Ryan Seacrest's debut on “Wheel of Fortune” draws best audience in 5 years

The players were keen to see what Ryan Seacrest had to offer on Wheel of Fortune.

The syndicated show averaged 8.31 million viewers during its premiere week, which ended September 15, the highest premiere audience in five years, according to Nielsen results.

Seacrest’s first episode as host, which aired on September 9, was Wheel's highest season premiere ratings in nine years (since 2015) with 9.63 million total viewers. That's up 70 percent from last year's premiere episode in total viewers (9.63 million vs. 5.68 million), as well as up 67% in household viewers (5.67 HH rating vs. 3.39 HH rating) and 63% in adults 18-49 (0.86 rating vs. 0.52 rating).

For the premiere week wheel was the No. 1 show in syndication with a 4.88 HH rating and 8.31 million total viewers. It grew 21 percent in home viewers (4.88 vs. 4.03) and total viewers (8.31 million vs. 6.87 million) compared to last week's premiere week. It also saw double-digit increases in all major demos.

In addition to hosting, Seacrest will also serve as a consulting producer on the show. Former host Pat Sajak has agreed to stay on as a consultant for the next three years.