We have weekly cable network ratings, but we don't see good period to period comparisons for them, like we do for broadcast networks. Here's a smattering from Variety. Enjoy.
The top 35 ad-supported cable networks are up 7% in total viewers this season, according to a report released Wednesday by Turner Networks' research department.
The report, which is based on Nielsen Media Research data, shows Fox News, MSNBC, ESPN, Cartoon Network and Food Network among the cablers posting large first-quarter audience gains in prime time.
Fox News has averaged 1.7 million households in the time period so far this quarter, a 22% uptick over the first quarter of 2008, while rival MSNBC is averaging 741,000 households, an 18% gain.
Meanwhile, driven by toon hit "Star Wars: The Clone Wars," Turner's Cartoon Network has averaged 1.1 million households, a 17% year-to-year increase. Food Network (averaging 762,000 households for a 16% uptick) and ESPN (1.2 million households, up 15%) are also experiencing big gains, according to the report.
Cablers posting significant audience attrition in the quarter include MTV and Turner's TruTV, which have both experienced 16% drop-offs in average primetime households. Spike (-13%) and Lifetime (-12%) are also down.
via - Variety.
Lifetime needs Dawn to go back and save it.
no need for mtv anymore, should of went away ten years ago, they need to make more beavis & butthead episodes
From the Variety piece.
“Under the oversight of Turner research chief Jack Wakshlag, the cable conglom’s research tomes rarely pass up an opportunity to deliver a depressing picture of broadcast network performance, and this latest report was no exception. It projects that the webs will lose an additional 8-10½% audience share next season, with natural audience erosion, the reduced audience sizes of NBC’s Jay Leno-led 10 o’clock talker and the effects of the digital transition all taking their toll.”
How many years of 8-10% losses can the networks take ?
karmapolice: that’s the last thing the world needs. That joke was sufficiently told.
It’d be super awesome if MTV died. Won’t happen, I know, but I can dream.
What exactly is on TruTV nowadays? Sometimes it’s court shows and Forensic Files but mostly it seems to be shows rejected by Spike with a ripoff of Most Dangerous Catch or Dirty Jobs. No wonder they’re dropping, you never know what’s on or why you should bother tuning in.