TNT, TBS and truTV Achieve Major Milestones in 2009

via press release:

TNT, TBS and truTV Achieve Major Milestones in 2009

TNT Launches More Originals than Ever and Scores Record-Breaking NBA Coverage;
TBS Unveils Highly Successful Lopez Tonight Late-Night Talk Show;
truTV Notches Biggest Year Ever in Ratings

TNT, TBS and truTV scored several major successes this year, setting up the networks for growth in 2010.  TNT embarked on an ambitious three-night strategy of original programming that, combined with year-long sports coverage, gave the network primetime growth among viewers and key adult demos.  TBS dove into the late-night arena with Lopez Tonight and came up a winner, beating most late-night competitors among young adult demos and delivering an amazingly diverse audience.  truTV, in only its second year since being rebranded, rode a wave of new and returning original series to score the network’s best year ever.

“This has truly been a banner year for TNT, TBS and truTV,” said Steve Koonin, president of Turner Entertainment Networks.  “With a strong lineup of originals and sports on TNT, the late-night success of Lopez Tonight on TBS and tremendous ratings growth for truTV, our networks have performed exceptionally well on a number of fronts.  We look forward to building on our momentum in 2010.”

TNT Ratings Highlights

Thanks in part to TNT’s successful summer strategy to launch three nights (Monday-Wednesday) of original programming, TNT is enjoying primetime growth among viewers and key adult demos when compared to last year.

• From the week when TNT’s full Monday-Wednesday 9-11 p.m. original programming lineup was in full force, TNT won the block among viewers, households and adults 25-54.  The network also scored outstanding growth among adults 18-49 (+55%) and adults 25-54 (+52%) when compared to the same time period in 2008.

• In its fifth season, The Closer continues to rank as ad-supported cable’s #1 series of all time among viewers and households.  TNT’s Leverage, HawthoRNe and Dark Blue rank among ad-supported cable’s Top 10 new series for the year among viewers.  (TNT’s Men of a Certain Age, which was watched by 5.4 million viewers, premiered after the cutoff date for this preliminary release.  Men of a Certain Age will be included when final data is compiled at the end of the year.)

During the 2008-09 season, TNT scored the best NBA regular-season coverage in Turner’s 26 years of airing NBA Basketball.  For 2009-10, TNT is on track to repeat that success, with growth among viewers (+25%), households (+18%) and key adult and male demos.

• TNT achieved the network’s best NBA Playoffs delivery ever in 2009, including the best first-round ratings in cable television history (up 14% in total viewers over the previous year).  Each round of the NBA Playoffs featured a game that set all-time records, including Game #4 of the Eastern Conference Finals, which ranks as cable’s most-watched NBA telecast of all time.

• Both the 2009 NBA All-Star Game and NBA All-Saturday Night experienced double-digit year-to-year increases among households, viewers and key adult and male demos. The NBA All-Star Saturday Night was the most watched in the event’s 24-year history.

TNT’s exclusive coverage of the PGA Championship (Aug. 13-14) averaged a 1.4 household rating, a 75% increase over last year.

TBS Ratings Highlights

In its first four weeks on TBS, Lopez Tonight averaged 1.4 million viewers; 1 million households; 478,000 adults 18-34; and 869,000 adults 18-49.

• Among both adults 18-34 and 18-49, the first three weeks of Lopez Tonight outdelivered the season-to-date averages for The Colbert Report, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel Live and Last Call with Carson Daly.  In addition, Lopez Tonight outdelivered the season-to-date average for Late Show with David Letterman and The Wanda Sykes Show among adults 18-34.

• Lopez Tonight has delivered double-digit growth for TBS in the 11 p.m. hour, with viewers up 33%, households up 27%, adults 18-34 up 29% and adults 18-49 up 34% when compared to the same time period for the four weeks leading up to the premiere.

• A continuing hit with multicultural viewers, Lopez Tonight’s audience is 32% Hispanic and 26% African-American.

Tyler Perry’s Meet the Browns is ad-supported cable’s #1 comedy of the year among viewers, households, adults 18-49 and adults 25-54.  TBS’s telecasts of Family Guy rank it second to Tyler Perry’s Meet the Browns among adults 18-49.

• TBS claims four of the top five comedies for the year-to-date among adults 25-54 with Meet the Browns, Family Guy, The Office and Tyler Perry’s House of Payne.

• Meet the Browns is the #2 series on all of television, behind only American Idol, in delivery of African-Americans 18-49 for the year-to-date.

TBS’s exclusive coverage of the MLB League Division Series led the network to its most-viewed week in the 33-year history of the network and garnered double-digit year-to-year increases in ratings, total viewers and households.

• Over the course of 13 League Division Series games, TBS averaged a 3.1 national household rating, up 11% when compared to the 2008 League Division Series.  TBS’s coverage also scored an 11% increase in total viewers.

truTV Ratings Highlights

truTV is delivering its most-watched year ever in delivery of adults 18-34 (235,000); adults 18-49 (520,000); adults 25-54 (533,000); men 18-34 (121,000); men 18-49 (285,000); and men 25-54 (297,000).

• For 2009, truTV ranks among ad-supported cable’s Top 10 networks in total day delivery of adults 25-54 (375,000) and men 25-54 (198,000).  truTV’s primetime is displaying solid growth for 2009-to-date, with adults 18-49 up 12%, adults 25-54 up 6%, men 18-49 up 18% and men 25-54 up 11%.

• truTV has increased its men 18-49 primetime delivery each year for the past 11 years (1999 thru 2009) and is delivering nearly eight times more men 18-49 now than when the streak began.  truTV has been very successful in attracting a younger audience, with a three-year drop in median age (46) since last year and significant growth among adults 18-34 (+31%), men 18-34 (+32%) and women 18-34 (+30%).

• Operation Repo was truTV’s breakout hit of 2009.  Premieres in the third quarter ranked as cable’s #1 entertainment program in the Monday 10-11 p.m. time period among young adult and young male demos.  The show’s most recent season premiere (Nov. 9) became the most-watched program episode ever for truTV in delivery of viewers (2,212,000) and households (1,614,000).

• Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura premiered Dec. 2 with 1,635,000 viewers, truTV’s biggest audience ever for a new series launch.

• Other original series scoring success for truTV in 2009 include Black Gold, which displayed strong growth compared to its first season among adults 18-34 (+31%) and men 18-34 (+27%); Full Throttle Saloon, which is averaging 1.2 million viewers for its first season-to-date; Rehab: Party at the Hard Rock Hotel, which ranked among cable’s Top 5 entertainment programs in its time period among men 18-49 and scored superb growth compared to its prior season;  All Worked Up, which averaged 1.3 million viewers and ranked as one of cable’s Top 5 entertainment programs in its time period among adults and men 18-49; and It Only Hurts When I Laugh, which averaged 1.2 million viewers for its first season.

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news, entertainment, animation and young adult media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.