medialifemagazine.com
CNN and MSNBC up versus Fox News
By Lisa Snedeker
Jul 2, 2008 - 1:40:10 AM
After being kicked out of first place by CNN in the first quarter, Fox News Channel climbed back to No. 1 in the second.
But that win is dampened by gains by both CNN and MSNBC. Each was up substantially in primetime ratings over first-quarter 2007, while Fox News slid.
Through March, April and May, FNC averaged 344,000 primetime viewers in the news-friendly 25-54 demographic, but it slipped 2 percent from the 352,000 it averaged in the year-earlier period.
Over those same months, CNN averaged 297,000 25-54s, up 22 percent from a year earlier. MSNBC saw even stronger growth, up 46 percent, from 185,000 to 271,000.
Both networks benefited from momentum gained in the first quarter from their intense coverage of the race for the Democratic nomination.
CNN actually beat Fox in 25-54s that quarter, for the first time in a half dozen years, with 444,000 versus 430,000, much of that due to the huge ratings surges it got from its primary coverage and the four debates it hosted.
Presumably, it slipped back in the second quarter in part because it hosted no debates and there were fewer primaries.
Fox appears to have held onto its conservative viewer base through both quarters but lost out on the viewer surge because of its reputation as a conservative, Democrat-bashing network. Republican candidate John McCain was far less in the news.
The big question now is third quarter. How will the three networks do against one another with the race for the White House down to McCain and Barack Obama and both out campaigning and in the headlines? Stay tuned.
Meanwhile, a number of other cable networks also saw strong growth in the second quarter. Some was the result of the ongoing shift of viewers from broadcast to cable, but not all of it.
Nick at Nite grew 58 percent year-to-year among primetime viewers 18-49s, to 616,000, becoming the No. 10 network in the demo during that period, and here the credit goes to “George Lopez,” the network’s top show. It averaged 773,000 18-49s at 10 p.m., a 75 percent year-to-year timeslot boost. Nick at Nite began airing "Lopez” reruns last October.
Bravo was up 45 percent in 18-49s year-to-year, to 418,000 viewers, and credit goes to “Top Chef,” enjoying its best season ever, and “The Real Housewives of New York City,” now in its first season.
ESPN was up 24 percent and Versus rose 92 percent over the quarter, ESPN because of the NBA playoffs and Versus from the Stanley Cup playoffs.
History jumped 17 percent in primetime among its target 25-54s, to 590,000, ranking it the No. 10 network in the demo, thanks to “Ice Road Truckers,” “Ax Men,” “MonsterQuest” and “Tougher in Alaska.”
|
TOP 70 AD-SUPPORTED CABLE NETWORKS
Primetime Viewers 18-34
Second Quarter 2008 |
|
Rank
|
Network |
Second Quarter 2008 Viewers (000)
|
Second Quarter 2007 Viewers (000) |
Percent change |
|
1
|
TBSC
|
581
|
437
|
33%
|
|
2
|
TNT
|
581
|
533
|
9%
|
|
3
|
USA
|
559
|
564
|
-1%
|
|
4
|
MTV
|
464
|
399
|
16%
|
|
5
|
CMDY
|
420
|
381
|
10%
|
|
6
|
ESPN
|
420
|
347
|
21%
|
|
7
|
DISC
|
345
|
350
|
-1%
|
|
8
|
NAN
|
338
|
211
|
60%
|
|
9
|
SPK
|
332
|
317
|
5%
|
|
10
|
FX
|
327
|
360
|
-9%
|
|
11
|
VH1
|
294
|
313
|
-6%
|
|
12
|
AEN
|
274
|
279
|
-2%
|
|
13
|
FAM
|
271
|
240
|
13%
|
|
14
|
LIF
|
245
|
252
|
-3%
|
|
15
|
SCIF
|
233
|
232
|
0%
|
|
16
|
TLC
|
233
|
261
|
-11%
|
|
17
|
HIST
|
220
|
178
|
24%
|
|
18
|
EN
|
215
|
193
|
11%
|
|
19
|
BRAV
|
206
|
133
|
55%
|
|
20
|
BET
|
197
|
224
|
-12%
|
|
21
|
FOOD
|
192
|
147
|
31%
|
|
22
|
TRU
|
172
|
162
|
6%
|
|
23
|
HGTV
|
165
|
134
|
23%
|
|
24
|
TOON
|
162
|
180
|
-10%
|
|
25
|
VS
|
129
|
64
|
102%
|
|
26
|
AMC
|
128
|
125
|
2%
|
|
27
|
ESP2
|
117
|
104
|
13%
|
|
28
|
OXYG
|
105
|
85
|
24%
|
|
29
|
MSNB
|
101
|
60
|
68%
|
|
30
|
CMT
|
92
|
77
|
19%
|
|
31
|
APL
|
83
|
74
|
12%
|
|
32
|
WE
|
77
|
41
|
88%
|
|
33
|
FOXN
|
75
|
70
|
7%
|
|
34
|
CNN
|
74
|
68
|
9%
|
|
35
|
TRAV
|
72
|
70
|
3%
|
|
36
|
NGC
|
71
|
57
|
25%
|
|
37
|
TVLD
|
69
|
59
|
17%
|
|
38
|
HALL
|
63
|
55
|
15%
|
|
39
|
WGNC
|
61
|
56
|
9%
|
|
40
|
LMN
|
59
|
38
|
55%
|
|
41
|
SPD
|
56
|
57
|
-2%
|
|
42
|
MTV2
|
54
|
51
|
6%
|
|
43
|
DHLT
|
53
|
44
|
20%
|
|
44
|
GALA
|
51
|
n\a
|
n/a
|
|
45
|
TVGN
|
44
|
58
|
-24%
|
|
46
|
SOAP
|
43
|
49
|
-12%
|
|
47
|
HLN
|
42
|
37
|
14%
|
|
48
|
STYL
|
42
|
35
|
20%
|
|
49
|
TDSN
|
41
|
35
|
17%
|
|
50
|
G4
|
38
|
37
|
3%
|
|
51
|
TV1
|
37
|
33
|
12%
|
|
52
|
NKTN
|
30
|
22
|
36%
|
|
53
|
CNBC
|
28
|
30
|
-7%
|
|
54
|
TWC
|
26
|
31
|
-16%
|
|
55
|
DSCI
|
25
|
24
|
4%
|
|
56
|
GSN
|
25
|
32
|
-22%
|
|
57
|
BIO
|
24
|
10
|
140%
|
|
58
|
ID
|
23
|
14
|
64%
|
|
59
|
THEN
|
22
|
30
|
-27%
|
|
60
|
ENN
|
21
|
20
|
5%
|
|
61
|
BBCA
|
20
|
11
|
82%
|
|
62
|
HI
|
20
|
10
|
100%
|
|
63
|
GOLF
|
17
|
19
|
-11%
|
|
64
|
MIL
|
15
|
14
|
7%
|
|
65
|
MUN2
|
15
|
n\a
|
n/a
|
|
66
|
NFLN
|
15
|
16
|
-6%
|
|
67
|
ESPC
|
14
|
18
|
-22%
|
|
68
|
FUSE
|
14
|
13
|
8%
|
|
69
|
GAC
|
13
|
18
|
-28%
|
|
70
|
VH1C
|
10
|