For the week's top 25 individual cable programs click here.
ESPN comfortably led in primetime with both adults 18-49 and total viewers for the week ending December 25, 2011. But for only the third time in Disney Channel's history, it edged past Nickelodeon for total day viewing. The second time that happened was fairly recent -- the week ending November 20, 2011. The first time it happened was the week of August 13, 2007 when High School Musical 2 debuted.
Prime-time Average Viewers (Live+SD) Week Ending December 25, 2011
| Net | (000) |
| ESPN | 4210 |
| USA | 2612 |
| FAM | 2481 |
| DSNY | 2342 |
| TBSC | 2232 |
| TNT | 1931 |
| HIST | 1677 |
| A&E | 1596 |
| FOXN | 1498 |
| FX | 1468 |
| HALL | 1416 |
| DISC | 1339 |
| TRU | 1280 |
| ADSM | 1146 |
| AMC | 1143 |
| LIFE | 1118 |
| SYFY | 1048 |
| CMDY | 1036 |
| FOOD | 992 |
| HGTV | 987 |
| NAN | 964 |
| BET | 804 |
| TLC | 794 |
| MTV | 794 |
| TVLD | 785 |
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Adults 18-49 Prime-time Average (Live+SD)
| Net | (000) |
| ESPN | 1,860 |
| TBSC | 1,264 |
| FAM | 1,139 |
| USA | 1,010 |
| A&E | 780 |
| FX | 719 |
| HIST | 698 |
| DISC | 696 |
| TRU | 652 |
| TNT | 588 |
| CMDY | 579 |
| ADSM | 527 |
| DSNY | 474 |
| MTV | 468 |
| FOOD | 457 |
| SYFY | 442 |
| BRAV | 402 |
| BET | 399 |
| LIFE | 388 |
| EN | 353 |
| AMC | 352 |
| SPK | 351 |
| NFLN | 346 |
| HGTV | 342 |
| TLC | 333 |
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Total Day Average Viewers (Live+SD)
| Net | (000) |
| DSNY | 1804 |
| NICK | 1802 |
| USA | 1446 |
| ESPN | 1433 |
| FAM | 1275 |
| ADSM | 1263 |
| TOON | 1261 |
| TBSC | 1215 |
| TNT | 1147 |
| NAN | 1118 |
| FOXN | 976 |
| FX | 946 |
| HIST | 858 |
| A&E | 831 |
| TRU | 770 |
| DISC | 723 |
| AMC | 700 |
| HALL | 694 |
| FOOD | 603 |
| LIFE | 596 |
| HGTV | 582 |
| CMDY | 567 |
| TVLD | 566 |
| ID | 533 |
| SYFY | 509 |
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Nielsen TV Ratings: ©2011 The Nielsen Company. All Rights Reserved.
Cable Channel Abbreviations: NICK = Nickelodeon, NAN = Nick At Nite, TOON = Cartoon Network, ADSM = Adult Swim, TRU = truTV, LIFE = Lifetime, NKJR - Nick Jr., FAM = ABC Family, TVLD = TV Land, FOXN = Fox News, TBSC = TBS, DISC = Discovery
