'The Rings of Power' appears to be struggling to connect with younger viewers

• Amazon's "Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" may have struggled to attract young viewers.
• 71% of its audience was 35 years or older at the season-one midway point, according to Nielsen.

Amazon's "Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" might have a problem with young audiences.

Expectations were high for the series, which concluded its first season on Friday, given its hefty reported pricetag of $465 million to make season one. And while the limited viewership numbers we've seen have been decent, the series could have still struggled to connect with an important demographic.

71% of the show's audience is 35 years or older in the US, according to Nielsen's latest streaming data from Thursday, which measured through the show's fourth episode. By comparison, 68% of the audience for HBO's own fantasy series "House of the Dragon" is in the 18 to 49 age range.

Insider reached out to Amazon representatives for comment on Nielsen's demographics data, whether this is reflective of a global trend, and whether they could offer any audience data of their own, but did not receive a response ahead of publication.

"Rings of Power's" audience leaning older could have contributed to its seemingly muted online conversation, at least compared to "House of the Dragon."

The "TheRingsofPower" hashtag on TikTok has 656 million views, while the "#HouseoftheDragon" hashtag has 5.4 billion. While not exactly a perfect commentary on "The Rings of Power's" popularity, it does suggest a limited appeal for younger viewers compared to the competition, as TikTok's user base skews young.

Other data suggests the limits of the show's reach, as well.

Google Trends data shows that searches for "House of the Dragon" have greatly outpaced "The Rings of Power" over the last month.

"House of the Dragon" is 119 times more "in demand" than the average series worldwide, while "The Rings of Power" is 67 times more in demand, according to the data firm Parrot Analytics. The company measures audience demand based on a number of factors, including online engagement.

Julia Alexander, director of strategy at Parrot Analytics, tweeted recently that "The Rings of Power" is "a hit, except it feels like it's not."

In other words, while the show has a sizable audience, conversation has been lacking. Alexander argued that this matters in the long term because attention leads to engagement, which leads to growing viewership.

The two-episode premiere of "The Rings of Power" was watched by 12.6 million viewers in the US in its first three days. Nielsen confirmed to Insider that the third episode was watched by 7.47 million average viewers in the US in its first three days, though Nielsen only measures viewing on connected TVs, which doesn't include other devices like laptops.

So "The Rings of Power" saw decent viewership, with a potential slight decline from its premiere to its second weekend in the US (data beyond that is currently limited).

Amazon has committed to five seasons so it has plenty of time to expand its audience. The show's creators, J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay, are optimistic about its longevity.

"I hope after the last episode airs, viewers watch the whole season again, which is now a different experience," McKay recently told The Hollywood Reporter.