Scott Gries/A&E(LOS ANGELES) — The real-time police show Live PD was canceled by A&E in the wake of the killing of George Floyd while he was being arrested by cops in Minneapolis.  And according to Neilsen data, the programming choice was devastating for the network. 

Ratings for the network between June 11 and July 19 have dropped nearly 50% overall from the same period last year, the Wall Street Journal reports. In the 18-49 and 25-54 age demographic, the ratings drop was even more severe: 55% and 53%, respectively.

Hosted by Dan Abrams, Live PD tracked the activities of police officers across the country in real time. 

The decision to pull the plug on the popular reality show came after Fox decided to cancel its long-running series Cops in the wake of police protests that followed Floyd’s death.  The move came around the same time the long-running police-based reality TV show COPS was cancelled, for much the same reasons.

A&E is co-owned by Disney, the parent company of ABC News.

By Stephen Iervolino
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