TNT Delivers Hot July Ratings

TNT's ratings sizzled during the month of July.

 The drama.boom network finished as the most watched network in July, sweeping the weekly primetime ratings race throughout the month. TNT averaged 2.3 million primetime viewers during the period of June 30 and July 27, besting USA Network’s 2.1 million viewers, according to Nielsen. TNT was led in part by big ratings performances from established series such as Major Crimes and Rizzoli & Isles, as well as freshman series such as The Last Ship.

Disney Channel was third for the month, averaging 1.9 million viewers, followed by Fox Network’s 1.8 million viewers and History’s 1.6 million viewers. TBS (1.5 million) HGTV (1.4 million), A&E (1.3 million), FX (1.2 million) and Family Channel (1 million) rounded out the top 10.

Disney Channel was tops on a 24-hour basis in July, averaging 1.6 million viewers, followed by Nickelodeon’s 1.49 watchers. Adult Swim was third with 1.2 million viewers, followed by Cartoon Network (1.1 million) and USA Network (1 million.)

Fox News dominated the July cable news network ratings race averaging 1.8 million viewers, followed by MSNBC at 556,000 viewers, CNN at 521,000 and Headline News at 377,000, according to Nielsen.

On the weekly cable ratings front, TNT won for the sixth consecutive time, averaging 2.1 million viewers during the week of July 21 to July 27, followed by USA Network’s 2.09 million viewers and Disney’s 2.01 viewers. Fox News (1.8 million and History (1.5 million) completed the top five list.

Disney topped Nickelodeon, Adult Swim, Cartoon Network, USA Network and Fox News in that order during the week, said Nielsen.

Most Watched Shows During The Week of July 21 to July 27
Date Show NetworkTotal Viewers
7/21 Major Crimes                                                               TNT                         5.5 Million
7/21 Rizzoli & Isles                                                              TNT                         5.2 million
7/27 NASCAR Sprint Cup                                                   ESPN                       5.1 million
7/21 WWE Monday Night Raw (9 to 10 p.m.)                     USA                         4.5 million
7/21 WWE Monday Night Raw (10 to 11:12 p.m.)              USA                         4.5 million
7/27 The Last Ship                                                              TNT                         4.3 million
7/21 WWE Monday Night Raw (8 to 9 p.m.)                       USA                         4.2 million
7/27 Sprint Cup Post Race Show                                       ESPN                       3.9 million
7/21 Love & Hip Hop Atlanta                                              VH1                          3.9 million
7/24 Pawn Stars                                                                 History                      3.6 million
Source: Nielsen

R. Thomas Umstead

R. Thomas Umstead serves as senior content producer, programming for Multichannel News, Broadcasting + Cable and Next TV. During his more than 30-year career as a print and online journalist, Umstead has written articles on a variety of subjects ranging from TV technology, marketing and sports production to content distribution and development. He has provided expert commentary on television issues and trends for such TV, print, radio and streaming outlets as Fox News, CNBC, the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times and National Public Radio. Umstead has also filmed, produced and edited more than 100 original video interviews, profiles and news reports featuring key cable television executives as well as entertainers and celebrity personalities.