NBA Helps TNT Dunk USA in May

Heat-Bulls Game 1 Sets Cable Viewership Mark

By Thomas Umstead -- Multichannel News, 6/6/2011 12:01:00 AM

On the heels of a record-setting National Basketball Association playoffs performance, TNT dribbled its way past USA Network to take top honors in the May primetime cable ratings race.

The drama network averaged 3.5 million viewers during the period of April 26 to May 30, an increase of 23% over the same period last year, according to a Turner Research analysis of Nielsen data.

USA Network, which had won the last three monthly races, finished second with 2.7 million watchers, down 8% from May 2010. Disney Channel finished third with 2.3 million up 3%, followed by ESPN with 2.0 million, down 6% and Fox News Channel, whose 1.8 million viewers is up 2% from last year.

History (1.8 million, up 26%); Nick at Nite (1.3 million, down 21%); ABC Family (1.2 million, up 16%); FX (1.2 million, down 7%); and A&E Network (1.1 million, down 5%) rounded out the top 10.

Nickelodeon was tops among all cable networks on a 24-hour basis, averaging 2.0 million viewers, down 5% from last year. Disney Channel finished second with 1.5 million viewers, up 3%, followed by TNT (1.5 million viewers, up 4%); Nick at Nite (1.3 million viewers, down 13%) and Adult Swim (1.3 million, up 17%).

CNN’s May 1 coverage of Osama Bin Laden’s killing helped the network post a 34% viewership increase during May. Other networks posting significant audience increases during the month included Nat Geo Wild (106,000, 136%); ID (485,000, up 67%); Hallmark Movie Channel (150,000, up 88%); MTV (793,000, up 31%); BBC America (199,000, 51%); MLB Network (139,000 up 56%); and NFL Network (110,000, up 53%).

Networks struggling during the month include G4 (113,000, down 34%); Fuse (39,000, down 25%); OWN (241,000, down 19%); TBS (1.1 million, down 19%); Hallmark Channel (555,000, down 18%); TV One (152,000, down 16%); VH1 (435,000, down 16%); Golf Channel (119,000, down 15%) and BET (662,000, down 14%).

TNT’s 2011 NBA playof fs telecasts represented seven of the top 10 most watched shows during the month, including the May 15 Miami Heat- Chicago Bulls Eastern Conference Finals game, which set a cable record for an NBA telecast with 11.1 million viewers.

CNN’s Bin Laden coverage, two episodes of History’s Pawn Stars and a May 6 Los Angeles Lakers- Dallas Mavericks NBA playoff contest rounded out the top 10.