MTV’s beefed up Wild ‘N Out has proved to be a ratings star. The premiere was the network’s highest rated unscripted episode among ages 12 to 17 in more than two years, up 143 percent. The young adult bracket, ages 18 to 34, was up 86 percent.
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Hosted by Nick Cannon, the hip-hop tinged comedy competition kicked off its ninth season on June 29. The series’ first ever hour-long episode featured Chance the Rapper as the guest captain and Saba as the musical guest.
“A return to New York City and our incredible partnership with superstar host and creator Nick Cannon set the stage for the biggest, boldest, wildest season yet of this groundbreaking comedy franchise,” Nina L. Diaz, head of unscripted programming at MTV and VH1 told Billboard. “We’re thrilled with Wild ‘N Out’s stellar performance thanks to Nick and Chance’s epic head to head battle.”
This success comes on the heels on another victory for MTV: the channel saw ratings among the 18-34 year-old crowd up 3 percent in June versus last year — a first since 2011.
Wild ‘N Out airs at 11:00 pm ET/PT as part of MTV’s “Throwdown Thursdays” comedy block. Guest captains for the season include Rick Ross, Lil Yachty, Vic Mensa, Blac Chyna, Run the Jewels, Remy Ma, Papoose, Young M.A., Wendy Williams and more.