{alltv} In 2010, cable TV's ratings put networks on notice

Cable networks have been challenging broadcasters' hold on TV viewers for years, but the big networks' lackluster fall is proof of a new parity.

Nielsen figures show the Big 4 and basic cable gained 1% in 2010 as overall viewing continues to rise to a record 34 hours a week. But the fall season has been less kind: Fox is down 15% and ABC is off 5%, offsetting smaller gains by CBS and NBC.

Few cable series outpace broadcast hits, but increasingly the strongest are beating many of their big-network rivals. TNT's Rizzoli & Isles averaged 8.8 million viewers for its 10-week summer run, and five others topped 6 million. Among viewers ages 18 to 49, AMC's zombie drama The Walking Dead and MTV's Jersey Shore were huge.

"These are eye-popping numbers you didn't see a few years ago," says Jon Marks, senior VP of research at Turner. And growth isn't just coming from the top channels. "On any night in any time slot, a network that has something special can really break through," he says. "Viewers don't differentiate whether it's broadcast, top-tier cable or middle tier."

Among the biggest gainers this year: No. 8 History, up 34% and riding high on unhistorical series such as Pawn Stars and American Pickers. Jersey Shore, MTV's biggest hit, propelled it 22%; Keeping Up With the Kardashians helped E! grow 16%. Sitcom Hot in Cleveland fueled a 15% gain for TV Land, and tiny Investigation Discovery grew a big 63%.

Conversely, CNN continued to plummet, down 34%. Hitless VH1 is off 31%, and Hallmark fell 24%. Even top-rated USA is down 4% from a stellar 2009, while Fox News fell 7%.

"Cable for many years just enjoyed this automatic growth, this rising tide; now it's a dogfight," says Todd Gordon, a top buyer at ad firm Initiative. The viewing shift to cable is being spread across a broader range of networks. And just like their bigger brethren, they're more than willing to yank underperformers such as FX's one-season Terriers and A&E's The Hasselhoffs, pulled after just one week. "It's incredibly more competitive."

TOP CABLE NETWORKS

Network	Avg. viewers (millions)	Pct. chg.
USA	3.15	-4%
Disney	2.57	+2%
ESPN	2.34	+2
TNT	2.25	0
Fox News	2.05	-7%
TBS	1.79	-3%
Nick at Night	1.72	-1%
History	1.64	+34%
A&E	1.46	-1%
ABC Family	1.42	+4%