Wrestling Rises to Top of Cable Primetime

The soon-to-be Spike TV's Monday night of wrestling topped the weekly primetime cable programs for the week ended Sunday, according to Nielsen Media Research.

The 10 p.m. Monday edition of WWE Raw Zone on TNN drew a 3.6 household rating, ahead of the 3.2 household rating that WWE Raw delivered an hour earlier. They were the only TNN programs in the top 15 ranked by household audience.

Nickelodeon had five of the top 15 programs, the most by any cable network in the week's survey. TNT followed with four of the top 15 programs, including two showings of the Matthew McConaughey-Jennifer Lopez flick The Wedding Planner and back-to-back episodes of Law & Order. MTV had two shows in the top 15, and USA Network and Lifetime each had one with two of its original dramas.

In pay cable, HBO's Sunday night showing of Sex and the City was the top-rated program. It delivered a 4.3 rating and 6.59 million viewers. Three Saturday night boxing matches and a rerun of The Sopranos, also on Sunday, were the other top-rated pay cable programs, all on HBO.

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The top 15 primetime cable programs for the week of July 7-13, according to Nieslen Media Research:

  1. WWE Raw Zone (TNN), 3.6, 5.4 million.

  2. WWE Raw (TNN), 3.2, 4.9 million.

  3. Fairly Odd Parents Movie (Nick), 2.8, 4.4 million.

  4. Real World XIII (MTV), 2.7, 3.6 million.

  5. The Wedding Planner (TNT), 2.5, 3.3 million. This refers to the 8 p.m. Friday airing.

  6. The Wedding Planner (TNT), 2.5, 3.4 million. This refers to the 10:30 p.m. Saturday airing.

  7. Monk (USA), 2.5, 3.6 million.

  8. Spongebob (Nick), 2.5, 3.6 million. This refers to the 9:30 a.m. Saturday airing.

  9. Law & Order (TNT), 2.4, 3 million. This refers to the 9 p.m. Monday airing.

  10. Law & Order (TNT), 2.4, 3.1 million. This refers to the 8 p.m. Monday airing.

  11. Spongebob (Nick), 2.3, 3.9 million. This refers to the 4:30 p.m. Monday airing.

  12. Spongebob (Nick), 2.3, 3.6 million. This refers to the 4 p.m. Monday airing.

  13. Osbournes (MTV), 2.3, 3.1 million.

  14. Fairly Odd Parents (Nick), 2.3, 3.2 million.

  15. The Division (Lifetime), 2.3, 3 million.
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