CNN was the most watched cable network in primetime last week, bolstered by its Republican Presidential debate coverage.
The cable news network averaged 2.7 million viewers for the week of Dec. 14 to Dec. 20, paced by the 18.1 million viewers who tuned in to see CNN’s coverage of the Dec. 15 Republican Presidential debate, according to Nielsen.
Sports-themed networks held the next two spots, with ESPN finishing second with 2.4 million viewers and NFL Network pulling into third with 1.8 million viewers. Holiday-themed programming helped push Hallmark Channel (2 million viewers) and ABC Family (1.9 million) into fourth and fifth place respectively.
Fox News and USA Network (tied with 1.7 million viewers), TBS (1.5 million), and Discovery Channel and TNT (tied with 1.4 million) rounded out the top 10 most watched networks for the week.
Fox News and Nickelodeon were the co-leaders among cable networks on a 24-hour basis, with Disney Channel a distant third, said Nielsen.
Most Watched Cable TV Shows During The Week Of Dec. 14-Dec. 20
DateShowNetworkTotal Viewers
12/15 Nevada GOP Debate CNN 18.1 million
12/15 Nevada GOP Debate Pre-Show CNN 15.3 million
12/14 Monday Night Football NYG-Miami ESPN 11.5 million
12/15 Anderson Cooper 360 CNN 9.1 million
12/19 Thursday Night Football (NYJ-Dal) NFLN 7.4 million
12/17 Thursday Night Football (TB-STL) NFLN 5.9 million
12/15 Preliminary Nevada GOP Debate CNN 5.8 million
12/20 Movie: Christmas Land Hallmark 4.2 million
12/14 WWE Monday Night Raw USA Network 4.0 million
12/19 Movie: A Christmas Melody Hallmark 3.9 million
Source: Nielsen
