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Leno's Move and DTV Will Boost Cable, Says TBS

After NBC's Jay Leno moves from late-night to prime time the big four broadcast networks will see their ratings among the 18-49 audience drop as much as 10.5% for the season, almost twice the attrition endured in that demographic over the last several years. That is the prediction of Turner Broadcasting exec Jack Wakshlag.

He says Leno's move will be partially responsible, since Leno will cause a chunk of the under-50 crowd to flee his prime-time show. Many of them will go to cable instead of other broadcast networks, he says.

Another factor is the conversion from analog to digital, which has prompted millions to subscribe to cable, where they now have 150 channels to surf through if they are not watching "Leno." But Turner's Wakshlag, who is obviously biased against broadcast TV, has a tough sell job on Madison Avenue. While cable networks have 60% of the prime-time share for this season, broadcast networks still get 71% of prime-time advertising dollars.

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