• by Wayne Friedman , June 4, 2016

With help from the NBA playoffs, TNT and ESPN took the top cable network prime-time position in terms of viewers for the month of May.

TNT averaged 2.8 million prime-time viewers with ESPN was next at 2.1 million, according to Nielsen live-plus-same day program ratings.

Fox News Channel was just behind at 2 million, thanks to the presidential election campaigns -- good for third place.

USA Network was a distant fourth at 1.5 million, followed by TBS at 1.3 million, History at 1.21 million, Discovery Channel at 1.2 million, NBC Sports Network (thanks to the NHL playoffs), 1.04 million. Adult Swim completed the top 19 at 955,000 average prime-time viewers.

When looking at total day ratings, Fox News Channel claimed the top spot -- 1.16 million, just edging out Nickelodeon’s 1.13 million. TNT was at 1.09 million; Adult Swim, 1.02 million; USA Network, 829,000; HGTV, 669,000; Cartoon Network; 586,000; Nick-at-Nite, 625,000; ESPN, 590,000; and Investigation Discovery, 547,000.

Generally, a growing number of cable networks have seen audience erosion over the last several months versus similar time periods a year ago.