The first 18 weeks of the season has been kind to the cablers and rough on the broadcast networks, according to new ratings analysis released today by the CableTelevision Advertising Bureau today.
According to the organization, cable ratings in primetime on the key advertiser demo of 18-49 grew by 5.1%, while broadcast shrank by 8.3% on Nielsen Media Research live-plus-same day numbers. In the 25-54 category, the change over last year is even bigger with ad supported cable growing 6.9% and broadcast shrinking 6.5%. The research now being shopped to ad agencies, suggests the most substantial shifts are occurring on what the CAB termed “retail-critical,” nights of Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
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Another potential factor for the poor showing was that the networks had a poor fall and are launching more of their better performing shows in January. Commercial ratings known as C3, are the currency of the business, though many people look at live plus same day data to analyze historical trends. Cunningham said cable did well on which ever set of data was used, even live plus seven (where shows played back over the course of seven days are taken into account).
Cable Audiences Continue To Grow As Broadcast Audiences Shrink
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Well obvioulsy cable audiences continue to grow! I mean with programming like The Closer on TNT, WWE RAW, Burn Notice, Monk, psych on USA , ICARLY and Spongebob on Nick also having Monday Night Football on ESPN.
i am actaully watching cable shows like WWE Raw, Burn Notice and Monday Night Football more than I watch shows like American Idol, Hells Kitchen and Dancing with the Starrs.
This trend will only be helped along by dumb broadcast network moves like airing Leno five hours a week next fall.
Was the growth only among a certain subset of cable channels (the big ones with the critical hits) or what? And does the growth include new cable channels? Cable as a whole is a very big thing and comparing it (a bajillion channels) to broadcast (less than a dozen English and Spanish networks) always seems somehow unfair to me.
Doghouse, the trends were calculated for 80 ad supported cable channels. My guess is that those 80 account for the vast majority of cable viewing. Not sure if there is any issue of “fairness” at all, it just the numbers.
I can see where Doghouse is coming from. Compared individually, most of those 80 cable channels would be beat on any given night by the CW.;)
I wonder how significant the DTV transition is here, or will be when it’s complete? Cable and Satellite companies are making the most of the situation, offering HUGE discounts to new subsrcibers. If I were waiting for a converter coupon, I’d stop waiting and order some low-price cable service. New customers might be having fun exploring what “else” is on in prime time.
And just as a reminder, this site occasionally posts a list of what is, probably consistently, the Top 75 ad-supported channels.
Can’t wait to see where MLB ends up slotting in this list, whenever they start being measured.
The major network need to make some changes…
Where in the world a television have during half a year or more repeats in primetime???!
Only in USA!