|
|
Sometimes reality
does bite. Ask TLC.
Once hot
'Trading Spaces' ends the year way off
By Brian Tallerico
The great thing about getting a
hit on cable is that suddenly everyone is watching your show. The
not-so-great thing is that many of those watching are your
competitors, figuring how to copy your hit.
And in the case of TLC's “Trading Spaces,”
copycatting has been rampant, both by other cable networks and by
the broadcast networks as well.
TLC has paid a steep price, as year-end 2004 cable ratings
reveal, with ratings down dramatically for the four-year old show. And
while certainly viewer fatigue has played some role, much of the
damage has come from competing concepts.
At its peak in the first quarter of 2003, “Trading
Spaces” averaged 3.8 million total viewers but by the second
quarter of 2004 that figure had fallen to 1.6 million, for a drop of
58 percent.
An anxious TLC revamped the show with the aim of making it
less predictable as it entered its fifth season this fall. But the
year-end numbers show that it did nothing to halt the slide.
For all of 2004, the show averaged a 1.5 household
rating (counting reruns and multiple airings of the show). Just a
year before, it had averaged a 4.0.
And of course the declines for TLC's one big hit show
hurt the entire network, causing across-the-board declines for
full-year 2004. For the total day, TLC averaged 299,000 viewers
18-49 versus 384,000 viewers in the same demographic in 2003, for a
drop of 22 percent. In primetime, TLC averaged 535,000 viewers
18-49 in 2004 versus 711,000 in 2003 for an even steeper fall of 25
percent.
The steepness of the slide becomes even more apparent
comparing the first of the year to the end. For the month of January
2004, TLC averaged 742,000 viewers 18-49 in primetime, but by
December the network averaged only 440,000 for the month, a drop of
41 percent.
Certainly, TLC has been hurt by ABC's hit copycat
series “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.” It also hastened viewer
fatigue by scheduling so many "Trading Spaces" episodes
throughout the week, though it's hard to fault the logic of riding a
hit show till it drops.
But TLC has also
suffered from a slew of cable networks spinning off their own
versions of makeover reality shows.
Discovery, fueled by reality hits “American Chopper”
and “Monster Garage,” rose 12 percent in 18-49s for the year,
while Bravo, with "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy," increased 25 percent in that demographic.
|
TOP 25
AD-SUPPORTED CABLE NETWORKS
Ranked on Household Rating
Dec. 29, 2003 – Dec. 26, 2004 |
|
Rank |
Primetime |
Total Day |
|
Net |
(000) |
Net |
(000) |
|
1 |
TNT |
1860 |
NICK |
1574 |
|
2 |
USA |
1717 |
TNT |
1048 |
|
3 |
ESPN |
1405 |
TOON |
991 |
|
4 |
LIF |
1365 |
LIF |
874 |
|
5 |
TOON |
1326 |
USA |
818 |
|
6 |
TBSC |
1273 |
TBSC |
763 |
|
7 |
FOXN |
1268 |
FOXN |
752 |
|
8 |
MTV |
888 |
ESPN |
673 |
|
9 |
SPK |
884 |
MTV |
525 |
|
10 |
AEN |
875 |
AEN |
522 |
|
11 |
HIST |
854 |
HIST |
501 |
|
12 |
SCIF |
852 |
FAM |
498 |
|
13 |
DISC |
845 |
FX |
471 |
|
14 |
FX |
810 |
DISC |
445 |
|
15 |
FAM |
751 |
HGTV |
442 |
|
16 |
HGTV |
742 |
SPK |
431 |
|
17 |
AMC |
731 |
TLC |
426 |
|
18 |
TLC |
716 |
CORT |
420 |
|
19 |
CNN |
707 |
CNN |
418 |
|
20 |
CMDY |
687 |
SCIF |
411 |
|
21 |
CORT |
679 |
TVLD |
405 |
|
22 |
TVLD |
580 |
AMC |
404 |
|
23 |
HALL |
529 |
CMDY |
403 |
|
24 |
FOOD |
522 |
FOOD |
374 |
|
25 |
ESP2 |
478 |
HALL |
350 |
|
* Network broadcasts
less than 51% of minutes in a 24-hour day.
Source: Turner Entertainment Research based on data from
Nielsen Media Research.
|
|
TOP 25
AD-SUPPORTED CABLE PROGRAMS
Ranked on Households
Dec. 29, 2003 – Dec. 26, 2004 |
|
Rank |
Program |
Net |
(000) |
|
1 |
Ravens/Colts |
ESPN |
8435 |
|
2 |
Steelers/Jaguars |
ESPN |
8060 |
|
3 |
Chiefs/Broncos |
ESPN |
7527 |
|
4 |
Packers/Texans |
ESPN |
7420 |
|
5 |
Eagles/Redskins |
ESPN |
7342 |
|
6 |
Raiders/Broncos |
ESPN |
7237 |
|
7 |
Buccaneers/Raiders |
ESPN |
6998 |
|
8 |
2004 Video Music Awards |
MTV |
6847 |
|
9 |
Dolphins/Bengals |
ESPN |
6832 |
|
10 |
Timberwolves/Lakers |
TNT |
6464 |
|
11 |
49Ers/Bears |
ESPN |
6077 |
|
12 |
You Decide 04-Pres
Debate |
FOXN |
6000 |
|
13 |
Timberwolves/Lakers |
TNT |
5969 |
|
14 |
Ravens/Redskins |
ESPN |
5956 |
|
15 |
Browns/Ravens |
ESPN |
5931 |
|
16 |
Rams/49Ers |
ESPN |
5699 |
|
17 |
Lakers/Timberwolves |
TNT |
5661 |
|
18 |
Timberwolves/Lakers |
TNT |
5636 |
|
19 |
Bills/Patriots |
ESPN |
5550 |
|
20 |
Vikings/Saints |
ESPN |
5548 |
|
21 |
NBA All-Star Game |
TNT |
5525 |
|
22 |
Panthers/Falcons |
ESPN |
5489 |
|
23 |
Browns/Dolphins |
ESPN |
5464 |
|
24 |
Broncos/Titans |
ESPN |
5350 |
|
25 |
Spurs/Lakers |
TNT |
5320 |
|
Source: Turner
Entertainment Research based on data from Nielsen Media
Research.
|
|
TOP 10
AD-SUPPORTED CABLE NETWORKS
Adults 18-34
Dec. 29, 2003 – Dec. 26, 2004 |
|
Rank |
PRIME TIME |
TOTAL DAY |
|
Net |
(000) |
Net |
(000) |
|
1 |
MTV |
492 |
TBSC |
313 |
|
2 |
TNT |
486 |
NICK |
292 |
|
3 |
TBSC |
482 |
TNT |
288 |
|
4 |
ESPN |
434 |
ESPN |
258 |
|
5 |
USA |
415 |
MTV |
258 |
|
6 |
CMDY |
353 |
TOON |
227 |
|
7 |
DISC |
326 |
USA |
221 |
|
8 |
FX |
311 |
CMDY |
206 |
|
9 |
SPK |
301 |
LIF |
201 |
|
10 |
LIF |
263 |
FX |
185 |
|
* Network broadcasts less than 51% of minutes in a 24-hour
day.
Source: Turner Entertainment Research based on data from
Nielsen Media Research.
|
|
TOP 10
AD-SUPPORTED CABLE SHOWS
Adults 18-34
Dec. 29, 2003 – Dec. 26, 2004 |
|
Rank |
PROGRAM |
NET |
(000) |
|
1 |
2004 Video Music Awards |
MTV |
4763 |
|
2 |
Ravens/Colts |
ESPN |
3154 |
|
3 |
Steelers/Jaguars |
ESPN |
2892 |
|
4 |
Chiefs/Broncos |
ESPN |
2768 |
|
5 |
2004 MTV Movie Awards |
MTV |
2698 |
|
6 |
Buccaneers/Raiders |
ESPN |
2661 |
|
7 |
Real World XIV |
MTV |
2657 |
|
8 |
Timberwolves/Lakers |
TNT |
2610 |
|
9 |
Dolphins/Bengals |
ESPN |
2606 |
|
10 |
RW/RR Challenge: Inferno |
MTV |
2604 |
|
Source: Turner
Entertainment Research based on data from Nielsen Media
Research.
|
|
TOP 10
AD-SUPPORTED CABLE NETWORKS
Adults 18-49
Dec. 29, 2003 – Dec. 26, 2004 |
|
Rank |
PRIME
TIME |
TOTAL DAY |
|
Net |
(000) |
Net |
(000) |
|
1 |
TNT |
1143 |
TNT |
663 |
|
2 |
USA |
1000 |
TBSC |
572 |
|
3 |
TBSC |
956 |
NICK |
497 |
|
4 |
ESPN |
932 |
USA |
493 |
|
5 |
LIF |
684 |
LIF |
484 |
|
6 |
DISC |
663 |
ESPN |
475 |
|
7 |
SPK |
651 |
FX |
359 |
|
8 |
FX |
644 |
DISC |
326 |
|
9 |
MTV |
634 |
MTV |
325 |
|
10 |
CMDY |
574 |
CMDY |
323 |
|
* Network broadcasts
less than 51% of minutes in a 24-hour day.
Source: Turner Entertainment Research based on data from
Nielsen Media Research.
|
|
TOP 10
AD-SUPPORTED CABLE SHOWS
Adults 18-49
Dec. 29, 2003 – Dec. 26, 2004 |
|
Rank |
PROGRAM |
NET |
(000) |
|
1 |
2004 Video Music Awards |
MTV |
6746 |
|
2 |
Ravens/Colts |
ESPN |
6655 |
|
3 |
Steelers/Jaguars |
ESPN |
6368 |
|
4 |
Chiefs/Broncos |
ESPN |
5942 |
|
5 |
Raiders/Broncos |
ESPN |
5821 |
|
6 |
Eagles/Redskins |
ESPN |
5813 |
|
7 |
Dolphins/Bengals |
ESPN |
5783 |
|
8 |
Buccaneers/Raiders |
ESPN |
5778 |
|
9 |
Packers/Texans |
ESPN |
5533 |
|
10 |
Timberwolves/Lakers |
TNT |
5283 |
|
Source: Turner
Entertainment Research based on data from Nielsen Media
Research.
|
|
TOP 10
AD-SUPPORTED CABLE NETWORKS
Adults 25-54
Dec. 29, 2003 – Dec. 26, 2004 |
|
|
PRIME
TIME |
TOTAL DAY |
|
Rank |
Net |
(000) |
Net |
(000) |
|
1 |
TNT |
1227 |
TNT |
690 |
|
2 |
USA |
1082 |
TBSC |
521 |
|
3 |
ESPN |
930 |
LIF |
507 |
|
4 |
TBSC |
912 |
USA |
507 |
|
5 |
LIF |
751 |
NICK |
431 |
|
6 |
DISC |
658 |
ESPN |
430 |
|
7 |
SCIF |
656 |
FX |
332 |
|
8 |
SPK |
650 |
FOXN |
323 |
|
9 |
FX |
619 |
DISC |
320 |
|
10 |
TLC |
550 |
SPK |
301 |
|
* Network broadcasts
less than 51% of minutes in a 24-hour day.
Source: Turner Entertainment Research based on data from
Nielsen Media Research.
|
|
TOP 10
AD-SUPPORTED CABLE SHOWS
Adults 25-54
Dec. 29, 2003 – Dec. 26, 2004 |
|
Rank |
PROGRAM |
NET |
(000) |
|
1 |
Ravens/Colts |
ESPN |
6866 |
|
2 |
Steelers/Jaguars |
ESPN |
6442 |
|
3 |
Chiefs/Broncos |
ESPN |
5950 |
|
4 |
Eagles/Redskins |
ESPN |
5759 |
|
5 |
Raiders/Broncos |
ESPN |
5715 |
|
6 |
Dolphins/Bengals |
ESPN |
5685 |
|
7 |
Packers/Texans |
ESPN |
5678 |
|
8 |
Buccaneers/Raiders |
ESPN |
5589 |
|
9 |
49Ers/Bears |
ESPN |
5064 |
|
10 |
Timberwolves/Lakers |
TNT |
5045 |
|
Source: Turner
Entertainment Research based on data from Nielsen Media
Research.
|
|
Jan. 5, 2005
©
2005
Media Life
-Brian
Tallerico is a Chicago writer.
|
|
|
|
