|
"Paula Zahn Now" had
been a major drag on CNN's primetime lineup since its 2003 launch.
But recent tweaks to the show helped it to its best-ever numbers in
April, and that in turn is helping CNN catch up to longtime
primetime leader Fox News Channel.
In April, the 8 p.m. show had its best-ever month,
averaging 760,000 total viewers, up 32 percent from September 2003,
its premiere month.
Among 25-54s, “Zahn” averaged 252,000 viewers last
month, up 42 percent from its debut.
Now Zahn is no longer weighing down the night with her
low numbers. Add that to increased ratings for 10 p.m.'s "NewsNight"
after the pope's death, and CNN got a generous boost in its
effort to close the primetime gap with Fox News.
In April, CNN posted gains among 25-54s compared with the same month
last year while Fox News saw declines. It was the first time in
months that CNN has gained while FNC fell.
In that demo, CNN cut Fox’s lead by almost half, growing 25
percent, from 222,000 in April 2004 to 277,000 last month, while Fox
News suffered a 24 percent drop, from 502,000 to 383,000.
Meanwhile, CNN’s total viewers in primetime grew by 6 percent
last month compared to April 2004, from 839,000 to 893,000. Fox News
grew by 1 percent, to 1.5 million.
Of course, Fox News remains by far the dominant network. And while
April’s ratings show CNN closing the gap, it comes after a first
quarter where Fox News was well ahead of CNN, as usual.
Last month’s upsurge in ratings came as Jon Klein,
the CNN chief installed last December, revamps the network. Klein
wants more in-depth reporting and what he calls better
storytelling.
That has included changes to the network’s primetime lineup. Aaron
Brown’s “NewsNight” now favors a focus on
one big story while Zahn’s show has concentrated on more personal
stories.
The adjustments are working so far. Last month
Brown’s 10 p.m. “NewsNight” too scored his best ratings since
the height of the Iraqi war in April 2003.
In other cable ratings news for the week ending May 1:
Top
five networks in primetime (18-49s): TNT,
USA, TBS, Spike, Discovery
Top
five networks in primetime (total viewers):
TNT, USA, Nick at Nite, Lifetime, Cartoon Network
Top
movie (total viewers):
Lifetime’s “Where the Heart Is” (Saturday 9 p.m.) 2.83 million
Top
sporting event (total viewers):
Spike’s “WWE” (Monday 10 p.m.) 5.06 million
Shows
making the top 10 among 18-34s, 18-49s and 25-54s:
Spike’s “WWE” (9 and 10 p.m. editions); TBS’s “Sex and the
City” (Tuesday, 9:36 p.m.); TNT’s NBA playoffs: Mavericks vs.
Rockets (Thursday, 10:30 p.m.)
Show
on the rise:
“Nashville Star,” USA, Tuesday 10 p.m. The show’s third-season
finale drew its best ratings, averaging 1.896 million viewers 25-54
and making the weekly top 10 for the first time in weeks.
Show
on the decline:
“Kojak,” USA, Sundays, 10 p.m. After premiering to big numbers
among 25-54s in March, the show averaged just 1.2 million of them
last week to rank No. 28.
|
TOP 25 AD-SUPPORTED CABLE NETWORKS
Ranked on
Household Rating
Week Ending May 1
|
|
Rank |
Primetime |
Total Day |
|
Net |
(000) |
Net |
(000) |
|
1 |
TNT |
2040 |
NICK |
1602 |
|
2 |
NAN |
1681 |
NAN* |
1345 |
|
3 |
USA |
1641 |
TNT |
1134 |
|
4 |
LIF |
1356 |
TOON |
1021 |
|
5 |
TOON |
1291 |
ADSM* |
929 |
|
6 |
FOXN |
1233 |
LIF |
876 |
|
7 |
SPK |
1189 |
USA |
804 |
|
8 |
TBSC |
1182 |
TBSC |
738 |
|
9 |
ESPN |
1031 |
FOXN |
700 |
|
10 |
MTV |
935 |
MTV |
599 |
|
11 |
AEN |
857 |
ESPN |
597 |
|
12 |
DISC |
856 |
AEN |
543 |
|
13 |
HIST |
842 |
HIST |
536 |
|
14 |
FX |
837 |
SPK |
510 |
|
15 |
AMC |
807 |
FAM |
509 |
|
16 |
SCIF |
775 |
FX |
496 |
|
17 |
CMDY |
773 |
TVLD |
483 |
|
18 |
HGTV |
708 |
CORT |
457 |
|
19 |
TVLD |
700 |
DISC |
454 |
|
20 |
FAM |
691 |
HGTV |
452 |
|
21 |
CORT |
647 |
HALL |
441 |
|
22 |
CNN |
616 |
CMDY |
439 |
|
23 |
TLC |
589 |
AMC |
432 |
|
24 |
FOOD |
521 |
FOOD |
425 |
|
25 |
HALL |
505 |
SCIF |
423 |
|
* 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
Week Ending May 1
|
|
Rank |
Program |
Net |
(000) |
|
1 |
WWE Entertainment |
SPK |
3569 |
|
2 |
WWE Entertainment |
SPK |
3515 |
|
3 |
Spongebob |
NICK |
3103 |
|
4 |
Fairly Odd Parents |
NICK |
3079 |
|
5 |
Spongebob |
NICK |
2975 |
|
6 |
Fairly Odd Parents |
NICK |
2962 |
|
7 |
Spongebob |
NICK |
2952 |
|
8 |
Fairly Odd Parents |
NICK |
2938 |
|
9 |
Spongebob |
NICK |
2848 |
|
10 |
Spongebob |
NICK |
2693 |
|
11 |
Fairly Odd Parents |
USA |
2677 |
|
12 |
Mavericks/Rockets |
TNT |
2577 |
|
13 |
Zoey 101 |
NICK |
2541 |
|
14 |
Spongebob |
NICK |
2539 |
|
15 |
Sex and the City |
TBS |
2508 |
|
16 |
Mavericks/Rockets |
TNT |
2493 |
|
17 |
RW/RR Challenge Inferno II |
MTV |
2469 |
|
18 |
Mavericks/Rockets |
TNT |
2398 |
|
19 |
Fop movie Channel Chasers |
NICK |
2391 |
|
20 |
Heat/Nets |
TNT |
2385 |
|
21 |
Spongebob |
NICK |
2373 |
|
22 |
Law & Order: SVU |
USA |
2365 |
|
23 |
Spongebob |
NICK |
2350 |
|
24 |
Law & Order: SVU |
USA |
2328 |
|
25 |
Spongebob |
NICK |
2323 |
|
Source: Turner Entertainment Research based on data from
Nielsen Media Research.
|
|
TOP 10 AD-SUPPORTED CABLE NETWORKS
Adults
18-34
Week Ending May 1
|
|
Rank |
PRIME TIME |
TOTAL DAY |
|
Net |
(000) |
Net |
(000) |
|
1 |
TNT |
665 |
ADSM* |
373 |
|
2 |
MTV |
515 |
TNT |
362 |
|
3 |
TBSC |
422 |
NAN* |
320 |
|
4 |
USA |
380 |
MTV |
304 |
|
5 |
CMDY |
375 |
TBSC |
269 |
|
6 |
SPK |
352 |
NICK |
258 |
|
7 |
ESPN |
335 |
ESPN |
224 |
|
8 |
DISC |
333 |
CMDY |
214 |
|
9 |
FX |
283 |
USA |
205 |
|
10 |
LIF |
270 |
TOON |
203 |
|
* 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
Week
Ending May 1
|
|
Rank |
PROGRAM |
NET |
(000) |
|
1 |
RW/RR Challenge Inferno II |
MTV |
1939 |
|
2 |
Making the Band 3 |
MTV |
1317 |
|
3 |
Sex and the City |
TNT |
1280 |
|
4 |
WWE Entertainment |
SPK |
1215 |
|
5 |
WWE Entertainment |
SPK |
1103 |
|
6 |
Family Guy |
ADSM |
1022 |
|
7 |
Meet the Barkers |
MTV |
1008 |
|
8 |
South Park |
CMDY |
963 |
|
9 |
Mavs/Rockets |
TNT |
938 |
|
10 |
76ers/Pistons |
ESPN |
933 |
|
Source: Turner Entertainment Research based on data from
Nielsen Media Research.
|
|
TOP 10 AD-SUPPORTED CABLE NETWORKS
Adults
18-49
Week
Ending May 1\
|
|
Rank |
PRIME TIME |
TOTAL DAY |
|
Net |
(000) |
Net |
(000) |
|
1 |
TNT |
1360 |
TNT |
751 |
|
2 |
USA |
934 |
NAN* |
628 |
|
3 |
TBSC |
862 |
TBSC |
523 |
|
4 |
SPK |
819 |
ADSM* |
496 |
|
5 |
DISC |
733 |
USA |
493 |
|
6 |
LIF |
672 |
LIF |
472 |
|
7 |
MTV |
659 |
NICK |
440 |
|
8 |
ESPN |
645 |
ESPN |
430 |
|
9 |
FX |
642 |
MTV |
381 |
|
10 |
CMDY |
583 |
FX |
361 |
|
* 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
Week Ending May 1
|
|
Rank |
PROGRAM |
NET |
(000) |
|
1 |
WWE Entertainment |
SPK |
2628 |
|
2 |
WWE Entertainment |
SPK |
2415 |
|
3 |
RW/RR Challenge Inferno II |
MTV |
2220 |
|
4 |
Sex and the City |
TBSC |
2175 |
|
5 |
Rockets/Mavericks |
TNT |
1849 |
|
6 |
Nashville Star |
USA |
1768 |
|
7 |
The Shield |
FX |
1763 |
|
8 |
Nuggets/Spurs |
ESPN |
1750 |
|
9 |
Rockets/Mavericks |
TNT |
1737 |
|
10 |
Deadliest Catch |
DISC |
1730 |
|
Source: Turner Entertainment Research based on data from
Nielsen Media Research.
|
|
TOP 10 AD-SUPPORTED CABLE NETWORKS
Adults
25-54
Week Ending May 1
|
|
|
PRIME TIME |
TOTAL DAY |
|
Rank |
Net |
(000) |
Net |
(000) |
|
1 |
TNT |
1313 |
TNT |
723 |
|
2 |
USA |
978 |
NAN* |
564 |
|
3 |
SPK |
802 |
USA |
505 |
|
4 |
TBSC |
798 |
LIF |
493 |
|
5 |
DISC |
724 |
TBSC |
472 |
|
6 |
LIF |
718 |
NICK |
370 |
|
7 |
FX |
651 |
ESPN |
369 |
|
8 |
ESPN |
609 |
FX |
350 |
|
9 |
AEN |
559 |
DISC |
345 |
|
10 |
SCIF |
540 |
SPK |
338 |
|
* 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
Week Ending
May 1
|
|
Rank |
PROGRAM |
NET |
(000) |
|
1 |
WWE Entertainment |
SPK |
2415 |
|
2 |
WWE Entertainment |
SPK |
2152 |
|
3 |
The Shield |
FX |
1928 |
|
4 |
Nashville Star |
USA |
1896 |
|
5 |
Sex and the City |
TBSC |
1857 |
|
6 |
Deadliest Catch |
DISC |
1684 |
|
7 |
Rockets/Mavericks |
TNT |
1664 |
|
8 |
American Chopper |
DISC |
1644 |
|
9 |
Nuggets/Spurs |
ESPN |
1638 |
|
10 |
Rockets/Mavericks |
TNT |
1614 |
|
Source: Turner Entertainment Research based on data from
Nielsen Media Research.
|
|
