After weeks of cable TV news networks and streaming TV platforms witnessing big gains due to more at-home viewing, some linear lifestyle/entertainment networks are posting significant hikes.
For the first half of the month of April, Food Network is up 22% year-over-year to average 223,000 total day 18-49 viewers, looking at Nielsen’s average minute commercial rating plus three days of time-shifted viewing (C3), according to analysis from MoffettNathanson Research.
TBS is 20% higher to 240,000 viewers, while Lifetime is 39% higher to 121,000; TLC has gained 24% to 140,000 and Comedy Central has added 17% to a total of 175,000 viewers.
Those networks generally witnessed mostly declines in March -- with a 3% increase for TLC, an 8% decline for Lifetime, a 1% gain for Comedy Central, a 22% drop for TBS and a 3% pullback for Food Network.
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Cable TV news networks continue to generally lead all networks, with CNN and Fox News Channel posting particularly significant gains.
In the first half of April, CNN zoomed up 200% year-over-year in Nielsen C3 to 285,000 18-49 viewers -- leading all networks and inching past perennial leader Fox News Channel, which saw a 110% improvement to 279,000.
This followed both networks' big gains in March -- up 97% for CNN and 65% for Fox News. MSNBC also grew 41% in the first half of April (131,000 18-49 viewers) which followed 29% hike in March (138,000).
In the cable TV news category, business network CNBC grew 36% in March and 54% in the first half of April to 49,000 and 57,000 18-49 viewers, respectively.
Broadcast networks posted generally softer results: Fox was up 27% in the first half of April (854,000 18-49 viewers), and 3% higher for all of March (843,000). ABC added 10% (708,000) and 1% (683,000) for the first half of April and March, respectively.
NBC was up 4% for the first two weeks of April (601,000) and down 2% for March (608,000).
CBS was the major loser, largely due to the lack of sports -- March Madness and The Masters, during the March to April period. It was down 30% for the April period (573,000) and 34% lower for March (513,000).