Nets Bunched Up Behind Lifetime
By Mike Reynolds -- Multichannel News, 8/20/2002 1:35:00 PM
Lifetime Television led the way among households in a very tight primetime race last week, which saw four networks tie for second.
The women's-targeted channel averaged a 2.0 household rating Aug. 12 through 18 to finish 0.2 points ahead of ESPN, USA Network, Nickelodeon and Turner Network Television.
Cartoon Network was next, averaging a 1.7, according to a Turner Entertainment Research analysis of Nielsen Media Research data.
Rounding out the top 10 in primetime: TBS Superstation with a 1.4; A&E Network with a 1.2; and TNN: The National Network, ABC Family, Discovery Channel, Sci Fi Channel and Fox News Channel, each with a 1.0.
Gauged on a total-day basis, Nickelodeon was first with a 1.6, well ahead of Cartoon (1.3), Lifetime (1.2), TNT (1.1) USA and TBS (both with a 0.9).
USA was tops among two of the three adult-demographic groups. The general- entertainment network topped the 18-through-34 list with 577,000 of those viewers, besting ESPN (509,000), TNT (439,000), Lifetime (362,000) and TNN (332,000).
The Vivendi Universal Entertainment holding also set the pace with 1.11 million 18-through-49 watchers on average last week. As was the case with the younger-adult crowd, ESPN, TNT, Lifetime and TNN placed second through fifth, with 1.04 million, 1.03 million, 892,000 and 680,000 of those viewers, respectively.
TNT was first among adults 25 through 54, grabbing 1.13 million of those viewers. ESPN (1.07 million), USA (1.06 million), Lifetime (1 million) and Sci Fi (718,000) completed the top five.
TNT's coverage of the Pepsi 400 National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing Winston Cup event was basic cable's highest-rated show of the week, earning a 5.3 household rating from 2 p.m. to 5:20 p.m. Aug. 16. The race also ranked first among adults 18 through 49 and 25 through 54 and fifth among adults 18 through 34.
The half-hour Discover Card Pre-Race Show preceding the Pepsi 400 was ninth among households for the week with a 3.3 household rating.
E! Entertainment Television's The Anna Nicole Show averaged a 2.4 household rating, down from a 3.0 the prior week. The show also slipped among demos.
According to the Turner analysis, the premiere of the third installment of the reality show scored with 1.25 million viewers 18 through 34, versus 1.72 million for the second week. Among adults 18 through 49, the count dropped to 1.84 million Sunday from 2.59 million.
Nevertheless, E! officials said they were pleased with the show, noting that it averaged a 2.68 among adults 18 through 34 and a 1.92 among adults 18 through 49, good for fifth and eighth place among those respective groups.
Anna's perky performance has also helped to lift the network's primetime average to a 0.7 the past three weeks -- a 53 percent jump from the corresponding span in 2001 -- according to E! officials.
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