• by Wayne Friedman , December 31, 2008

The TV economy may be changing, but cable TV says it still has a consistently upbeat story over the broadcast networks.

In 2008, the Big Four broadcast networks--ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox--saw their prime-time share drop 6% to a collective 32.7 household number from a 34.9 in 2007, although NBC got a nice bump from the Summer Olympics in Beijing.

Ad-supported cable continued to head in the other direction--up 3% in 2008 to a collective 59.2 household share versus a 57.2 number the previous year. This analysis comes from Turner Broadcasting.

Among cable networks in 2008, USA Network took the No. 1 spot--improving over 2007 by 7% in both total viewers and in 18-49 viewers to 2.86 million average viewers and 1.3 million 18-49 viewers, respectively.

Among 18-49 viewers, TBS was second, growing 10% to 1.13 million. ESPN was in third place, up 8% to 1.04 million; TNT was next at 4% to 1.02 million; and FX landed in fifth place, although down 3%, to an average 715,000 million. Places six through 10 went to: A&E, up 8% to 687,000; Comedy Central, 7% higher to 666,000; Discovery, down 5% to 654,000; Spike, dropping 2% to 636,000; and Sci-Fi Channel, improving 4% to 615,000.

Other noted pluses include Nick At Nite, growing 39% to 602,000; Bravo, up 38% to 458,000; and CNN (thanks to a big election year), up 100% to 401,000 18-49 viewers. A big election year also helped Fox News, which soared 43% to 387,000 18-49 viewers. MSNBC rocketed up 80% to 317,000 18-49 viewers.

Some of the big losers: MTV was down 6% to 577,000 18-49 viewers (as well as down 6% in its more core demographic of 18-34 viewers, to 455,000 viewers). VH1 was off 5% to 484,000 18-49 viewers, and down 10% among 18-34 viewers to 317,000. BET--another Viacom network--also lost ground, at 7% among 18-49 viewers to 331,000 and 8% off in younger 18-34 viewers.