Cable Catches up to Broadcast in LA
- by August 13, 2002
July's survey finds Adlink's 44 cable networks registered 43 share points, the same as broadcast. Nielsen also gave cable a gain year-to-year of six share points in early fringe, three in prime time and four in total day. Local broadcast declined, Adlink said.
"This greatly supports our belief that local cable advertising has been underutilized by the advertising industry," said Bob McCauley, president of Adlink. "With these networks, we empower our clients to send specific messages to a targeted audience. Now we know that those messages are reaching audiences equivalent to broadcast."
Adlink is a one-stop shop for spot TV ads in the Los Angeles region. It can reach 3.5 million households on 44 cable networks. Clients include General Motors, McDonald's, the Coors Brewing Co. and The Walt Disney Co.
Adlink credits two reality-based programs for cable's high summer ratings. "The Osbournes," an MTV show that follows the life of musician Ozzy Osbourne and his family, scored as high as 5.4 in Los Angeles. "The Anna Nicole Show," an E! Entertainment Television program that features the life of model Anna Nicole Smith, scored 8.7 in Los Angeles when it debuted a few weeks ago.
Other cable shows to do well in Los Angeles included a TNT original movie "King of Texas," the MTV Movie Awards and FX's "The Shield."
Jane Collins, VP/Research at Adlink, said summer is the strongest ratings period for Adlink's cable networks. "Broadcast continues to air reruns while cable networks offer original programming that garners more and more viewer share," she said. "There has been major year-to-year growth in July for the past three years and this year has followed that pattern to an exceptional high point."
