More than halfway into the May sweeps, ad-supported cable continues to chalk up major primetime audience gains. According to a Cabletelevision Advertising Bureau analysis of Nielsen data for Week #33
(May 6–12) of the 2001/2002 TV season, ad-supported cable’s average primetime U.S. household delivery increased by 4.4 million homes (+18.2 percent compared to the same period last year); rating rose
3.5 points (+14.7 percent); and share climbed 5.3 points (+12.9 percent). The seven broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, WB, UPN, PAX), on the other hand, had collective primetime viewership
declines of more than a half million homes (–1.6 percent versus the year before); 1.4 rating points (–4.7 percent); and 3.2 share points (–6.1 percent). The overall gain for Week #33 in Homes Using
Television (HUT) during primetime was once again driven almost solely by viewers tuning into cable.
