Teen Mom 2 forums and fans are on pins and needles thanks to rumors of the show's MTV potential cancelation due to low ratings.
Do they have any reason to worry, however?
In terms of pure numbers, the first couple of seasons of Teen Mom 2 were bringing in over 3-4 million viewers per week. Pretty incredible.
Compare that to this season, which brought in between 1.5-1.75 millions per week, and there's no doubt that the glory years are over.
Right? Not necessarily when you break it all down.
Like the TV landscape in general, there are fewer “live” viewers and more people tuning in to watch Teen Mom 2 online later in the week.
Whether it's via DVR, on demand, streaming or re-airings, many more fans watched than the 1.636 million viewers that tuned in live.
In all, approximately 3.163 million viewers checked out the Teen Mom 2 season finale, a remarkable sum in a saturated cable market.
Moreover, the ratings look even better if you focus in on the 18-49 demographic, in which the show scored a highly impressive 1.9 rating.
By that metric, Teen Mom 2 was the third highest rated original cable show, behind Game of Thrones and Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta.
Not to mention the revenue and exposure MTV generates from the viral nature of the show - all of which it uses to bolster its brand.
Especially in an era when creating original programming is as hard as ever, this is like lightning in a bottle - years later - for the network.
In shot, you can bank on Teen Mom 2 Season 8.
Same time, same place next year ... they'll be back and crazier than ever. Mark our words. This show is not getting canceled anytime soon.
Cast members Leah Messer, Jenelle Evans, Kailyn Lowry and Chelsea Houska are now bona fide stars both individually and collectively.
Look for them to be back, and paid well for it.
As for talk of significant others Jeremy Calvert, Corey Simms and/or Adam Lind leaving the show ... we'll believe it when we see it.
Sure, they get understandably pissed at their dirty laundry airing on reality television, and some of it may be edited for dramatic purposes.
But money talks. Baby daddies don't walk.
