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for cable news shows
War no match for Florida chad-fest of a year ago
By Elizabeth White
Even though television news has seemed omnipresent since Sept. 11, viewership this November is nothing compared to last November.
As engaging as Afghanistan may be, with some anthrax reporting tossed in, the better audience grabber was the presidential election last year and the tense aftermath of the Florida recounts.
Most of the cable news networks are experiencing year-to-year audience declines for this November over last.
CNN’s average household rating has dropped 25 percent in primetime and 10 percent in total day from November 2000, despite its having 13 programs concerning the American Airlines crash in Queens rank among the top-55 household shows last month.
MSNBC was down 22 percent in primetime household rating and 14 percent in total day household rating from last November.
And CNBC, which covers financial news, declined 20 percent in primetime household rating and 25 percent in total day household rating versus one year ago.
The best performer of the lot was Fox News, which had two programs about the plane crash among the top-55.
It was flat in total day and primetime household ratings from last November but up 27 percent during primetime and 47 percent during total day in household delivery.
For CNN, MSNBC and CNBC, the downward trend extends to the demographic numbers as well.
Compared to last November, CNN dropped 37 percent in primetime and 12 percent in total day among adults 18-49, and the network declined another 29 percent in primetime and 12 percent in total day among adults 25-54.
MSNBC fell 24 percent in primetime and 9 percent in total day among adults 18-49.
MSNBC also lost 15 percent of its primetime adult 25-54 audience versus last year, though it improved its total day adult 25-54 audience by 4 percent.
CNBC’s numbers decreased among adults 18-49 by 29 percent in primetime and 39 percent in total day and dropped among adults 25-54 by 17 percent in primetime and 29 percent in total day.
Fox News, on the other hand, showed some year-to-year gains in the demographic numbers.
The network improved its total day audience from last November by 19 percent among adults 18-49 and 27 percent among adults 25-54. During primetime, the network was up 2 percent among adults 25-54 but down 5 percent among adults 18-49.
In the overall monthly rankings, CNN defeated Fox News in five of the six audience measurements, but Fox News typically placed only one or two rankings behind. Fox News’s win came in primetime households, in which Fox News ranked eighth, CNN ninth, MSNBC 16th, and CNBC 33rd.
In total day households, CNN placed fifth, Fox News sixth, MSNBC 11th, and CNBC 26th. In primetime adults 18-49, CNN was 12th, Fox News 14th, MSNBC 21st, and CNBC 35th. In total day adults 18-49, CNN was 10th, Fox News 15th, MSNBC 18th, and CNBC 36th. In primetime adults 25-54, CNN was 10th, Fox News 11th, MSNBC 16th, and CNBC 34th. In total day adults 25-54, CNN was seventh, Fox News 10th, MSNBC 13th, and CNBC 33rd.
Instead of news, the most popular programs during November were sports, and the most popular sports programs involved NFL football.
Three of ESPN’s Sunday night NFL games occupied the top three spots for the month in households, adults 18-49 and adults 25-54. The highest-rated game, between the Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings, aired the Sunday after Thanksgiving and earned an 8.7 household rating, representing 7.4 million homes. The game also attracted 5.9 million adults 18-49 and 6.3 million adults 25-54.
That game was followed in the ratings by the Rams-Patriots game the week before and the Raiders-Seahawks game two weeks earlier. Another Sunday night game, between the Saints and the Jets, ranked 28th for the week in households.
Additionally, ESPN’s "NFL Primetime," which runs before the Sunday game, and "NFL Sportscenter," which runs after the Sunday game, did well last month. Three episodes of "NFL Sportscenter" were among the top-55 household programs for the month, as were two episodes of "NFL Primetime." An episode of "NFL Primetime" was also one of the top-10 programs for the month among adults 25-54.
|
Top 10 Primetime Networks
Among Adults 18-49 |
||||||
|
# |
Net |
PT (000) |
PT % |
TD |
TD (000) |
TD % |
|
1 |
TBS |
1323 |
9 |
1 |
658 |
-4 |
|
2 |
ESPN |
1038 |
-5 |
4 |
446 |
-1 |
|
3 |
USA |
935 |
1 |
5 |
433 |
-2 |
|
4 |
TNT |
837 |
-4 |
3 |
459 |
-2 |
|
5 |
LIF |
761 |
6 |
2 |
501 |
2 |
|
6 |
TNN |
691 |
31 |
11 |
285 |
14 |
|
7 |
TLC |
569 |
11 |
7 |
317 |
18 |
|
8 |
DISC |
542 |
-12 |
9 |
295 |
-9 |
|
9 |
SCIF |
470 |
21 |
16 |
235 |
12 |
|
10 |
CMDY |
455 |
3 |
12 |
257 |
-3 |
| Source:
Nielsen Media Research
|
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|
Top 10 Programs
Among Adults 18-49 |
|||||
# |
Date |
Program |
Net |
Day |
(000) |
|
1 |
11/25/01 |
NFL/Bears/Vikings |
ESPN |
Sun |
5936 |
|
2 |
11/18/01 |
NFL/Rams/Patriots |
ESPN |
Sun |
5238 |
|
3 |
11/11/01 |
NFL/Raiders/Seahawks |
ESPN |
Sun |
4284 |
|
4 |
11/11/01 |
m/"Lethal Weapon 4" |
TBS |
Sun |
3795 |
|
5 |
11/19/01 |
WWF Entertainment |
TNN |
Mon |
3670 |
|
6 |
11/19/01 |
WWF Entertainment |
TNN |
Mon |
3662 |
|
7 |
11/12/01 |
WWF Entertainment |
TNN |
Mon |
3221 |
|
8 |
11/4/01 |
m/"Pretty Woman" |
TBS |
Sun |
3026 |
|
9 |
11/12/01 |
WWF Entertainment |
TNN |
Mon |
3017 |
|
10 |
10/29/01 |
WWF Entertainment |
TNN |
Mon |
3003 |
| Source:
Nielsen Media Research
|
|||||
|
Top 10 Primetime Networks
Among Adults 25-54 |
||||||
|
# |
Net |
PT (000) |
PT % |
TD # |
TD (000) |
TD % |
|
1 |
TBS |
1308 |
12 |
1 |
640 |
0 |
|
2 |
ESPN |
1154 |
3 |
4 |
447 |
6 |
|
3 |
USA |
959 |
2 |
5 |
441 |
8 |
|
4 |
LIF |
881 |
16 |
2 |
554 |
8 |
|
5 |
TNT |
863 |
1 |
3 |
471 |
1 |
|
6 |
TNN |
671 |
37 |
12 |
287 |
13 |
|
7 |
DISC |
592 |
-9 |
8 |
312 |
-7 |
|
8 |
TLC |
572 |
7 |
11 |
299 |
13 |
|
9 |
SCIF |
535 |
22 |
14 |
267 |
14 |
|
10 |
CNN |
479 |
-29 |
7 |
357 |
-5 |
| Source:
Nielsen Media Research
|
||||||
|
Top 10 Programs
Among Adults 25-54 |
|||||
# |
Date |
Program |
Net |
Day |
(000) |
|
1 |
11/25/01 |
NFL/Bears/Vikings |
ESPN |
Sun |
6327 |
|
2 |
11/18/01 |
NFL/Rams/Patriots |
ESPN |
Sun |
5804 |
|
3 |
11/11/01 |
NFL/Raiders/Seahawks |
ESPN |
Sun |
4596 |
|
4 |
11/11/01 |
m/"Lethal Weapon 4" |
TBS |
Sun |
3714 |
|
5 |
11/19/01 |
WWF Entertainment |
TNN |
Mon |
3160 |
|
6 |
11/19/01 |
WWF Entertainment |
TNN |
Mon |
3022 |
|
7 |
11/4/01 |
NASCAR/Pop Secret 400 |
TNT |
Sun |
2942 |
|
8 |
11/4/01 |
m/"Pretty Woman" |
TBS |
Sun |
2805 |
|
9 |
11/12/01 |
WWF Entertainment |
TNN |
Mon |
2758 |
|
10 |
11/25/01 |
NFL Primetime |
ESPN |
Sun |
2703 |
| Source:
Nielsen Media Research
|
|||||
|
Top 10 Primetime
Household Networks |
||||||||||
|
PT |
Net |
Nov. '01 PT Rtg |
Nov. '01 PT (000) |
% Chg. '01 vs. '00 PT Rtg |
% Chg. '01 vs. '00 PT (000) |
TD |
Nov. ’01 TD Rtg |
Nov. |
% Chg. '01 vs. '00 TD Rtg |
% Chg. '01 vs. '00 TD (000) |
|
1 |
TBS |
2.0 |
1699 |
5 |
8 |
3 |
1.1 |
944 |
-8 |
1 |
|
2 |
LIF |
1.9 |
1597 |
19 |
26 |
2 |
1.2 |
980 |
9 |
16 |
|
3 |
ESPN |
1.8 |
1552 |
-10 |
-2 |
6 |
0.8 |
652 |
0 |
3 |
|
4 |
USA |
1.7 |
1424 |
0 |
3 |
6 |
0.8 |
684 |
0 |
|
|
5 |
NICK |
1.5 |
1259 |
-6 |
-1 |
1 |
1.4 |
1161 |
-7 |
-3 |
|
5 |
TNT |
1.5 |
1254 |
0 |
6 |
6 |
0.8 |
707 |
-11 |
4 |
|
5 |
TOON |
1.5 |
1192 |
-12 |
6 |
3 |
1.1 |
875 |
0 |
18 |
|
8 |
FOXN |
1.3 |
948 |
0 |
27 |
6 |
0.8 |
625 |
0 |
47 |
|
9 |
CNN |
1.2 |
1056 |
-25 |
-15 |
5 |
0.9 |
784 |
-10 |
4 |
|
10 |
DISC |
1.0 |
849 |
-9 |
-2 |
11 |
0.6 |
473 |
0 |
-3 |
|
10 |
AEN |
1.0 |
847 |
-23 |
-19 |
10 |
0.7 |
600 |
-22 |
-10 |
|
10 |
TNN |
1.0 |
812 |
-9 |
-6 |
14 |
0.4 |
372 |
-20 |
-4 |
| Source:
Nielsen Media Research
|
||||||||||
|
Top 20
Basic Cable Ad-Supported |
|||||||
# |
Date |
Program |
Net |
Day |
Rtg | Shr |
(000) |
|
1 |
11/25/01 |
NFL/Bears/ Vikings |
ESPN |
Sun |
8.7 |
13.2 |
7441 |
|
2 |
11/18/01 |
NFL/Rams/ Patriots |
ESPN |
Sun |
7.7 |
11.7 |
6538 |
|
3 |
11/11/01 |
NFL/Raiders/ Seahawks |
ESPN |
Sun |
6.7 |
10.3 |
5706 |
|
4 |
11/11/01 |
m/"Lethal Weapon 4" |
TBS |
Sun |
5.0 |
7.4 |
4286 |
|
5 |
11/19/01 |
WWF Entertainment |
TNN |
Mon |
4.8 |
7.8 |
4065 |
|
5 |
11/19/01 |
WWF Entertainment |
TNN |
Mon |
4.8 |
6.8 |
4021 |
|
7 |
11/12/01 |
Plane Crash In Queens NY |
CNN |
Mon |
4.5 |
12.2 |
3858 |
|
8 |
11/12/01 |
Plane Crash In Queens NY |
CNN |
Mon |
4.3 |
11.3 |
3671 |
|
9 |
11/12/01 |
Fleischer PC/Plane Crash |
CNN |
Mon |
4.2 |
11.0 |
3596 |
|
9 |
10/29/01 |
WWF Entertainment |
TNN |
Mon |
4.2 |
7.0 |
3579 |
|
9 |
11/12/01 |
WWF Entertainment |
TNN |
Mon |
4.2 |
6.7 |
3525 |
|
12 |
11/25/01 |
m/"Fire Down Below" |
TBS |
Sun |
4.1 |
5.9 |
3527 |
|
12 |
11/5/01 |
WWF Entertainment |
TNN |
Mon |
4.1 |
6.7 |
3487 |
|
14 |
11/4/01 |
m/"Pretty Woman" |
TBS |
Sun |
4.0 |
5.5 |
3443 |
|
14 |
11/12/01 |
Plane Crash In Queens NY |
CNN |
Mon |
4.0 |
10.3 |
3366 |
|
14 |
10/29/01 |
WWF Entertainment |
TNN |
Mon |
4.0 |
5.7 |
3343 |
|
14 |
11/12/01 |
WWF Entertainment |
TNN |
Mon |
4.0 |
5.5 |
3336 |
|
18 |
11/12/01 |
Plane Crash In Queens NY |
CNN |
Mon |
3.8 |
10.8 |
3238 |
|
18 |
11/5/01 |
WWF Entertainment |
TNN |
Mon |
3.8 |
5.4 |
3209 |
|
18 |
11/12/01 |
Plane Crash In Queens NY |
CNN |
Mon |
3.8 |
9.6 |
3201 |
| Source:
Nielsen Media Research
|
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November 29, 2001
© 2001 Media Life-
Elizabeth White is a staff writer for Media Life.
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