TV Nets Earn Modest Super Tuesday Ads, Viewing

by Wayne Friedman , March 2, 2016

For the first big presidential primary night, Super Tuesday, TV networks pulled in some $20 million in TV advertising from election programming -- with most cable networks getting improved viewership.

Broadcast networks pulled in $8.3 million in advertising, according to iSpot.tv, with three of the four major networks -- CBS, ABC and NBC -- scheduling special prime-time programming.

For the entire late afternoon, prime time and late-night time periods, three of the big cable networks -- Fox News, CNN, and MSNBC -- pulled in $12.9 million in advertising.

Eleven states' primary and caucus’ were up for grabs, with current party leaders -- Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, and Republican candidate Donald Trump -- each winning seven states.

Each of the broadcast networks had special 10 p.m. Super Tuesday shows: NBC pulled in a Nielsen 5.74 million average viewers, and a 1.9 rating among key TV news programming 25-54 viewers; CBS earned 5.04 million average Nielsen viewers and a 1.1 rating among 25-54 viewers; and ABC pulled 2.34 million overall viewers and a 0.8 rating among 25-54 viewers.

Fox News prime-time coverage soared 40% in total viewers to 4.9 million viewers from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. versus 2008’s Super Tuesday programming; CNN was up 12% to 4.1 million; while MSNBC was down 6% to 1.98 million.

Fox News and CNN also grabbed higher 25-54 viewers; Fox grew 25% to 1.4 million viewers; CNN, up 12% to 1.6 million; and MSNBC was down 39% to 625,000.

broadcast networks, politics, tv

4 comments about "TV Nets Earn Modest Super Tuesday Ads, Viewing".

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Ed Papazian from Media Dynamics Inc, March 2, 2016 at 4:14 p.m.
I always get a laugh when I see the term "key TV news programming 25-54 viewers". Key, indeed, when the median age of TV news viewers---that's average minute viewers---is around 58-60 years. Use of the 25-54 "demo" is merely another way for advertisers and ad sellers to avoid accepting the fact that the real "key" news audience is older folks, not those under 50 and especially, not millennials.
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James Smith from J. R. Smith Group, March 3, 2016 at 11:49 a.m.

Ed, you are once again on point. In many of the post-event candidate speeches, the backgrounds were populated with younger faces but their Millennial buddies didn't seem to populate the news ratings numbers. Admittedly, Boomers are a valued audience but the news nets can't afford to let the "gray drift" go much farther.

Leonard Zachary from T___n__, March 3, 2016 at 1:48 p.m.

without the younger viewers its a Buggy Whip......

Ed Papazian from Media Dynamics Inc, March 3, 2016 at 2:26 p.m.

Leonard, just for my edification---no pun intended----are you actually saying that anything that does not appeal to millennials is "buggywhip"?