America may not be a country of cycling fans, but the Tour de France isn’t just any bike race, and seven-time Tour winner Lance Armstrong isn’t any ordinary racer.
In the three-week long race, which ended this past weekend, Armstrong finished third behind teammate Alberto Contador of Spain, but just being in the race was enough to drive up ratings rather smartly for Versus.
As of Friday, with two days yet to go, some 43 million people had tuned in for at least some of the Tour, up 31 percent from last year's full Tour coverage.
On average, 509,000 people tuned in each day, up 97 percent from last year.
In each of the network's key demographics, men 18-34, men 18-49 and men 25-54, viewership was up more than 100 percent.
Certainly much of the credit goes to Armstrong, who came out of retirement to compete.
It's no surprise that ratings would be up.
His fame has long extended way beyond cycling because of his bout with cancer, the two books he's written since, and his very public relationships with celebrities like actress Kate Hudson and singer Sheryl Crow, among other reasons.
And while many had all but ruled out an eighth Tour win for Armstrong--he's now 38 years old--he did well enough that it remained a possibility until the final days.
That kept the race in the headlines and people watching on Versus.
But credit for the surge in ratings also goes to Versus and Tour commentators Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen for making this often very-hard-to-follow sport a lot easier to understand, and more exciting.
In addition to hardcore cycling fans, the coverage attracts a lot of viewers who wouldn't normally tune into Versus, if only to gaze at the lush French countryside and the hundreds of brightly colored riders streaming by.
This year's tour began July 4 and covered a distance of some 3,500 kilometers (2,175 miles) in 21 stages, seven in the mountains.
The Tour also helped boost Versus' overall July ratings. From June 29 to July 27, Versus averaged 250,000 viewers in primetime, up 43 percent from July 2008. It was up 78 percent in adults 18-49, to 137,000 viewers.
For the week ending Sunday, Versus did even better. In primetime, Versus averaged 307,000 viewers and 158,000 in the 18-49 demographic.
***
In cable ratings for the week ended July 26:
Top five networks in primetime (18-49s): USA, TNT, TBS, FX, ABC Family
Top five networks in primetime (total viewers): USA, Fox News Channel, TNT, Nick at Nite, ABC Family
Top movie (18-49s): TNT’s “Gone in 60 Seconds” (Sunday, 8 p.m.) 1.38 million
Top sporting event (total viewers): ESPN’s “NASCAR Sprint Cup” (Sunday, 2:15 p.m.) 6.49 million
Shows making the top 10 among 18-34s, 18-49s and 25-54s: USA’s “WWE Raw” (Monday, 9 and 10 p.m.); USA’s “Burn Notice” (Thursday, 9 p.m.); USA’s “Royal Pains” (Thursday, 10 p.m.)
Show on the rise: TNT’s “Saving Grace,” Tuesday 10 p.m. The drama increased 15 percent week-to-week among viewers 25-54, from 1.2 million to 1.38 million.
Show on the decline: BET’s “Tiny & Toya” Tuesday 10 p.m. The reality series slipped 18 percent week-to-week among 18-34s, from 887,000 viewers to 727,000.
|
TOP 25 AD-SUPPORTED CABLE NETWORKS
Ranked on Household Rating
Week Ending July 26 |
|
Rank |
Primetime |
Total Day |
|
Net |
(000) |
Net |
(000) |
|
1
|
USA
|
2634
|
NICK
|
1734
|
|
2
|
FOXN
|
1776
|
USA
|
1265
|
|
3
|
TNT
|
1725
|
NAN
*
|
1209
|
|
4
|
NAN
|
1235
|
TNT
|
1005
|
|
5
|
TBSC
|
1066
|
FOXN
|
975
|
|
6
|
HGTV
|
1058
|
ADSM*
|
909
|
|
7
|
FAM
|
1056
|
TOON
|
785
|
|
8
|
LIF
|
1056
|
TBSC
|
693
|
|
9
|
FX
|
948
|
LIF
|
634
|
|
10
|
AEN
|
944
|
ESPN
|
624
|
|
11
|
SYFY
|
942
|
TRU
|
611
|
|
12
|
FOOD
|
919
|
FX
|
608
|
|
13
|
HIST
|
892
|
AEN
|
583
|
|
14
|
ESPN
|
876
|
HGTV
|
570
|
|
15
|
TRU
|
874
|
FOOD
|
567
|
|
16
|
AMC
|
868
|
HIST
|
550
|
|
17
|
DISC
|
834
|
FAM
|
530
|
|
18
|
TLC
|
813
|
AMC
|
520
|
|
19
|
CNN
|
795
|
CNN
|
495
|
|
20
|
HALL
|
791
|
DISC
|
493
|
|
21
|
TOON
|
704
|
SPK
|
487
|
|
22
|
SPK
|
692
|
HALL
|
474
|
|
23
|
CMDY
|
684
|
TLC
|
450
|
|
24
|
MSNB
|
604
|
CMDY
|
446
|
|
25
|
MTV
|
581
|
SYFY
|
436
|
|
* Network broadcasts less than 51% of minutes in a 24-hour day.
Source: Turner Research from Nielsen Media Research data
|
|
TOP 25 AD-SUPPORTED CABLE PROGRAMS
Ranked on Households
Week Ending July 26 |
|
Rank
|
Program |
Net
|
(000) |
|
1
|
The Closer
|
TNT
|
4849
|
|
2
|
Burn Notice
|
USA
|
4761
|
|
3
|
NASCAR Sprint Cup
|
ESPN
|
4701
|
|
4
|
Royal Pains
|
USA
|
4449
|
|
5
|
Law & Order: CI (Orig)
|
USA
|
3713
|
|
6
|
NCIS
|
USA
|
3693
|
|
7
|
WWE Raw
|
USA
|
3568
|
|
8
|
Nationwide Post Race
|
ESPN
|
3447
|
|
9
|
WWE Raw
|
USA
|
3385
|
|
10
|
Law & Order: SVU
|
USA
|
3337
|
|
11
|
In Plain Sight
|
USA
|
3263
|
|
12
|
Spongebob
|
NICK
|
3041
|
|
13
|
Army Wives
|
LIF
|
3030
|
|
14
|
NCIS
|
USA
|
2990
|
|
15
|
Spongebob
|
NICK
|
2981
|
|
16
|
Spongebob
|
NICK
|
2903
|
|
17
|
Spongebob
|
NICK
|
2879
|
|
18
|
Law & Order: SVU
|
USA
|
2855
|
|
19
|
NCIS
|
USA
|
2847
|
|
20
|
Spongebob
|
NICK
|
2845
|
|
21
|
Spongebob
|
NICK
|
2812
|
|
22
|
Spongebob
|
NICK
|
2774
|
|
23
|
NCIS
|
USA
|
2741
|
|
24
|
The Next Food Network Star 5
|
FOOD
|
2724
|
|
25
|
Spongebob
|
NICK
|
2719
|
|
Source: Turner Research from Nielsen Media Research data
|
|
TOP 10 AD-SUPPORTED CABLE NETWORKS
Adults 18-34
Week Ending July 26 |
|
Rank |
PRIME TIME |
TOTAL DAY |
|
Net |
(000) |
Net |
(000) |
|
1
|
USA
|
536
|
ADSM*
|
410
|
|
2
|
TBSC
|
436
|
NAN
*
|
347
|
|
3
|
TNT
|
415
|
NICK
|
339
|
|
4
|
MTV
|
372
|
TBSC
|
279
|
|
5
|
FX
|
355
|
TNT
|
266
|
|
6
|
FAM
|
342
|
USA
|
250
|
|
7
|
NAN
|
317
|
MTV
|
233
|
|
8
|
FOOD
|
305
|
FX
|
221
|
|
9
|
CMDY
|
299
|
CMDY
|
199
|
|
10
|
AEN
|
279
|
ESPN
|
199
|
|
* Network broadcasts less than 51% of minutes in a 24-hour day.
Source: Turner Research from Nielsen Media Research data
|
|
TOP 10 AD-SUPPORTED CABLE SHOWS
Adults 18-34
Week Ending July 26 |
|
Rank |
PROGRAM |
NET |
(000) |
|
1
|
Kendra
|
EN
|
1310
|
|
2
|
Family Guy
|
ADSM
|
1267
|
|
3
|
16 & Pregnant: Life After Labor
|
MTV
|
1209
|
|
4
|
WWE Raw
|
USA
|
1194
|
|
5
|
Daisy Of Love
|
VH1
|
1178
|
|
6
|
WWE Raw
|
USA
|
1169
|
|
7
|
Family Guy
|
ADSM
|
1150
|
|
8
|
Family Guy
|
ADSM
|
1084
|
|
9
|
Burn Notice
|
USA
|
1067
|
|
10
|
Royal Pains
|
USA
|
1044
|
|
Source: Turner Research from Nielsen Media Research data
|
|
TOP 10 AD-SUPPORTED CABLE NETWORKS
Adults 18-49
Week Ending July 26 |
|
Rank |
PRIME TIME |
TOTAL DAY |
|
Net |
(000) |
Net |
(000) |
|
1
|
USA
|
1318
|
USA
|
619
|
|
2
|
TNT
|
966
|
TNT
|
597
|
|
3
|
TBSC
|
821
|
NAN
*
|
587
|
|
4
|
FX
|
716
|
ADSM*
|
566
|
|
5
|
FAM
|
663
|
NICK
|
539
|
|
6
|
FOOD
|
637
|
TBSC
|
512
|
|
7
|
DISC
|
631
|
FX
|
433
|
|
8
|
AEN
|
587
|
ESPN
|
399
|
|
9
|
SYFY
|
585
|
TRU
|
381
|
|
10
|
TRU
|
573
|
LIF
|
360
|
|
* Network broadcasts less than 51% of minutes in a 24-hour day.
Source: Turner Research from Nielsen Media Research data
|
|
TOP 10 AD-SUPPORTED CABLE SHOWS
Adults 18-49
Week Ending July 26 |
|
Rank |
PROGRAM |
NET |
(000) |
|
1
|
NASCAR Sprint Cup
|
ESPN
|
2616
|
|
2
|
WWE Raw
|
USA
|
2485
|
|
3
|
Burn Notice
|
USA
|
2477
|
|
4
|
Royal Pains
|
USA
|
2364
|
|
5
|
WWE Raw
|
USA
|
2363
|
|
6
|
Deadliest Catch
|
DISC
|
2243
|
|
7
|
Nationwide Post Race
|
ESPN
|
2127
|
|
8
|
The Next Food Network Star 5
|
FOOD
|
2064
|
|
9
|
The Closer
|
TNT
|
1908
|
|
10
|
Kendra
|
EN
|
1811
|
|
Source: Turner Research from Nielsen Media Research data
|
|
TOP 10 AD-SUPPORTED CABLE NETWORKS
Adults 25-54
Week Ending July 26 |
|
|
PRIME TIME |
TOTAL DAY |
|
Rank
|
Net |
(000) |
Net |
(000) |
|
1
|
USA
|
1539
|
USA
|
703
|
|
2
|
TNT
|
1064
|
TNT
|
632
|
|
3
|
TBSC
|
783
|
NAN
*
|
480
|
|
4
|
FX
|
690
|
TBSC
|
449
|
|
5
|
SYFY
|
680
|
NICK
|
436
|
|
6
|
DISC
|
647
|
FX
|
404
|
|
7
|
FOOD
|
624
|
TRU
|
402
|
|
8
|
HIST
|
607
|
ADSM*
|
391
|
|
9
|
FOXN
|
604
|
ESPN
|
385
|
|
10
|
AEN
|
601
|
LIF
|
364
|
|
* Network broadcasts less than 51% of minutes in a 24-hour day.
Source: Turner Research from Nielsen Media Research data
|
|
TOP 10 AD-SUPPORTED CABLE SHOWS
Adults 25-54
Week Ending July 26 |
|
Rank |
PROGRAM |
NET |
(000) |
|
1
|
NASCAR Sprint Cup
|
ESPN
|
3352
|
|
2
|
Burn Notice
|
USA
|
3049
|
|
3
|
Royal Pains
|
USA
|
2817
|
|
4
|
Nationwide Post Race
|
ESPN
|
2671
|
|
5
|
The Closer
|
TNT
|
2586
|
|
6
|
WWE Raw
|
USA
|
2475
|
|
7
|
WWE Raw
|
USA
|
2409
|
|
8
|
Deadliest Catch
|
DISC
|
2252
|
|
9
|
The Next Food Network Star 5
|
FOOD
|
2155
|
|
10
|
NCIS
|
USA
|
1981
|
|
Source: Turner Research from Nielsen Media Research data
|
