Full Top 20 Cable Results for the week ending 3/16/2008

This week there were three hours of WWE coverage. Each hour grew more viewers and the 9pm and 10pm hours earned WWE: RAW the top two spots (the first hour placed 11^th).

This week SpongeBob only made the top 20 eight times, but this was seemingly due to a Fairly Odd Parents extravaganza. You don’t need to cry for SpongeBob or Nickelodeon, the Bobster still snuck in 16 airings into the top 40 and Nickelodeon took 30 out of 40 spots. Even by Bill Gorman’s accounting, that is the lion’s share. Nick’s own iCarly also bested SpongeBob with 4.35 million viewers. Disney ran the movie The Incredibles at least twice (one airing made the top 20, one didn’t, the only Disney participation in this week’s top 40).

The Saturday (3/15) 9pm showing of the movie Wisegal on Lifetime averaged 3.4 million viewers, and was 15^th on a household ratings basis (25^th by viewers). The Monday (3/10) airing of The O’Reilly Factor placed 30^th for the week on a HH ratings basis, and 37^th out of 40 on a viewers basis (3.09 million). Keith Olbermann? I don’t hate you, but you didn’t make the top 40.

The premiere of the John Adams miniseries on HBO? Not on the top 40 and HBO doesn’t seem to be in a hurry to release a press release (never a good sign), but I will keep my eyes open for some John Adams data. Update: the two episode premiere on Sunday averaged 2.7 million viewers.

Some TVbytheNumbers favorites made the top 40 via syndication. A Monday night 9pm airing of Gorman favorite Law & Order on TNT had 3.15 million viewers (34^th on a viewers basis) and A Friday night 11pm airing of House on USA had 2.91 million viewers, the 40^th most watched program on Cable last week.

Full Top 20 Cable Results for the week ending 3/16/2008:

Rank	PROGRAMS	Net	DAY(S)	Live+SD HH Rtg	Live+SD Viewers
1	WWE ENTERTAINMENT (WWE RAW)	USA	MONDAY	3.4	5,690
2	WWE ENTERTAINMENT (WWE RAW)	USA	MONDAY	3.3	5,542
3	ICARLY	NICK	SATURDAY	2.7	4,347
4	SPONGEBOB	NICK	SATURDAY	2.7	4,175
5	FAIRLY ODD PARENTS	NICK	FRIDAY	2.6	4,034
6	BACK AT THE BARNYARD	NICK	SATURDAY	2.6	4,029
7	SPONGEBOB	NICK	SATURDAY	2.7	3,991
8	INCREDIBLES, THE	DSNY	SATURDAY	2.5	3,941
9	FAIRLY ODD PARENTS	NICK	FRIDAY	2.5	3,899
10	SPONGEBOB	NICK	SATURDAY	2.5	3,805
11	WWE ENTERTAINMENT (WWE RAW)	USA	MONDAY	2.4	3,804
12	SPONGEBOB	NICK	SATURDAY	2.3	3,749
13	FAIRLY ODD PARENTS	NICK	MONDAY	2.4	3,703
14	FOP MOVIE FAIRLY ODD BABY	NICK	FRIDAY	2.4	3,685
15	FAIRLY ODD PARENTS	NICK	SATURDAY	2.4	3,538
16	SPONGEBOB	NICK	FRIDAY	2.2	3,529
17	SPONGEBOB	NICK	SUNDAY	2.3	3,526
18	SPONGEBOB	NICK	MONDAY	2.3	3,518
19	FAIRLY ODD PARENTS	NICK	SATURDAY	2.3	3,508
20	SPONGEBOB	NICK	SATURDAY	2.3	3,482

Nielsen Ratings Data: ©2008 Nielsen Media Research, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Cable Nets, Especially ESPN, May See More Dollars This Year

More TV dollars will go toward cable TV this year, and ESPN looks to be the hot item when it comes to top-tier cable networks.

That’s according to a survey from Beta Research, which showed that 43 percent of media buyers and their clients will increase their ad spend on ESPN this year, while 33 percent plan to increase their spend with ESPN2, writes Mediaweek.

Turner networks TNT and TBS will also benefit from the increase in cable spending, with 39 percent saying they plan to up their spend on those networks.

Of the other networks:

• 37 percent plan to increase spending with USA
• 38 percent plan to invest more with Discovery Channel
• 33 percent plan to spend more on HGTV, with the same amount saying they will buy more inventory from Comedy Central
• 31 percent will spend more with Food Network.

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