TNT Secures Position as Home to Cable's Top Original Dramas in Q3 2012

Related: TNT

TNT scored several remarkable competitive victories in Q3 2012, securing its position as home to cable's top original dramas. Leading the pack are returning hits like The Closer and Rizzoli & Isles and breakout newcomer Major Crimes, which together rank as cable's Top 3 series for the quarter.

TNT has been especially successful launching new dramas this year, with Major Crimes and Perception ranking as cable's #1 and #2 new original series among total viewers for the quarter and Dallas ranking as cable's #1 new drama with adults 18-49 and adults 25-54.

Overall, TNT's original series accounted for four of cable's Top 10 series with total viewers this quarter and three of the Top 10 with adults 25-54. In addition, The Closer, Rizzoli & Isles, Major Crimes and Perception accounted for 15 of basic cable's Top 25 telecasts for the quarter in total viewers.

Closing out the third quarter, last week's episode of TNT's hit original series Major Crimes once again topped the charts as basic cable's #1 drama for the week, drawing 4.3 million viewers. Compared to last week, the hit crime drama scored growth among key adult demos, including a slight uptick with adults 18-49 (954,000) and a +3% boost with adults 25-54 (1.3 million).

Live + 7

Time-shifted viewing data indicates millions of viewers are making a concerted effort to catch every episode of their favorite TNT dramas. Each TNT drama added at least 1.8 million viewers through time-shifted viewing during Q3, with Major Crimes, Perception and Dallas exceeding 2 million time-shifting viewers and The Closer, Rizzoli & Isles and Falling Skies surpassing 3 million.

The following are the final Live + 7 figures for episodes airing the week of Sept. 10:

· Major Crimes (Sept. 10): 6.9 million viewers; 1.7 million adults 18-49; 2.2 million adults 25-54

· Perception (Sept. 10): 5.6 million viewers; 1.7 million adults 18-49; 2.1 million adults 25-54

· Leverage (Sept. 16 - 9 p.m.): 3.8 million viewers: 1.4 million adults 18-49; 1.6 million adults 25-54

· Leverage (Sept. 16 - 10 p.m.): 3.7 million viewers: 1.4 million adults 18-49; 1.6 million adults 25-54

TBS

TBS, which ranks as basic cable's #1 network among adults 18-34 in primetime for the year-to-date, has charted extraordinary growth in the third quarter, with delivery of total viewers up 44% among total viewers compared to Q3 2011. TBS's demo deliveries were up 21% with adults 18-34 and +35% with adults 18-49.

Among TBS's successes this quarter, the network's new original sitcoms Men at Work and Sullivan & Son both ranked among basic cable's Top 10 new series with adults 18-34 and adults 18-49. In its first season, Sullivan & Son pulled in a total audience of 2.7 million viewers, while Men at Work averaged 2.5 million viewers.

The Big Bang Theory keeps delivering the goods for TBS. The show ranks as basic cable's #1 sitcom for the quarter among total viewers (2.5 million) and key adult demos.

TBS's CONAN continues to rank as late night's #1 hour-long talk show with adults 18-34 in Live + 7 delivery for year-to-date. In Q3 2012, the show has averaged 950,000 viewers in Live + 7, up 9% over Q3 2011. In the demos, CONAN has garnered 301,000 adults 18-34 and 613,000 adults 18-49.

CONAN is charting excellent monthly growth, with the show's September 2012 Live + 7 deliveries up 19% among total viewers (932,000) and up 6% among adults 18-49 (590,000) compared to the same month last year. In addition, CONAN's September figures have outperformed August 2012 by double digits, with total viewers up 11% and adults 18-49 up 10%.

For the final week of the quarter, CONAN drew 903,000 viewers in Live + Same Day (+13% over the same week last year), with 276,000 adults 18-34 and 557,000 adults 18-49.

truTV

truTV has just served up its biggest third quarter ever in primetime delivery of adults 18-34, adults 18-49 and men 18-34. truTV also scored well on the competitive front, ranking as one of cable's Top 10 entertainment networks with men 18-34 for the quarter. The network's Q3 success came on the heels of its best summer ever with adults 18-49 and men 18-34. Earlier this year, truTV charted its best quarter ever with men 18-34, which it achieved in Q1 2012.

truTV closed out the quarter on a strong note, delivering its best September ever among adults 18-34 in primetime and ranking as one of cable's Top 10 networks with men 18-34 and men 18-49 in primetime. The month also saw truTV score its youngest September median age ever (40), two years younger than the same month last year and lower than the median ages for such competitors as History Channel (51), A&E (49), Syfy (47), Discovery (45), TLC (44) and Spike (43).

Among truTV's successes this month are Lizard Lick Towing (3.1 million viewers Mondays at 10 p.m.), Hardcore Pawn (3 million viewers Tuesdays at 9 p.m.) and Impractical Jokers (1.8 million viewers Thursdays at 10 p.m.). All three series scored Top 5 ad-supported cable rankings in their respective timeslots with key adult and male demos for September. The shows have also drawn remarkably young audiences, with Impractical Jokers charting a median age of 32 and Lizard Lick Towing a median age of 36.

truTV's acquired hit Wipeout returned with big numbers this month, averaging 892,000 viewers for its weekend primetime airings and scoring a median age of only 31. The show has also sparked truTV to rank among cable's Top 10 networks in Friday primetime with key adult and male demos, including a Top 5 ranking with adults 18-34.

Adult Swim

Adult Swim continued its monthly delivery streak as basic cable's #1 network for Total Day Delivery of young adults 18-34 and 18-24 as well as men 18-24. Adult Swim also ranked #2 in Prime Time (Broadcast definition) delivery of adults 18-34 among basic cable networks, behind ESPN.

Among Adult Swim's original programming, premiere episodes of Robot Chicken (Sunday, 12 a.m.) ranked #1 in its timeslot among adults 18-34, adults 18-34, and men 18-24, earning delivery growth across all targeted demos ranging between 11% and 35%. Similarly, Black Dynamite (Sunday, 11:30 p.m.) ranked #1 in its time period among men 18-34 and men 18-24, earning delivery gains among adults 18-49 and key male demos.

The season 3 premiere of Superjail on September 30 at 12:15 a.m. was #1 in its time period with adults 18-34 and adults 18-24, earning delivery gains across all adult demos vs. vs. the same time period last year.

Adult Swim programming accounted for 14 of the top 50 telecasts of the month on basic cable among adults 18-34, more than any other network.

Cartoon Network

Across September 2012, Cartoon Network ranked as TV's #1 network for Early Prime (7-9 p.m.) delivery of boys 2-11, 6-11, & 9-14, and #1 in Total Day delivery of boys 6-11/9-14. Compared to the same time period in 2011, Early prime delivery of kids 9-14 grew by 8% and Total Day delivery of kids 9-14 grew by 10%.

Among its original animated programming, Tuesday night's presentation of Dreamworks Dragons: Riders of Berk (7:30 p.m.) ranked as the #1 program on Tuesdays among boys 2-11, while The Amazing World of Gumball ranked #1 in its time period with boys 6-11; both series earned double and triple digit delivery gains among kids and boys 2-11, 6-11 & 9-14 vs. last year's time period. Monday night's Annoying Orange (8:30 p.m.) scored as the #1 program on Mondays among boys 9-14; Regular Show (8 p.m.) ranked #1 in its time period on all TV among all boys.

Across the fifth week of September 2012, Cartoon Network charted Early Prime ratings growth with key kids demos - kids 2-11 ratings expanded by 6%, kids 6-11 by 10%, and kids 9-14 by 18%. Total Day ratings also grew by 22% with kids 9-14.

The Cartoon Network premiere of Lego Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Out on Wednesday, September 26 at 8p.m. ranked as the #1 telecast of the week among boys 9-14, and the #1 telecast of the day among kids 6-11 and boys 2-11/6-11. Lego Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Out also increased all kids and boys delivery by double and triple digits, vs. the same time period last year.

The season 5 premiere of Star Wars: The Clone Wars (Saturday 9:30 a.m.) ranked #1 in its timeslot among boys 9-14, earning double digit delivery gains among all key kids and boys, vs. the same time period last year.