USA Racks Up 20th Quarterly Win in a Row

Heads to Primetime Crown in Q2 Despite TNT Surge

By R. THOMAS UMSTEAD -- Multichannel News, 6/27/2011 12:01:00 AM

USA Network will likely secure its 20th consecutive primetime quarterly ratings win among entertainment-based networks despite a full-court press by TNT.

For the period of March 28 to June 19 (a week prior to the official end of the second quarter), USA Network was averaging 2.9 million total viewers — down 8% from the same period last year — to complete a five-year run of consecutive quarterly wins among entertainment-based networks.

USA’s primetime performance was slightly better than TNT’s, which averaged 2.7 million viewers, up 12% from second-quarter 2010, according to a Turner Research analysis of Nielsen data.

Disney Channel increased its audience by 5% to 2.5 million to finish third in the second quarter, while History posted a 33% year-to-year increase to 2.1 million viewers to take the fourth spot.

Fox News Channel (1.8 million, down 4%), ESPN (1.7 million, down 3%), Nick at Nite (1.4 million, down 18%), A&E Network (1.3 million, flat), FX (1.3 million, up 15%) and ABC Family (1.3 million, up 8%) rounded out the top 10.

While USA is expected to win the total viewers race, TNT will likely ride its record- setting National Basketball Association playoffs coverage to a cable-best 1.3 million viewers among adults 18-49 and 718,000 v iewers within the adults 18-34 demo, easily best ing USA Network on both fronts.

Networks posting strong second-quarter primetime ratings growth include Nat Geo Wild (114,000 viewers, up 178%), ID (521,000, up 70%), MLB Network (145,000, up 49%) and AMC (1.2 million, up 26%).

Nickelodeon is expected to end up as the most-watched network over a 24-hour period for the 65th straight quarter, averaging 2.1 million viewers, down 1% from second-quarter 2010.

Disney Channel finished second in the category with 1.6 million viewers, up 5%, followed by Nick at Nite (1.3 million, down 13%), TNT (1.3 million, down 2%) and USA (1.3 million, down 3%).

Basic-cable networks commanded a higher household share of television usage during the second quarter than their broadcast brethren.

Ad-supported basic-cable channels are projected to average a flat 64 household share during the second quarter, well ahead of the flat 34 household share the big four broadcast networks averaged during the period, according to Turner.

Four of TNT’s Miami Heat-Chicago Bulls NBA Eastern Conference finals telecasts finished as the most-watched shows for the quarter. A fifth game was topped only by CNN’s May 1 coverage of President Obama’s speech regarding the death of Osama Bin Laden.

---

Editor’s Note: USA’s fiveyear quarterly ratings streak does not take into account 24-hour sports network ESPN’s five consecutive years of fourthquarter wins, due mainly to its highly rated Monday Night Football telecasts, or ad-free Disney Channel’s third-quarter 2007 win, supported by the tween-targeted network’s 18 million viewer premiere for original movie High School Musical 2.