rebounds or climbs substantially after Episode 3, that would provide independent evidence supporting Warner Bros. Discovery’s contention that interest in the series is increasing.
If it continues falling, however, questions about the discrepancy between Warner Bros. Discovery’s reported growth and independent measurements are only going to get louder.
The Next Ratings Report Could Tell Us Much More
There has already been plenty of debate surrounding the performance of Lanterns.
Warner Bros. Discovery has repeatedly released favorable internal statistics, while HBO Max rankings and other streaming charts have also indicated significant interest in the series.
Now, however, Samba TV has provided the first meaningful sign that Lanterns could be losing some ground in the broader streaming market.
Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan in the Lanterns trailer – YouTube @HBO
Again, falling from No. 2 to No. 4 is not a collapse. It would be irresponsible to characterize it as one.
But after Warner Bros. Discovery spent the week promoting Lanterns as a show whose audience is actively growing, seeing an independent measurement move in the opposite direction is absolutely worth watching.
Episode 3 is where the situation becomes particularly interesting.
Warner Bros. Discovery says it was the biggest episode yet. The next Samba TV rankings should give us our first opportunity to see whether independent viewing data supports that claim.
For Lanterns, next week’s numbers suddenly matter quite a bit.
What do you think of the Lanterns ratings? Sound off and let us know!
