CNN and MSNBC up versus Fox News

Cable
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	8	25%
Source: Turner Entertainment Research based on data from Nielsen Media Research.

TOP 70 AD-SUPPORTED CABLE NETWORKS Primetime Viewers 18-49 Second Quarter 2008
Rank	Network	Second Quarter 2008 Viewers (000)	Second Quarter 2007 Viewers (000)	Percent change
1	USA	1254	1196	5%
2	TNT	1240	1152	8%
3	TBSC	993	854	16%
4	ESPN	841	678	24%
5	DISC	729	735	-1%
6	SPK	703	633	11%
7	CMDY	645	601	7%
8	AEN	628	600	5%
9	FX	622	698	-11%
10	NAN	616	389	58%
11	LIF	607	579	5%
12	SCIF	607	586	4%
13	MTV	580	499	16%
14	HIST	542	437	24%
15	FAM	510	443	15%
16	TLC	457	514	-11%
17	VH1	448	470	-5%
18	TRU	442	421	5%
19	FOOD	439	351	25%
20	HGTV	424	379	12%
21	BRAV	418	289	45%
22	AMC	381	358	6%
23	EN	353	309	14%
24	BET	309	359	-14%
25	TVLD	279	264	6%
26	ESP2	275	251	10%
27	TOON	273	296	-8%
28	FOXN	266	284	-6%
29	VS	253	132	92%
30	CNN	242	206	17%
31	MSNB	230	163	41%
32	OXYG	216	161	34%
33	HALL	215	191	13%
34	APL	191	179	7%
35	LMN	186	146	27%
36	CMT	185	162	14%
37	TRAV	179	183	-2%
38	NGC	178	145	23%
39	WE	154	94	64%
40	SPD	152	139	9%
41	WGNC	139	128	9%
42	SOAP	133	157	-15%
43	HLN	125	121	3%
44	DHLT	113	90	26%
45	TVGN	97	126	-23%
46	GALA	96	n\a	n/a
47	TWC	95	100	-5%
48	TV1	87	89	-2%
49	STYL	80	69	16%
50	BIO	78	41	90%
51	MTV2	77	71	8%
52	GSN	75	67	12%
53	CNBC	74	77	-4%
54	ID	70	47	49%
55	TDSN	67	58	16%
56	HI	66	32	106%
57	DSCI	65	78	-17%
58	G4	64	71	-10%
59	BBCA	59	35	69%
60	NKTN	52	40	30%
61	GOLF	49	52	-6%
62	MIL	44	36	22%
63	ENN	42	42	0%
64	THEN	37	48	-23%
65	ESPC	33	39	-15%
66	NFLN	32	34	-6%
67	VH1C	31	22	41%
68	GAC	30	41	-27%
69	FUSE	27	20	35%
70	MUN2	21	n\a	n/a
Source: Turner Entertainment Research based on data from Nielsen Media Research.

TOP 70 AD-SUPPORTED CABLE NETWORKS Primetime Viewers 25-54 Second Quarter 2008
Rank	Network	Second Quarter 2008 Viewers (000)	Second Quarter 2007 Viewers (000)	Percent change
1	USA	1267	1177	8%
2	TNT	1237	1153	7%
3	TBSC	855	787	9%
4	ESPN	820	645	27%
5	DISC	712	732	-3%
6	SPK	703	610	15%
7	SCIF	680	663	3%
8	AEN	660	620	6%
9	LIF	634	607	4%
10	HIST	590	506	17%
11	FX	565	638	-11%
12	NAN	519	331	57%
13	CMDY	502	482	4%
14	HGTV	495	484	2%
15	TRU	484	477	1%
16	FOOD	464	378	23%
17	FAM	452	388	16%
18	AMC	441	426	4%
19	TLC	441	513	-14%
20	BRAV	415	299	39%
21	FOXN	344	352	-2%
22	TVLD	342	347	-1%
23	MTV	341	289	18%
24	VH1	341	341	0%
25	EN	307	262	17%
26	ESP2	299	270	11%
27	CNN	297	244	22%
28	HALL	285	269	6%
29	MSNB	271	185	46%
30	BET	245	279	-12%
31	VS	232	129	80%
32	LMN	220	170	29%
33	TOON	215	225	-4%
34	OXYG	207	148	40%
35	TRAV	200	197	2%
36	APL	198	196	1%
37	NGC	193	161	20%
38	CMT	190	159	19%
39	SPD	168	149	13%
40	SOAP	163	184	-11%
41	WGNC	156	134	16%
42	HLN	147	145	1%
43	WE	146	99	47%
44	DHLT	117	90	30%
45	TWC	113	120	-6%
46	TVGN	102	128	-20%
47	GALA	92	n\a	n/a
48	TV1	91	90	1%
49	BIO	88	49	80%
50	GSN	88	71	24%
51	CNBC	85	83	2%
52	HI	82	43	91%
53	ID	81	55	47%
54	STYL	77	66	17%
55	DSCI	74	86	-14%
56	BBCA	68	39	74%
57	GOLF	60	65	-8%
58	TDSN	58	50	16%
59	G4	56	70	-20%
60	MTV2	52	45	16%
61	MIL	49	45	9%
62	NKTN	44	34	29%
63	ENN	43	41	5%
64	ESPC	35	44	-20%
65	VH1C	33	21	57%
66	NFLN	32	33	-3%
67	GAC	30	41	-27%
68	THEN	28	32	-13%
69	FUSE	24	16	50%
70	MUN2	17	n\a	n/a
Source: Turner Entertainment Research based on data from Nielsen Media Research.