Why are there rumors about The Rings of Power being canceled? Explained

Season 2 of The Rings of Power is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video. It premiered on the platform on August 29, 2024, with its first three episodes.

Like its predecessor, the second season follows the events around Middle Earth as Sauron tries to get his hands on the powerful rings so he can rule the land with unbridled power. Opposing Sauron’s ambition is a group of elves who vow to protect the rings at all costs.

Despite featuring popular characters from J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings universe, there are ongoing speculations about the future of The Rings of Power, with a rumor of possible cancellation. Reports from outlets such as Deadline and Forbes have suggested that the series has so far been unable to garner the viewership needed to justify its hefty production costs.

As of now, no official statement has been made regarding the show's fate. Whether the series will eventually be canceled depends on a host of factors. Nevertheless, there are several present issues pertaining to the matter that are discussed below.

---

Reports indicate viewership decline for The Rings of Power

Deadline published a report on September 4, 2024, presenting the latest findings from Samba TV regarding season 2 of the show. The report states:

“According to data from Samba TV, 902,000 U.S. households tuned in for the premiere episode within four days of its debut, which is down quite significantly from the first season.”

It goes on to say:

“In fact, it’s half the audience that the first episode of Season 1 drew in less time.”

The report says that though Samba TV’s data does not “tell the whole viewing story,” it still gives a “pretty good picture” of the performance of a show. The decline in the number of viewers tuning in for season 2 is alarming for fans of the show.

While it is not yet clear whether the current viewership status alone is sufficient to prompt Amazon to cancel the series, there are other worrying matters to consider.

For instance, as per a report published by Forbes on September 6, 2024, both seasons 1 and 2 of the show have cost the studio quite a fortune. Pitted against the production costs, the viewership numbers are reportedly not very encouraging. This has generated speculation about the show getting canceled.

---

Amazon claims The Rings of Power is doing well

Amid concerns about the show's potential cancellation, Amazon has furnished some statistics suggesting that the show is in quite a decent position at the moment. In a report published on September 10, 2024, The Hollywood Reporter shared a statement from Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon MGM Studios, in a memo:

“Through the second weekend of launch, according to our key measures, the series is showing that we have another huge hit season on our hands as 40 million viewers have already watched S2.”

Salke added:

“We’ve seen an impressive amount of our Rings of Power customers coming from outside of the U.S., which is a testament to the show’s resonance with global audiences and the remarkable growth of Prime Video customers worldwide.”

The report further mentioned that The Rings of Power has occupied the number 1 position for the streaming platform since its return. Thus, the studio at least is most likely not thinking of canceling the show after season 2.

Further, it should be noted that it is not uncommon for a show to see a dip in viewership at the beginning of a fresh season, especially when there is a considerable gap between the releases of the two seasons.

For instance, HBO’s House of the Dragon saw a 22% decline for its season 2 premiere, as per a Deadline report published on September 10, 2024. However, as the season went on, more people tuned in to watch the show.

Given this, it would be premature to comment on whether The Rings of Power is getting canceled. Several complex factors are at play here, and any one statistical report might not capture all the shades of the matter.

---

The first four episodes of The Rings of Power season 2 are available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video.