Through the end of May, HBO’s average prime-time viewership was down to 900,000 from 1.2 million for the same period in 2004. The weekly “Deadwood” audience has dropped by 2 million, and “Carnivale” was canceled, while “Six Feet Under” and “Entourage” started new seasons with smaller audiences than the year before.

Sunday’s other big cable premieres — HBO’s showbiz comedies “Entourage” and “The Comeback” — didn’t fare as well. Although “Entourage” received largely positive critical response, the second-season premiere drew only about 1.6 million viewers, down from 1.9 million for its series premiere last year. “The Comeback,” which stars ex-”Friend” Lisa Kudrow as a faded sitcom actress and was greeted with a critical beatdown, followed “Entourage” with 1.5 million viewers. Both shows were beaten by a repeat showing of the movie “The Girl Next Door” (1.7 million) on HBO later that night.