ESPN Viewership Down In '11 Among Both Primetime And Total-Day Audience

ESPN led all cable sports nets and channels with heavy sports content in primetime viewership last year, averaging 2.3 million viewers. The net ranked third overall among all cable channels, coming in behind USA Network and Disney Channel. The 2.3 million average primetime viewers was down 2% from last year, as the net's marquee property, "MNF," saw a 10% drop in audience. ESPN2 also saw primetime audience drop last year (-15%), while ESPNews saw its average viewership climb 9%. Among sports nets, Golf Channel had the biggest primetime gains (+28%). Fox Soccer, MLB Network and NFL Network also posted double-digit percentage gains. TBS also saw a double-digit percentage drop last year in primetime (-10%), while still ranking seventh overall. Fuel TV ranked last among all cable nets in primetime audience.

ON A 24-HOUR BASIS: In terms of total-day audience, ESPN's 1.037 million average viewers were down 4% from '10. The net ranked 10th overall among all cable channels in 24-hour audience. Similar to primetime audience, Golf Channel also led all sports cable nets in total-day audience growth (+28%), while MLB Network showed 20% growth. FX, which began airing college football this past season, saw total-day viewership grow 17% in '11.

PRIMETIME CABLE NET VIEWERSHIP
NET	'11 (000)	'10 (000)	% +/-
ESPN	2,342	2,401	-2%
TNT	2,232	2,259	-1%
TBS	1,614	1,802	-10%
FX	1,532	1,273	20%
Spike TV	904	923	-2%
ESPN2	541	635	-15%
NBC Sports Network (Versus)	293	279	5%
NFL Network	284	258	10%
Speed	237	228	4%
Galavision	195	163	20%
Golf Channel	152	119	28%
MLB Network	109	95	15%
ESPNews	95	87	9%
NBA TV*	79	n/a	n/a
Fox Soccer	46	39	18%
Fuel TV	15	n/a	n/a
TOTAL-DAY CABLE NET VIEWERSHIP
NET	'11 (000)	'10 (000)	% +/-
TNT	1,223	1,339	-9%
ESPN	1,037	1,083	-4%
TBS	832	925	-10%
FX	819	699	17%
Spike TV	546	590	-7%
ESPN2	310	338	-8%
Speed	138	138	0%
NFL Network	128	114	12%
Galavision	126	109	16%
NBC Sports Network (Versus)	95	98	-3%
Golf Channel	91	71	28%
ESPNews	61	64	-5%
MLB Network	49	41	20%
NBA TV*	38	n/a	n/a
Fox Soccer	29	28	4%
Fuel TV	10	n/a	n/a

NOTES: * = No comparison for NBA TV as the net did not become rated until Oct. '10. 1.) Figures not available for nets that do not subscribe to regular Nielsen ratings, including ESPNU, NHL Network, Universal Sports, Tennis Channel, ESPN Classic, Fox College Sports, Big Ten Network, Longhorn Network and CBS Sports Network. 2.) The '11 period is measured as Dec. 27, 2010 through Dec. 25, 2011. The similar period for '10 is measured as Dec. 28, 2009 through Dec. 26, 2010.