With fall, cable
sees ratings tumble
But, alas, it's not viewers returning to broadcast
By Tom Conroy
Oct 7, 2009
Typically, the cable networks see their ratings rise in the summer
as they roll out new and returning original series, at a time when the
broadcast networks are running either repeats or reality series, with
their ratings well down from the regular season.
But how does cable fare when the broadcast networks break out their new shows in the fall?
It's an interesting question, and at first glance it would appear
they’re suffering as viewers swing back over to broadcast, where there
are a number of new shows that could become breakout hits.
Cable ratings are indeed down for the first two weeks of the new
broadcast season. Over the weeks of Sept. 21 to Oct. 4, the top 19
ad-supported cable channels drew an average audience of 49.85 million
viewers in primetime, off from 54.15 million a year earlier, according
to Nielsen live plus same-day viewing figures provided by Horizon Media.
But in fact, for whatever buzz there is about this season's hot new
shows, it's not been enough to make up for the ongoing erosion of
broadcast audiences.
Broadcast too is down, though by a less significant margin, to 38.9 million viewers from 39.26 million last year.
What gives? So why is cable down so much, if not for the competition from broadcast?
Blame the news, or absence of it this year.
At this time last year, cable news shows were cranking big numbers in
the final weeks before Americans went to the polls to choose their next
president.
They are not this year, with no elections to follow, and ratings are
well down for CNN, Fox News and MSNBC, to an average of 3.53 million
total primetime viewers from 7.2 million for the same two weeks last
fall, which included huge viewership for a presidential debate.
The effect, as Horizon Media points out, was to drag down cable's overall numbers, and rather significantly.
Two observations can be drawn from the data, and the first is to
affirm the power of cable news to draw viewers during big news periods.
The second is that when broadcast loses viewers, they go to cable, but
when cable loses viewers, they leave TV entirely.
***
In cable ratings for the week ended Oct. 4:
Top five networks in primetime (18-49s): ESPN, USA, TBS, Spike TV, FX.
Top five networks in primetime (total viewers): ESPN, USA, Fox News Channel, Nick at Nite, TBS.
Top movie (18-49s): TBS’s “The Longest Yard” (Saturday, 9 p.m.) 1.57 million.
Top sporting event (total viewers): ESPN’s “Monday Night Football: Panthers/Cowboys” (Monday, 8:30 p.m.) 15.71 million.
Shows making the top 10 among 18-34s, 18-49s and 25-54s:
ESPN’s “Monday Night Football: Panthers/Cowboys” (Monday, 8:30 p.m.);
FX’s “Sons of Anarchy” (Tuesday, 10 p.m.); ESPN’s “SportsCenter”
(Monday, 11:37 p.m.); Spike TV’s “The Ultimate Fighter” (Wednesday, 10
p.m.)
Show on the rise:
Spike TV’s “The Ultimate Fighter,” Wednesday 10 p.m. The reality
competition averaged 5.31 million total viewers, up 81 percent from
2.94 million the previous week.
Show on the decline:
A&E’s “Hoarders,” Monday 10 p.m. A&E’s reality show slipped 9
percent week to week among viewers 25-54, from 1.32 million viewers to
1.20 million.
|
TOP 25 AD-SUPPORTED CABLE NETWORKS
Ranked on Household Rating
Week Ending October 4 |
|
Rank |
Primetime |
Total Day |
|
Net |
(000) |
Net |
(000) |
|
1
|
ESPN
|
2613
|
NICK
|
1542
|
|
2
|
USA
|
1858
|
NAN
*
|
1173
|
|
3
|
FOXN
|
1693
|
USA
|
1038
|
|
4
|
NAN
|
1403
|
FOXN
|
1027
|
|
5
|
TBSC
|
1215
|
ESPN
|
1020
|
|
6
|
TNT
|
1143
|
TNT
|
900
|
|
7
|
AEN
|
1082
|
ADSM*
|
880
|
|
8
|
SYFY
|
987
|
TOON
|
771
|
|
9
|
TOON
|
952
|
TBSC
|
701
|
|
10
|
SPK
|
917
|
AEN
|
647
|
|
11
|
HGTV
|
899
|
LIF
|
594
|
|
12
|
LIF
|
862
|
FOOD
|
561
|
|
13
|
FOOD
|
838
|
SPK
|
545
|
|
14
|
FX
|
829
|
TRU
|
541
|
|
15
|
TLC
|
774
|
HGTV
|
536
|
|
16
|
HIST
|
746
|
HIST
|
497
|
|
17
|
TRU
|
741
|
FX
|
494
|
|
18
|
FAM
|
737
|
DISC
|
479
|
|
19
|
HALL
|
678
|
HALL
|
459
|
|
20
|
DISC
|
672
|
SYFY
|
446
|
|
21
|
CMDY
|
668
|
CNN
|
442
|
|
22
|
ESP2
|
668
|
TVLD
|
428
|
|
23
|
AMC
|
586
|
TLC
|
416
|
|
24
|
CNN
|
581
|
CMDY
|
410
|
|
25
|
BRAV
|
565
|
FAM
|
405
|
|
* 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 October 4 |
|
Rank
|
Program |
Net
|
(000) |
|
1
|
Panthers/Cowboys
|
ESPN
|
11354
|
|
2
|
The Ultimate Fighter
|
SPK
|
3716
|
|
3
|
Sportscenter
|
ESPN
|
3363
|
|
4
|
Spongebob
|
NICK
|
3248
|
|
5
|
iCarly
|
NICK
|
3220
|
|
6
|
WWE Raw
|
USA
|
3125
|
|
7
|
Spongebob
|
NICK
|
3057
|
|
8
|
WWE Raw
|
USA
|
3043
|
|
9
|
Spongebob
|
NICK
|
2987
|
|
10
|
The Penguins Of
Madagascar
|
NICK
|
2900
|
|
11
|
Spongebob
|
NICK
|
2887
|
|
12
|
Sons Of Anarchy
|
FX
|
2758
|
|
13
|
The O'Reilly Factor
|
FOXN
|
2683
|
|
14
|
The O'Reilly Factor
|
FOXN
|
2671
|
|
15
|
Army Wives
|
LIF
|
2665
|
|
16
|
Monday Night Countdown
|
ESPN
|
2644
|
|
17
|
The O'Reilly Factor
|
FOXN
|
2643
|
|
18
|
Spongebob
|
NICK
|
2624
|
|
19
|
NCIS
|
USA
|
2609
|
|
20
|
College Football-Thursday Night
|
ESPN
|
2584
|
|
21
|
The O'Reilly Factor
|
FOXN
|
2523
|
|
22
|
NCIS
|
USA
|
2504
|
|
23
|
The Fairly Odd Parents
|
NICK
|
2499
|
|
24
|
NCIS
|
USA
|
2498
|
|
25
|
The Penguins Of
Madagascar
|
NICK
|
2486
|
|
Source: Turner Research from Nielsen Media Research data
|
|
TOP 10 AD-SUPPORTED CABLE NETWORKS
Adults 18-34
Week Ending October 4 |
|
Rank |
PRIME TIME |
TOTAL DAY |
|
Net |
(000) |
Net |
(000) |
|
1
|
ESPN
|
821
|
ADSM*
|
459
|
|
2
|
TBSC
|
579
|
ESPN
|
370
|
|
3
|
USA
|
567
|
TBSC
|
313
|
|
4
|
SPK
|
427
|
NICK
|
312
|
|
5
|
CMDY
|
364
|
NAN
*
|
287
|
|
6
|
FX
|
339
|
USA
|
265
|
|
7
|
MTV
|
331
|
TNT
|
219
|
|
8
|
TLC
|
298
|
CMDY
|
218
|
|
9
|
SYFY
|
276
|
SPK
|
215
|
|
10
|
VH1
|
270
|
FX
|
205
|
|
* 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 October 4 |
|
Rank |
PROGRAM |
NET |
(000) |
|
1
|
Panthers/Cowboys
|
ESPN
|
3948
|
|
2
|
The Ultimate Fighter
|
SPK
|
2708
|
|
3
|
The Hills
|
MTV
|
1601
|
|
4
|
The City
|
MTV
|
1461
|
|
5
|
Sportscenter
|
ESPN
|
1317
|
|
6
|
Kourtney & Khloe Take
Miami
|
EN
|
1314
|
|
7
|
Family Guy
|
ADSM
|
1307
|
|
8
|
Sons Of Anarchy
|
FX
|
1271
|
|
9
|
Family Guy
|
ADSM
|
1238
|
|
10
|
Family Guy
|
ADSM
|
1207
|
|
Source: Turner Research from Nielsen Media Research data
|
|
TOP 10 AD-SUPPORTED CABLE NETWORKS
Adults 18-49
Week Ending October 4 |
|
Rank |
PRIME TIME |
TOTAL DAY |
|
Net |
(000) |
Net |
(000) |
|
1
|
ESPN
|
1800
|
ESPN
|
727
|
|
2
|
USA
|
1154
|
ADSM*
|
624
|
|
3
|
TBSC
|
965
|
USA
|
565
|
|
4
|
SPK
|
744
|
TBSC
|
540
|
|
5
|
FX
|
663
|
NAN
*
|
528
|
|
6
|
SYFY
|
661
|
NICK
|
503
|
|
7
|
AEN
|
627
|
TNT
|
499
|
|
8
|
TNT
|
578
|
SPK
|
388
|
|
9
|
CMDY
|
547
|
FX
|
386
|
|
10
|
TLC
|
538
|
AEN
|
365
|
|
* 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 October 4 |
|
Rank |
PROGRAM |
NET |
(000) |
|
1
|
Panthers/Cowboys
|
ESPN
|
8635
|
|
2
|
The Ultimate Fighter
|
SPK
|
4117
|
|
3
|
Sportscenter
|
ESPN
|
2643
|
|
4
|
Sons Of Anarchy
|
FX
|
2499
|
|
5
|
WWE Raw
|
USA
|
2182
|
|
6
|
WWE Raw
|
USA
|
2053
|
|
7
|
The Hills
|
MTV
|
1991
|
|
8
|
The Real Housewives Of
Atlanta
|
BRAV
|
1978
|
|
9
|
Kourtney & Khloe Take
Miami
|
EN
|
1828
|
|
10
|
Family Guy
|
ADSM
|
1793
|
|
Source: Turner Research from Nielsen Media Research data
|
|
TOP 10 AD-SUPPORTED CABLE NETWORKS
Adults 25-54
Week Ending October 4 |
|
|
PRIME TIME |
TOTAL DAY |
|
Rank
|
Net |
(000) |
Net |
(000) |
|
1
|
ESPN
|
1779
|
ESPN
|
666
|
|
2
|
USA
|
1169
|
USA
|
586
|
|
3
|
TBSC
|
823
|
TNT
|
524
|
|
4
|
SYFY
|
731
|
TBSC
|
466
|
|
5
|
AEN
|
673
|
NAN
*
|
427
|
|
6
|
SPK
|
650
|
NICK
|
418
|
|
7
|
TNT
|
621
|
ADSM*
|
402
|
|
8
|
FX
|
596
|
AEN
|
378
|
|
9
|
FOOD
|
578
|
LIF
|
360
|
|
10
|
FOXN
|
545
|
SPK
|
339
|
|
* 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 October 4 |
|
Rank |
PROGRAM |
NET |
(000) |
|
1
|
Panthers/Cowboys
|
ESPN
|
8436
|
|
2
|
The Ultimate Fighter
|
SPK
|
3142
|
|
3
|
Sons Of Anarchy
|
FX
|
2411
|
|
4
|
Sportscenter
|
ESPN
|
2402
|
|
5
|
WWE Raw
|
USA
|
2124
|
|
6
|
WWE Raw
|
USA
|
2050
|
|
7
|
The Real Housewives Of
Atlanta
|
BRAV
|
1804
|
|
8
|
Project Runway
|
LIF
|
1763
|
|
9
|
Monday Night Countdown
|
ESPN
|
1707
|
|
10
|
Ghost Hunters
|
SYFY
|
1658
|
|
Source: Turner Research from Nielsen Media Research data
|
|
|
|
