Viceland's low ratings doesn't mean you should write it off just yet
Disney - which is currently Vice's largest outside investor, and whose joint TV venture with Hearst, A+E Networks, houses Viceland - seeks to reach more young men. And Vice seems to be just the means it can use to get them.
But new ratings information provided by The Wall Street Journal earlier this week has painted a dreary picture of the state of Viceland. According to the newspaper, the cable channel averaged 45,000 adult viewers under the age of 50, the demographic most desired by advertisers, in July.
Business Insider obtained the comparable Nielsen ratings for H2, which was about 92,000 adults under 50. That represents 51% less viewers in the demo than H2, the channel Viceland replaced.
On the surface, this seems like a clear-cut failure for Vice's first major TV channel outing. But actually, there's more to the story.