Prime Time Ratings - Fox News' Ratings - Overhyped? Much Ado About Nothing?

[TomCADem]

I have read a lot of news about Fox News' high prime time (7 p.m. to 11 p.m.) ratings versus other cable news channels. Is this a real cause for alarm? Or, does it tend to say more about the people who would actually tune into Fox News, then it does about Fox's amazing content? I think it says more about the folks who watch Fox News, who are distinct and angry right wing minority.

The reason is that most reasonable people are not watching cable news during the prime time hour. I am political junkie, but I personally watch sports, rather than watch cable news. I apparently am not alone as Wednesday's ratings show:

If Fox News was the tremendous ratings monster that it is hyped to be, then Fox would drop it Fox network channel content, and replace it with Glen Beck and Hannity in the prime time slot. It hasn't. The fact of the matter is that it takes a special person to ignore friend, family, and normal television, and watch Fox News.

My take is that normal people do not watch cable news during prime time, and normal people watch CNN and MSNBC, which is why their ratings have dropped since the election. Normal people have gone on with their lives, while abnormal people (Fox users) are cocooned from reality in the alternate world that is Fox News during prime time.

However, as the ratings below show, even mighty Fox News is largely ignored by the general public. I love Rachel Maddow, but I am not going to watch her if my favorite team is playing.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/mediaweek/20091022/ad_bpimw/primetimemeteredmarketwednesdayratingscbswins8pmhourremainsoneofthesoftestoftheweek

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Ratings Breakdown:
CBS led the Wednesday overnight troops, beating second-place NBC by a healthy 60 percent. Third overall was Fox, followed by ABC and distant The CW.

CBS finished first overall in the 8 p.m. hour care of its combination of The New Adventures of Old Christine (#1: 4.4 rating/7 share) and compatible Gary Unmarried (#2: 4.3/ 7). The two sitcoms, in fact, beat ABC's competing Hank (#4: 3.6/ 6) and The Middle (#4: 3.7/ 6), which were both series lows, by an average of 19 percent in the overnights. But the Wednesday 8 p.m. hour remains one of the least competitive in all of prime-time.

Also airing from 8-9 p.m. was NBC's consistent, albeit non-spectacular Mercy (#2: 4.3/ 7), Fox's So You Think You Can Dance (#3: 4.2/ 7), which will win the time period among adults 18-49, and fading America's Next Top Model on The CW (2.4/ 4), which year-to-year was down by a significant 29 percent (3.4/ 6 on Oct. 22, 2008 to 2.4/ 4).

The Wednesday 8-9 p.m. overnights in a nutshell:

ABC
Hank – 8 p.m.: 3.6/ 6 (#4)
The Middle – 8:30 p.m.: 3.7/ 6 (#4)

CBS
The New Adventures of Old Christine – 8 p.m.: 4.4/ 7 (#1)
Gary Unmarried – 8:30 p.m.: 4.3/ 7 (#2)

NBC
Mercy: 4.3/ 7 (#2)

Fox
So You Think You Can Dance: 4.2/ 7 (#3)

CW
America's Next Top Model: 2.4/ 4 (#5)

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[Arkana]

1. Morons will always watch Fox "News" to confirm their twisted, wrong worldview.

And there are a lot of morons in this country.

[TomCADem]

2. And the overall ratings show that they are in a small minority

[valerief]

3. I wonder how many of these "viewers" are businesses that keep their sets on Fox. nt

[monmouth]

4. I must really be out of touch. I don't watch one of those shows...LOL....n/t

[TomCADem]

7. More Evidence - Fox News Is Pretty Low Among Even Cable Shows For 18-49

I think Fox does really well among the elderly crowd, but even compared to other cable networks, Fox does poorly compared to other channels, including my favorite, ESPN:

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Adults 18-49 Primetime Average (Live+SD)

Network (000s)
TBSC 2,458
ESPN 2,129
USA 1,138
FX 770
SYFY 741
DSNY 652
A&E 632
DISC 603
TNT 544
CMDY 542
FOOD 531
LIFE 523
TRU 511
BRAV 507
FAM 499
SPK 495
MTV 490
EN 478
TLC 475
HIST 458
NAN 447
BET 436
VH1 423
HGTV 402
FOXN 351

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[virgogal]

5. Define "normal person". I've been trying to figure that one out for

over 70 years.

[Writer]

6. As someone who used to work with ratings, I'll tell you this:

It's absolutely ludicrous to hold up the ratings of any cable network and hype them. The Cosby Show, in the 1980's, used to get 50 shares every week. That means that 50 PERCENT of the TV's viewing at the time were watching that one program. Seinfeld used to pull in 30 shares every week.

Single-digit shares are absolutely useless. In fact, for many syndicated and cable programs, they don't sell airtime with ratings, but with VPVH - viewers per viewing household. It's an average taken of viewers for every 1,000 households. They're tiny numbers, but it helps articulate an audience so that you can sell airtime.

[TomCADem]

8. Totally Agree - Yet, Fox News' Ratings Are Getting Amazing Hype

Heck, even the NY times put the story on today's front page. Yet, as you note, cable ratings are nothing compared to network ratings, and Fox News' ratings are even pathetic compared to other cable programs:

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Adults 18-49 Primetime Average (Live+SD)

Network (000s)
TBSC 2,458
ESPN 2,129
USA 1,138
FX 770
SYFY 741
DSNY 652
A&E 632
DISC 603
TNT 544
CMDY 542
FOOD 531
LIFE 523
TRU 511
BRAV 507
FAM 499
SPK 495
MTV 490
EN 478
TLC 475
HIST 458
NAN 447
BET 436
VH1 423
HGTV 402
FOXN 351

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[Writer]

9. That's absolutely correct. What you're showing are cable impressions, which are essentially ratings

in thousands. Their ratings are good, however, in comparison to other cable news networks, but if one were to actually compare MSNBC's 0.8 HHR to Fox's 1.5 or so - that's nothing to talk about. We are dealing with a very MARGINAL audience here.

[TomCADem]

10. So, CNN, Fox, and MSNBC Are Fighting Over Tear Drop In An Ocean?

Also, I would think that Fox and MSNBC's prime time audience are not exactly intercheable. For example, if I decide not to watch CNN or MSNBC, that does not mean that I am watching Fox News. More likely, I am watching a sitcom or sports broadcast.

[Writer]

11. Right. There's this other statistic called HUT's, which stands for households using TV.

So a rating that is 1.0 means that that particular program is attracting 1% of the total television households in the US. A 1% share, on the other hand, means that the program is earning 1% of the total television households viewing at the time. If MSNBC during a particular hour has a 1 share, Fox a 3, and CNN a 2 share, then that's still only 6% of the HUT at the time of the program. So that means that 94% of the viewers during that same hour are watching something else entirely.

[dschis]

12. I look sometimes

But I like to look at the comics too. Same thing

[zbdent]

13. hmm ... conservative Grammer is #4 in the ratings of

non-cable news stuff?

fitting ...