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YEARENDER: There was little change at the top of the primetime basic cable rankings for 2011, with USA finishing the year as No. 1 in total viewers and adults 18-49 for a sixth consecutive time on the strength of its original series. The cable network added another hit to its original slate this year with rookie Suits. There was one change each in the Top 5 among total viewers and 18-49 from 2010. History broke into the Top 5 among total viewers after doing the same among adults 18-49 last year, while siblings TNT and TBS swapped places in the top 18-49 echelon. (Network rankings after the jump.)
History’s ratings ascent continued in 2011. With red-hot unscripted fare such as Pawn Stars and American Pickers, the cable channel once again posted its best year ever with double-digit gains in total viewers and adults 18-49 and a Top 5 finish in both categories after cracking the Top 10 in both total measures for the first time last year.
Also posting double-digit growth for a second consecutive year was MTV, which was fueled by juggernaut Jersey Shore, hit unscripted franchise Teen Mom, staple Video Music Awards and hot scripted newcomer Awkward. MTV moved up 5 spots in total viewers and 3 in 18-49 to finish in the Top 20/Top 10. Also posting double-digit gains this year was FX. With the help of breakout hits American Horror Story and Wilfred, the network rebounded from last year’s single-digit losses in a big way. Other networks that are up from last year include SyFy, AMC, Bio and Style. Nick At Nite tumbled, down 22% from last year in total viewers (10% in 18-49), and TBS also posed double-digit losses in both total viewers and adults 18-49. Also down year-to-year were female-skewing Lifetime and Oxygen. And for all the hoopla and big price tag associated with its launch, OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network finished on par with its predecessor Discovery Health.
Fox News Channel once again dominated the news network race, finishing as No.1 in total viewers (1.9 million) for a tenth straight year. It was down 7% from last year in total viewers, while sweeping the Top 13 most watched cable programs. CNN rebounded after posting its lowest-rated year in primetime in 2010. The network was up 17% to 689,000 viewers, which was still CNN’s second worst yearly average behind 2010. CNN finished behind MSNBC (775,000) in total viewers for a second consecutive year. MSNBC was up 2% in total viewers though down 11% at 8PM following the departure of star Keith Olbermann.
Here is a list of the top cable networks in total viewers and adults 18-49 for 2011 based on most current data:
Top 20 Cable Networks In Primetime: Total Viewers (in millions)/% difference from last year
1. USA 3.165 +0.3%
2. Disney Channel 2.647 +3%
3. ESPN 2.342 -2%
4. TNT 2.232 -0.8%
5. History 1.987 +21%
6. Fox News 1.883 -7%
7. TBS 1.614 -10%
8. A&E 1.561 +7%
9. FX 1.532 +21%
10. ABC Family 1.462 +1%
11. Nick At Nite 1.344 -22%
12. SyFy 1.330 +11%
13. Discovery 1.288 +2%
14. Adult Swim 1.237 N.A.
15. HGTV 1.205 -2%
16. MTV 1.189 +21%
17. AMC 1.182 +8%
18. Food Network 1.177 +3%
19. Comedy Central 1.006 +3%
20. Bravo 0.926 +6%
Top 20 Cable Networks In Primetime: Adults 18-49 Rating (Viewers In Millions)/% difference from last year
1. USA 1.1 (1.210) -3%
2. ESPN 1.0 (1.102) -4%
3. TNT 0.8 (.950) -3%
4. TBS 0.8 (.898) -11%
5. History 0.8 (.892) +18%
6. FX 0.8 (.855) +21%
7. MTV 0.7 (.770) +22%
8. A&E 0.7 (.764) +8%
9. Discovery 0.6 (.680) +1%
10. ABC Family 0.6 (.678) +4%
11. Comedy Central 0.6 (.641) +5%
12. Bravo 0.5 (.582) +8%
13. Food Network 0.5 (.571) +1%
13. Syfy 0.5 (.571) +6%
15. Adult Swim 0.5 (.569) N.A.
16. TruTV 0.5 (.543) +1%
17. Disney Channel 0.5 (.529) -5%
18. TLC 0.5 (.525) -4%
19. AMC 0.4 (.469) +10%
20. Lifetime 0.4 (.460) -10%
TV Editor Nellie Andreeva - tip her here.
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Another reason for USA’s success is their scheduling strategy of running new episodes during times when most networks are showing reruns. USA has built up such a stable of original shows that they can rotate the different season premieres to have first run episodes all year long.
I agree, also they are watchable. I don’t follow the show’s closely but they have some interesting shows to watch.
And yet…all of USA’s shows are exactly the same!
USA’s shows aren’t the same, the network has many procedurals and you probably recognize the format. Psych is nothing like White Collar which is nothing like Fairly Legal or Royal Pains.
USA had TWO new hit series- SUits & Necessary Roughness!!
It absolutely astounds me that so many Americans get their news from Fox News. And that’s not a left vs right comment, but the fact that it’s just a horrible news agency that has one of the worst records, in terms of getting the facts right, in cable or network news.
>It absolutely astounds me that so many Americans get their news >from Fox News. And that’s not a left vs right comment, but the fact >that it’s just a horrible news agency that has one of the worst >records, in terms of getting the facts right, in cable or network >news.
Instead of just saying this, what is YOUR citable news source for this statement? Or is this just an opinion masqueraded as sourced news?
They seem to be quoting all of the major wire services, have reporters with some street cred, etc.
For the love of God stop your crying and go to your back room, light you candles and go back to your Obama worship MSNBC
I used to get upset but I’ve stopped worrying about it.
Fox News is the Conservative Entertainment channel. People who watch Fox watch it all day, with maybe a time out for Rush Limbaugh and bleaching their sheets. Any one of the Librul Communist Muslim network nightly newscasts has at least double Bill O Reilly’s ratings.
Also, note that while Fox News is #6 in overall viewers, its nowhere to be found in the 18-49 demo. That tells you that its audience is mostly retired geezers with way too much time on their hands.
“audience is mostly retired geezers with way too much time on their hands”…
unlike “the Librul Communist Muslim network nightly newscasts,” which you mention, right?
What’s worse for America is that they can claim top news viewership honors with less than 2 million viewers. We have 310 million people in the U.S. “No One” is watching.
Fox represents the worst journalism on cable but the best production values. It’s a tightly produced product with a clear voice. CNN, or what’s left of it, still has excellent journalists, but the visual mishmash and wandering, murky show formats make CNN nearly unwatchable sometimes.
If what you said was actually true, the numbers would be reversed and CNN would be on top. Ain’t happenin’. Come on, keep it up, we Fox Bot love it!!!
As long as they keep employing long legged blonde bimbos to act as anchors (with Manface Gretchen being the lone exception)- viewers will keep tuning in, whether they get the facts straight or not.
~
Coat
It’s not about accuracy or journalism, it’s about preaching to and appeasing the predisposition of their choir.
And NBC *isn’t* a mouthpiece for the Dems and Obama?
Some of you have blinders on here. NBC is more biased to the left than FNC is to the right. Only a kool-aid drinker wouldn’t realize that.
At least on FNC’s shows there is an actual DEBATE most of the time between a lib and a conservative. Watch Maddow or any MSNBC program, it’s all libs, all the time…no wonder nobody watches it.
Your post is dismissed as more partisan drivel as soon as you use kooky terms like “kool-aid drinker”. It’s a demonstrable fact that Fox News is the least accurate network in reporting news. Their slogan “Fair and Balanced” is a Freudian neon sign pointing at their guilty consciences.
It’s about FINALLY having ONE news channel that tells us the whole truth and presents it in a Fair and Balanced manner, and their ratings prove it. Your snarky remarks make not one whit of difference to the viewing public.
Absolutely a matter of opinion. Fox fans feel that they finally get the whole news and the real news that the other networks leave out. If Fox was untruthful and as bad as the left would like the world to believe, they would not dominate cable news the way they do. Negative comments about Fox are nothing but jealousy and sour grapes.
Most “reality shows”, from Jersey Shore to American Pickers, are scripted in some way.
Wait, what? Reality shows are scripted? Surely you must be a Hollywood insider with his finger on the pulse of the industry to have such insider information. Is there some sort of whistleblower award for sensationalistic scoops like this?
Fox “News” Channel… What a joke…
Yay for Awkward. Terrific show.
Jeff Wachtel is f-ing brilliant! USA is the most watchable network!
Comedy Central needs an overhaul. They first need to start with the Daily Show and IMO reformat it. I would take into a direction like the O’Reilly Factor type of spoof. The whole correspondent thing has gotten old. They need to also do more original programming.
Once you crawl out from under that rock, you should try watching ‘The Colbert Report’ which comes on right after ‘The Daily Show’ and was created entirely as an ‘O’Reilley Factor’-esque parody.
Comedy Central does need an overhaul though. It’s amazing that with all of the years of having ‘South Park’ as a solid lead-in the only hit shows they’ve generated from that lead-in are ‘Chappelle’s Show’, ‘Tosh.0′ and nothing else.
Ummm… Have you ever watched the Colbert Report? *lol*
In surveys that take in left, right and center Fox News comes in first as the ‘most reliable’ or ties with CNN. The other cable channels and network news come in a one third of Fox and CNN combined. Slightly below that are the NYT and WSJ combined and dead last is the Daily Show which i am surprised even made a survey but i guess there are people who really do consider that a news source. A journalism review site also reported that both Fox and CNN were at the top because they have the best package, a combination of news delivery, marketing and viewer-friendly personalities – MSNBC came in last as they did not do newspapers in this article.
I like the Fox news hour for the simple reason that i think it is best moderated plus they take an hour so they can go more into depth – other channels break it up into the 6 pm hr for local news and then the second half hour for national – i think that skimps on national news. Why do the networks not ever change their model? I think one reason Fox and CNN do well is because they figured out who is watching when and design programs for that audience – and that is just smart programming imho.
I think it’s time for History Channel to change their name. And no word about Monday Night RAW helping carry USA?
the word is the ratings are tanking. seems like cm punk isn’t a big draw and there’s doubts about the wwe network in launching april
I hope the WWE network fails and they get back to what they do. Their main product sucks.
Pretty positive FX was helped by Sons of Anarchy as well.
SAMCRO 4 LIFE
Lifetime isn’t even in the Top 20??
Where’s Lifetime?
USA is the only cable network putting on quality non reality programming. Burn Notice, White Collar, Psych,etc are all good shows that are not too serious but well done.
Props to a real network. Reality TV is bad when even History channel abandons real programming.
USA’s shows are not “quality” shows at all, and they are quite juvenile compared to the real quality series on AMC and FX. And I say that as someone who follows a number of USA series; they are simply watchable bubblegum.
You could say the same of CBS.
With “Pawn Stars” and “American Pickers,” shouldn’t the History Channel change its name to the Garbage Channel? At least when they were the Hitler Channel they were about history.
Yes Jeff is brilliant…joy Behar late night would be a great get now that HLN is out of the way
Speaking of flops, maybe Oprah should team up with Olbermann. The O-Team Channel…..
Will the executives at Lifetime please wake up and smell the really stale coffee? In their note-giving and their programming decisions they are driven by fear, not by love of the medium or the audience or storytelling. Just fear that their bosses will be mad at them if they make the wrong move. Do they not see that in order to get an audience you need to go out on some kind of limb, in some way, somehow?
Fox News a joke? Now I find that really amusing. Especially when the liberal news outlets such as MSNBC is losing viewers. Just waiting to hear when Ed Schultz gets canceled cuz he up against Bill O’Reilly. It happen to Keith Olbermann and it’s going to happen. I doubt that some who comment on Fox News haven’t really watched it. Seriously. You always criticizing it especially when it shows liberal hypercrisy in the news business and believe me there is a lot of it to go around. I hate to say the anchors on MSNBC have become a joke for everyone believe me.
Hmmmmmmmmm I wonder if there’s hyprocrisy in the entertainment news business?
One more thing the big three networks have lost viewers too in thier 530 newslots. I bet in a few years the 530 news broadcast is going to be a thing of the past.
Only used car salesmen and politicians say, “Trust Me” as they lie to your face. The fact is that all of the mainstream news media in the US is owned and operated by large corporate interests that lean to the right not the left. Fox News viewers are some of the most ill informed people watching TV news. The good news for us all us that the Fox News demographics are mostly old and retired people who are on their way out. Fox News does not do well at all with the younger generations because they see it for the right wing propaganda that it is. I challenge you and anyone like you to watch Rachel Maddow for 2 weeks and report back any provable lies or distortions of facts on her show within that 2 week period. People doing this for Fox News have come up with dozens. Put up or shut up.
Can’t imagine that nikki or nellie like that this has devolved into a left right political fight about the news channels, but i’m gonna put my two cents in anyway, because i love this stuff. first of all i get my news from the papers and internet before i turn on the cable news channels and as a point, NONE of the cable “NEWS” channels are “news” in prime time. they are OPINION CHAT SHOWS. FOX, MSNBC, CNN, HLN AND CURRENT have shows that are mainly opinion. Most fair news people say that all the networks do a reasonably good job doing straight news in the NON PRIME TIME hours. i don’t know if people watch Shepard Smith, but he’s slightly left of center in his story choice and in the asides he gives on his programs, but his news credentials are pretty good. In many ways all news programs show their bias not in the stories they do and the slant they give the stories. the bias is in the stories they chose to do, left or right news channel. I think the FNC prime time line up is more incendiary, but that’s because i’m left of center. and i’d say if you get your “news” from an “opinion” show like Bill, or Sean, or the panel on the 6:00 fox news show, you probably are misinformed because those people are opinion oriented and you could say, propagandists. However, so are Rachel and Ed and Chris and Lawrence and Keith and Cenk and Jennifer (when her Current show starts). also, let’s be fair, the left also has Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. Most of the left is less interested in obsessing about the “in the weeds” detail of politics. the cable news stations have always been the bastion of a more conservative audience. back in the day, when cnn was called liberal, they would deflect that by saying that the majority of their “viewers” were “conservative”, so the fact that those viewers have flocked to a network that is also “conservative” should be of no surprise. as was stated above the vast majority is watching more entertainment oriented networks as the numbers above show. i will throw in, however, maybe if more people on the left weren’t obsessed with the Kardashians and the real housewives of “face lift” junction, and had exercised their franchise in November 2010, their never would have been a 60+ seat switch in the house of representatives. maybe it would be a good thing for ADULT SWIM to start reairing the old abc SCHOOL HOUSE ROCKS cartoons so that people would understand more about their government and people on the left would remember that sitting home and pouting was a bad thing and attacking FOX NEWS is pointless. the way to change a government on the right is by VOTING THE RIGHT OUT, not complaining about Sean and Bill and feeling like you’re intellectually superior. (sorry nikki and nellie…i couldn’t help myself)