Top rated cable networks of 2009

[sigma1914]

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE5BS0MY20091229

An interesting article that really puts in perspective that channels many people want in HD, especially us Directv subs, aren't that popular. (ESPNU, WGN, Travel)

[Sixto]

yep, discussion here: http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?p=2319932#post2319932

[sigma1914]

Ooops!

[phrelin]

Not really an ooops. This seems to me like a broader topic than just for you DirecTV customers.

You have to take this information presentation with a grain of salt when comparing to broadcast ratings. There is no "calendar 2009" in television, there are traditional seasons. So if one looks at these numbers you have to recognize that they represent the last half of 2008-2009 and the first half of 2009-2010.

Average prime-time viewers for cable channels doesn't reflect the reality of the cable schedule; cable channels repeat shows from night to night in prime-time. Finally, while TiVo and a few other brands of DVR's made some inroads with OTA-only viewers, the reality is that cable/satellite homes are far more likely to have a DVR and are far more likely to time-shift cable channel shows.

With that said, it's obvious that NBCU's USA is making significant gains in prime-time, even as NBC was losing viewers. And its also obvious why NBCU's Syfy is seeking programming that appeals to a broader base than the male nerd who really likes to play action video games for more than a couple of hours a week (hint, there aren't enough of you watching TV enough hours to matter to advertisers).

Finally, the ownership of prime-time eyes using these numbers creates an interesting picture for people who look only at broadcast ratings:

ABC has Disney-owned sister cable channels with 6.834 million prime-time viewers.
Fox has News Corp-owned sister cable channels with 3.579 million prime-time viewers.
NBC has NBCU-owned sister cable channels with 6.167 million prime-time viewers.
The CW half-owned by Time Warner has Time Warner-owned sister cable channels with 8.085 million prime-time viewers.
CBS has no sister cable channels in this ratings listing but owns Showtime and the majority shareholder Redstone family is the majority shareholder of Viacom with 5.774 million prime-time viewers and CBS owns the other half of The CW.

You also have to factor in the cable prime-time structure to get a complete understanding. ESPN pulled an average 15+ million for three prime-time hours of Monday Night NFL for about half a year. USA, on the other hand, pulled its highest ratings throughout the year with a number of shows repeated at different times using split seasons, i.e. "Monk," "Law & Order: Criminal Intent," "Royal Pains," etc. The interesting part of this is that at one time ABC had Monday Night Football and NBC had a decent 3-hour prime-time schedule using scripted programming such as "Law & Order: Criminal Intent."