• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, September 13, 2007

For years, NBC was the master of the Thursday domain. Then, CBS loaded up with "Survivor" and "CSI" and pulled ahead in the venerated 18-to-49 demo. Last season, ABC moved smash "Grey's Anatomy" to the night--the latest sign of how much networks covet success there with all those dollars from movie advertisers, automakers and retailers looking for a weekend lift.

But it isn't just the broadcasters making a play for those revenues anymore--cable is honing in on the lucrative night.

This fall, USA is running arguably the most high-profile programming in its history--first-run episodes of "Law & Order: Criminal Intent"--starting in October. Bravo has chosen Thursdays to launch a third night of originals. Discovery's TLC has three all-new hours of its "Turbo" block on tap. And tonight, FX debuts the new season of Danny DeVito-starring comedy "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia."

Not coincidentally, USA, Bravo and FX are all running their series in the 10 p.m. hour, free of blockbusters "Grey's" and "CSI," as well as "The Office." USA figures that with an aging "ER," a new series coming to ABC ("Big Shots") and perhaps "Without a Trace" losing some momentum as it returns from Sunday, there's room for another top-tier drama in the time period. And as a cable network, its ratings expectations are lower.

"It's a jam-packed night" said Jason Maltby, president and co-executive director for national broadcast at MindShare. "But it's not surprising people are trying to be competitive on Thursdays because the dollars are there."

Bravo is hoping to use reality series "Tim Gunn's Guide to Style" as counter-programming to appeal to female 18- to-49-year-olds--the show launched last week. And FX believes the popularity of "Sunny" among college kids and 18- to-34-year-olds offers a younger skew to outfox the drama trio on the networks.

"Thursday night is a battlefield, but we want the young piece--that really elusive 18-to-34 target that's extremely valuable," said Michael Brochstein, senior vice president of sales at FX.

"Sunny" has run on Thursdays before, but during the summer against mainly repeats.

Traditionally, cable networks have used the warm months for meal money, choosing the time when broadcasters are repeat-heavy to showcase their originals (although broadcasters have increasingly taken flyers with reality and other genres). But increasingly, cable networks are trying to upgrade their originals year-round, realizing that off-net series and decade-old films aren't enough when consumers are freighted with choice, and many are succeeding.

"The overall quality and distinction of original series on cable makes the line between broadcast and cable absolutely invisible at this point as far as most middle- to large-tier cable networks are concerned," said Bravo programming head Frances Berwick.

At NBC Universal, the entertainment cable networks account for a third of the profits, according to chief Jeff Zucker, and the company is hoping that "Criminal Intent" on USA--the number-one cable network in the 18-to-49 demo last season--will continue to fuel growth. The company opted to shift first-run episodes over from NBC for its seventh season. And with both "ER" and "Criminal Intent" in the Thursday at 10 slot, NBCU has a chance to grab the highest share of dollars.

USA chief Bonnie Hammer told investors this summer that "we decided to plant the flag on Thursday nights, the most monetizable night of the week." Part of USA's optimism is based on some success it had this summer with a mini-series there--but again, that was during the off-season.

Last season, broadcast networks generated $1.9 billion in ad revenue on Thursdays--about as much as the total haul for all nights reported for NBC and Fox during the past upfront. Spending is greater on Thursdays than every night except Sundays, but networks program an extra hour and have football overruns then.

In a possible sign of how cable has traditionally shied away from running its most popular programming on the night, last season Thursday was the lowest revenue-generating night by significant margins at $430 million, according to TNS Media Intelligence.

At Discovery Communications, the TLC network returns its male-skewing "Turbo" block with three hours of original reality series on Thursdays in October with "American Chopper" at 9 p.m., sandwiched between new series "Tattoo Wars" (competition between top tattoo artists) at 8 p.m. and "Street Customs" (a show about souping up cars) at 10 p.m.

Bravo has already demonstrated advertiser interest in "Gunn's Guide to Style," the female makeover show that stars the co-host of the network's popular "Project Runway." The eight-episode series premiered Sept. 6 with Macy's, Maybelline and Garnier as multi-platform sponsors. Macy's is expected to use the series to drum up interest for weekend shopping.

Bravo dipped its toe in the Thursday pool this summer with a Paula Abdul reality series. While Berwick said there's some concern about staying on the night against broadcast competition, she feels the upscale, female-skewing, fashion-forward nature of its audience gives it a niche on Thursdays.

And like USA and FX, cable networks can no longer go into semi-hibernation during the September to May period and expect big profits. While TNT has kept hit drama "The Closer" during the summer, Lifetime, for example, will offer a second season of summer success "Army Wives" next spring.

"We are in a year-round business," Berwick said. "We can't go dark during the heavy broadcast period."

Still, TNT and Turner networks TBS and soon-to-be TruTV have no plans for originals on Thursdays this fall. Comedy Central, which debuted "The Sarah Silverman Program" on Thursdays in February, returns the series this fall on Wednesdays--trying to give it a lift via a lead-in from "South Park."

USA's "Criminal Intent," "Gunn's Guide" and "Sunny" have all been the subject of heavy pre-launch promotion. Billboards are widespread in New York on subway platforms and buses, while "Sunny" is even running a banner on rival ComedyCentral.com.

The promotional efforts for the third season of "Sunny" also included a college bus tour sponsored by Dell. Nick Grad, head of original programming at FX, said college students provide a "core audience"--and the network is opting to run in the fall, hoping in part that they will watch in groups.

Also, with the NBC Thursday comedy block over, he said "Sunny" could offer an alternative against the dramas and reality entries at 10 p.m. "The networks are not launching a lot of comedies, and it's an asset this time of year," he said.

Showing that movie advertisers are eager to reach younger audiences on Thursday, the season premiere of "Sunny" has Lionsgate as the sole sponsor plugging the coming "Good Luck Chuck" with limited commercial interruption. "Sunny" will air 15 half-hour episodes this fall, with back-to-back airings for the first four weeks, then originals at 10 p.m. and a repeat at 10:30.

While NBC dominated Thursday with Must See TV for two decades until CBS took over, the network wasn't invincible. In October 1990, Fox ran "The Simpsons" against "The Cosby Show"--and the first time new episodes of the two squared off, the NBC show won by a tenth of a point in the household ratings.

"The Simpsons" eventually toppled it.