Like "Lost" and "The Office" before it, AMC's "Mad Men" is benefitting from the Emmy bump.
And it hasn't even won anything yet.
The second-year show, which became the first-ever basic cable show to be nominated for best drama, along with FX's "Damages," saw numbers for its season debut soar compared with last season following two weeks of Emmy buzz.
Sunday's 10 p.m. premiere averaged 1.95 million total viewers, more than double last season's average 915,000.
Among adults 18-49, it jumped 22 percent over last year, to 955,000, and with 25-54s it was up 25 percent.
It came in a tough timeslot, too, airing opposite USA's hit drama "In Plain Sight" and ESPN's New York Yankees-Boston Red Sox game.
"Men" rose on a swarm of publicity following the Emmy nominations earlier this month. It led all dramas with 16 nominations, setting a record for a basic cable show. That followed a surprising Golden Globe win for series star Jon Hamm, who plays Don Draper, in January.
But the most remarkable thing about "Men's" success may be what it means for AMC, the network formerly known for broadcasting classic movies. These days, it's becoming better known for its contemporary hits.
AMC's surge began two years ago, when the network's first-ever original miniseries, the Western "Broken Trail" starring Robert Duvall and Thomas Haden Church, became the most-watched show in network history, drawing 9.6 million households, the best for any basic cable movie in more than a decade.
The buzz continued to rise last summer, when "Men," an atmospheric look at a 1960s Madison Avenue ad agency, premiered to overwhelming critical acclaim. The series, from "Sopranos" writer Matthew Weiner, drew decent but not outstanding numbers.
But it was this year that AMC really fulfilled its promise for scripted series. In January, "Breaking Bad," a drama about a high school teacher who starts dealing crystal meth when he's diagnosed with a terminal disease, also drew solid numbers and critical huzzahs.
It combined with "Men" to give AMC 20 total Emmy nominations this year, including one for "Bad's" Cranston and one for Hamm.
Emmy attention often helps audiences discover shows that critics love but mainstream audiences have overlooked. "The Office" got a nice Emmy boost in its third season following an Emmy for best comedy and now is one of broadcast's top-rated sitcoms.
"Lost," which had a healthy audience in its first season, saw its numbers soar by double-digit percentages after it received best drama in its first year.
***
Meanwhile, in other cable ratings for the week ended July 27:
Top five networks in primetime (18-49s): USA, TBS, TNT, A&E, Discovery
Top five networks in primetime (total viewers): USA, TNT, TBS, Nick at Nite, Fox News Channel
Top movie (18-49s): TBS’s “Last Holiday” (Sunday, 8 p.m.) 2.10 million
Top sporting event (total viewers): ESPN’s “NASCAR Sprint Cup” (Sunday, 2 p.m.) 6.67 million
Shows making the top 10 among 18-34s, 18-49s and 25-54s: USA’s “WWE Entertainment” (Monday, 9 and 10 p.m.); Discovery’s “Deadliest Catch” (Tuesday, 9 p.m.)
Show on the rise: Disney’s “Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert in 3D,” Saturday 8 p.m. The cable premiere of the theatrical movie drew 5.9 million total viewers, ranking No. 1 on broadcast and cable for the night. Among kids 6-11, 2.2 million tuned in, bettering last year’s timeslot rating by 83 percent.
Show on the decline: TNT’s “The Closer,” Monday 9 p.m. The Kyra Sedgwick drama was No. 6 for the week on ad-supported cable with a healthy 2.16 million viewers 18-49 but that was down 13 percent from the previous week’s 2.48 million for its premiere.
|
TOP 25 AD-SUPPORTED CABLE NETWORKS
Ranked on Household Rating
Week Ending July 20 |
|
Rank |
Primetime |
Total Day |
|
Net |
(000) |
Net |
(000) |
|
1
|
USA
|
2206
|
NICK
|
1721
|
|
2
|
TNT
|
1811
|
NAN
*
|
1343
|
|
3
|
TBSC
|
1439
|
USA
|
1039
|
|
4
|
NAN
|
1326
|
TOON
|
998
|
|
5
|
FOXN
|
1301
|
TNT
|
959
|
|
6
|
ESPN
|
1177
|
ADSM*
|
942
|
|
7
|
LIF
|
1143
|
TBSC
|
786
|
|
8
|
AEN
|
1067
|
FOXN
|
772
|
|
9
|
HGTV
|
1057
|
LIF
|
764
|
|
10
|
TOON
|
1028
|
ESPN
|
687
|
|
11
|
HALL
|
998
|
AEN
|
598
|
|
12
|
DISC
|
946
|
HALL
|
586
|
|
13
|
SCIF
|
895
|
DISC
|
582
|
|
14
|
HIST
|
870
|
HGTV
|
562
|
|
15
|
SPK
|
859
|
TRU
|
554
|
|
16
|
CNN
|
816
|
FAM
|
534
|
|
17
|
TRU
|
816
|
HIST
|
523
|
|
18
|
AMC
|
814
|
FX
|
512
|
|
19
|
FX
|
798
|
SPK
|
487
|
|
20
|
FOOD
|
784
|
CNN
|
485
|
|
21
|
USA
|
2206
|
NICK
|
1721
|
|
22
|
TNT
|
1811
|
NAN
*
|
1343
|
|
23
|
TBSC
|
1439
|
USA
|
1039
|
|
24
|
NAN
|
1326
|
TOON
|
998
|
|
25
|
FOXN
|
1301
|
TNT
|
959
|
|
* 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 July 20 |
|
Rank
|
Program |
Net
|
(000) |
|
1
|
The Closer
|
TNT
|
5323
|
|
2
|
NASCAR Sprint Cup
|
ESPN
|
4889
|
|
3
|
Saving Grace
|
TNT
|
3504
|
|
4
|
Monk
|
USA
|
3446
|
|
5
|
Burn Notice
|
USA
|
3394
|
|
6
|
WWE Entertainment
|
USA
|
3337
|
|
7
|
Law & Order: CI (Orig)
|
USA
|
3311
|
|
8
|
Yankees/Red Sox
|
ESPN
|
3179
|
|
9
|
In Plain Sight
|
USA
|
3178
|
|
10
|
Psych
|
USA
|
3129
|
|
11
|
Special Food Network Star 4 Finale
|
FOOD
|
3110
|
|
12
|
WWE Entertainment
|
USA
|
3058
|
|
13
|
iCarly
|
NICK
|
3026
|
|
14
|
Army Wives
|
LIF
|
2984
|
|
15
|
Spongebob
|
NICK
|
2744
|
|
16
|
Spongebob
|
NICK
|
2733
|
|
17
|
Last
Holiday
|
TBSC
|
2732
|
|
18
|
iCarly
|
NICK
|
2646
|
|
19
|
Family Guy
|
ADSM
|
2644
|
|
20
|
Spongebob
|
NICK
|
2637
|
|
21
|
Law & Order: SVU
|
USA
|
2602
|
|
22
|
Spongebob
|
NICK
|
2592
|
|
23
|
Design Star III
|
HGTV
|
2535
|
|
24
|
Spongebob
|
NICK
|
2510
|
|
25
|
Family Guy
|
ADSM
|
2482
|
|
Source: Turner Entertainment Research based on data from Nielsen Media Research.
|
|
TOP 10 AD-SUPPORTED CABLE NETWORKS
Adults 18-34
Week Ending July 20 |
|
Rank |
PRIME TIME |
TOTAL DAY |
|
Net |
(000) |
Net |
(000) |
|
1
|
TBSC
|
601
|
ADSM*
|
409
|
|
2
|
USA
|
488
|
NAN
*
|
389
|
|
3
|
CMDY
|
404
|
NICK
|
346
|
|
4
|
TNT
|
370
|
TBSC
|
305
|
|
5
|
AEN
|
359
|
TNT
|
240
|
|
6
|
DISC
|
350
|
CMDY
|
238
|
|
7
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