ESPN Leads All Cable Nets In January Primetime Viewers, But Down 5% From '11

ESPN averaged 3.7 million viewers in primetime in January, giving the net a win among all cable nets for the month. But the number was down 5% from the net’s average during the same period last year. ESPN’s next closest primetime competition for the month was USA Network, which averaged 2.7 million viewers. While ESPN’s win was fueled by coverage of the BCS games, the five-game BCS average viewership dropped 16% from ’11. ESPN's coverage of three BCS games and one “Monday Night Football” contest accounted for four of the top five most-viewed telecasts on all of cable TV for the month. TNT, despite seeing its NBA game viewership increase 50% compared to January '11, saw overall primetime viewership drop 6%. Among sports nets, NBA TV saw the biggest jump in primetime viewers (+55%), followed by NFL Network (+35%). Fox Soccer (-21%) and ESPN2 (-12%) saw the biggest drops among sports nets in primetime. With baseball in the middle of its offseason, MLB Network averaged 31,000 viewers in primetime, up 19% but last among all Nielsen-rated cable nets for the month. ESPN ranked third among all cable nets in total-day viewers, but was down 7% year-over-year. NBC Sports Network, formerly Versus, saw total-day audience down 22%.

PRIMETIME VIEWERSHIP FOR JANUARY
NETWORK	'12 (000)	'11 (000)	% +/-
ESPN	3,727	3,940	-5%
TNT	2,026	2,160	-6%
ESPN2	519	588	-12%
Speed	256	240	7%
NBA TV	205	132	55%
NFL Network	205	152	35%
NBC Sports Network	191	211	-9%
Golf Channel	169	175	-3%
ESPNews	111	95	17%
Fuel TV	36	n/a	n/a
Fox Soccer	34	43	-21%
MLB Network	31	26	19%
TOTAL-DAY VIEWERSHIP FOR JANUARY
NETWORK	'12 (000)	'11 (000)	% +/-
ESPN	1,420	1,535	-7%
ESPN2	347	381	-9%
Speed	142	142	0%
NFL Network	132	116	14%
NBA TV	91	52	75%
Golf Channel	87	84	4%
ESPNews	74	63	17%
NBC Sports Network	65	83	-22%
Fox Soccer	30	31	-3%
MLB Network	21	16	31%
Fuel TV	17	n/a	n/a

NOTES: Figures not available for cable nets that do not subscribe to regular Nielsen ratings, including ESPNU, ESPN Classic, NHL Network, Universal Sports, Tennis Channel, Fox College Sports, Big Ten Network, Longhorn Network and CBS Sports Network.