A few thoughts! The broadcast bump is real. As 2024 ends, CBS led the pack in total viewers for the year thanks, of course, to Super Bowl LVIII. No surprise, live sports continues to work its magic, as NBC was bolstered by the tremendously successful Paris Olympics.
ABC, meanwhile, was virtually flat (OK, down 1%), which these days is a big win — and presumably helped by airing more NFL Monday Night Football games this fall. Among the Big 4, only Fox was down by double digits — explained by the fact that it ran the Super Bowl in 2023.
On the Spanish language side, we have quite a smackdown brewing. Perennial leader Univision is still on top, but Telemundo is coming after the crown. NBCU-owned Telemundo was up a whopping 12% this year — tying CBS for the biggest jump in broadcast.
Perhaps the most interesting trivia of the year comes from the growth of obscure digital networks that mostly exist on over-the-air HD subchannels but also have some satellite, cable and even AVOD carriage. You’ve likely never heard of these networks -- like Justice Central and American Crimes.
This presidential year, the big story was the expanding dominance of Fox News, which was up 30%. MSNBC also remained a top 10 network, at No. 7 but up a more modest 4%. Despite its difficulties, CNN could still find solace at rising 20%.
Perhaps the only thing tougher than being a major cable network these days is being the offshoot of a major cable network. Channels like MTV2 and American Heroes, created in the heyday of cable carriage deal mania, are often the first to be zombified. Most down double digits.
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