'The Walking Dead' season 10 premiere earns lowest ever viewing figures

The Walking Dead returned to US screens with all-time low audience figures.

The Season 10 opener, per Deadline, secured four million viewers but it showed a drop of 34% in viewership compared to the first episode of Season 9 last year.

In addition, the zombie apocalypse series was also down 3% in total viewers against Season 9’s 15th episode, ‘The Calm Before’, which was the previously the lowest rated.

The lower ratings could have something to do with the fact that the episode has been available on the AMC Premiere subscription service since 29 September.

According to Deadline, none of the viewing figures from people who streamed it during the week before it aired on Sunday, 6 October, were added to the final tally.

It’s believed that the network is more focused on drawing people into subscription services, by offering subscribers exclusive The Walking Dead content as well as access to episodes 48 hours before they are broadcast on TV.

Read more: Maggie Rhee rejoins The Walking Dead

Season 10 has been adapted from material featured in issue #145 and onward of the comic book series written by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard.

It focuses on the group's preparation for war against the Whisperers and it takes place several months after the massacre during the community's fair executed by Alpha (Samantha Morton).

This will be the final season for series regular Danai Gurira, who has portrayed Michonne since the third season, but there is still more to come as an eleventh season was confirmed at New York Comic-Con.

Lauren Cohan was also confirmed to be returning after pay disputes with AMC prevented her from appearing fully in season 10 so she was written out of the series in Season 9.

Read more: The Walking Dead actor dies of cancer

"It's completely surreal," Cohan said onstage at The Walking Dead panel. "It feels just like home. It feels so emotional. It feels really, really emotional.

“I feel like this is a very special Comic-Con and a very special family and I'm really happy to be here."

The Walking Dead season ten airs Mondays on FOX in the UK