Change in Hosts Propels ‘Wheel of Fortune’ to Big Premiere Week Ratings

Ryan Seacrest’s first week as host of Wheel of Fortune pulled in a lot of curious viewers — who then seemed to stick around past his debut episode.

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Seacrest took over as host of the syndicated game show following Pat Sajak’s retirement at the end of the 2023-24 season after four decades fronting the show. (Sajak will continue hosting ABC’s primetime Celebrity Wheel of Fortune for the 2024-25 season.) The season premiere on Sept. 9 drew 9.63 million viewers, according to Nielsen, the biggest audience for a Wheel season opener since 2015 and within shouting distance of the 11 million people who watched Sajak’s last show.

The first week of shows averaged 8.31 million viewers, a 21 percent gain over premiere week in September 2023. The four installments after the season premiere averaged just under 8 million viewers, still well ahead of the 6.87 million for last year’s opening week.

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Household ratings (still a key ratings measure for syndicated programming) also rose by 21 percent year-to-year, and all key demographics improved by 10 percent or more.

Sajak announced his retirement from the syndicated Wheel before the start of the 2023-24 season. Seacrest’s hiring came a couple of weeks later, and co-host Vanna White later extended her contract through 2025-26.

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