Sex, stocks arouse cable ratings
By Richard Katz and Josef Adalian
NEW YORK (Variety) - A news-heavy summer filled with sex scandals and a shaky stock market sent numbers soaring for news and information cable networks during the third quarter.
Fox News Channel and CNBC recorded their best quarters ever, while rival all-news toddler MSNBC also scored huge gains. Veteran news network CNN posting its best quarterly household numbers in three years.
FNC soaring a staggering 540% in primetime (from 23,000 homes to 147,000 homes) and 324% overall (from 17,000 to 72,000) compared to the same period last year, according to Nielsen Media Research.
MSNBC's primetime viewership doubled to 201,000 this year from 98,000 during the third quarter of '97. On a 24-hour basis, MSNBC went to an average of 142,000 homes from 70,000 in the year-ago period.
CNN averaged 434,000 homes on a total day basis, a rise of 20% from 372,000 households a year ago. The cable network's top performer was ''Late Edition With Wolf Blitzer,'' which more than doubled tune-in for the Sunday noon to 1 p.m. time period on a year-to-year basis.
The combo of money and Monica also did a (positive) number for business news network CNBC. Its total day numbers skyrocketed 81% in the third quarter, with 306,000 homes tuning in on average (up from 169,000 last year).
CNBC's primetime lineup, which went virtually all-Monica during the summer, averaged an impressive 532,000 homes during the quarter -- a 106% increase over year-ago figures. ''Hardball With Chris Matthews'' was a particular standout, nearly tripling CNBC's audience for the 8-9 p.m. time period.
Amazingly, the crush of news had no effect on CNN Headline News. Indeed, the newsbrief network's total-day household delivery actually dropped 9% in the third quarter vs. the same frame a year ago.
In cable's primetime race, USA Network won the third quarter ratings crown with a 2.2 cable universe rating (1.62 million households), which is a 5% ratings increase and 6% households increase compared to the third quarter of 1997. The network was buoyed by a big increase in its Monday night wrestling block and growth in its ''Sunday Night Heat'' original drama lineup.
Without NFL football games, TNT tumbled 21% in ratings to a 1.9 cable universe number and 17% in households to 1.4 million. TNT fell from first place in prime for third quarter last year to third place in the just-completed third quarter.
USA's numbers were helped by a 61% increase in its Monday night WWF Wrestling block, which averaged a 4.4 cable universe rating (3.35 million households) in the third quarter and 35% ratings growth in its original Sunday night show ''Pacific Blue,'' which averaged a 2.3 cable universe rating (1.68 million households).
Nickelodeon finished second in the prime time competition with a 2.1 cable universe rating (1.535 million households).
As usual, Nick won the total day viewership race with a 1.6 cable universe rating (1.145 million households), which was a 6% decline from last year's third quarter.
TBS finished fourth in prime with a 1.9 cable universe rating (1.39 million households), a 5% decline from a year ago.
ESPN, with NFL games and a rejuvenated interest in Major League Baseball, boosted its primetime cable universe ratings to a 1.8 (1.34 million households), a 20% increase from the third quarter of 1997.
Other cable success stories this quarter included Cartoon Network, which grew its primetime cable universe rating 23% to a 1.6 (813,000 households, a 37% increase); Fox Family Channel, which improved its ratings 30% to a 1.3 over last year's Family Channel format; MTV, which nudged its prime ratings up 13% to 0.9 (624,000 households); and the History Channel and Comedy Central, which both improved their primetime ratings from a 0.2 in third quarter 1997 to a 0.7 rating in 1998.
A&E suffered a 7% primetime ratings decline to a 1.3 (929,000 households).
The Learning Channel, TV Land, VH1, E!, HGTV, the Weather Channel and BET also enjoyed ratings gains? in primetime.
Discovery, the Nashville Network, FX, Sci-Fi Channel and ESPN were flat compared to third quarter 1997 primetime ratings.
Reuters/Variety |
