(AllHipHop News) The 2-hour season finale of Empire aired last night, and the ratings for the Fox series were huge. According to E!, the Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson led program’s early overnight audience of 16.5 million viewers.
[ALSO READ: “Empire” Becomes The Highest Rated Broadcast Drama In Five Years]
Empire pulled in a 6.4 rating in the coveted 18-49 demographic. The first hour drew a 6.0 rating with 15.6 million viewers, and the second hour had a 6.8 rating with 17.5 million viewers. That makes the Empire season ender the highest rated finale for a new series since ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy in 2005.
The show saw its viewership rise every episode during its initial run. The January 7th premiere opened with 9.9 viewers which means the series nearly doubled its audience from the pilot to the finale.
Besides the TV ratings success, Empire has also taken over the music game as well. The show’s soundtrack debuted at number one on the Billboard album chart with 130,000 units sold in its first week.