It’s the ongoing truth of linear television: Double-digit declines are the norm for most of TV’s largest networks, as viewers continue to migrate to other platforms. They’re watching more TV than ever, but it’s just spread out, and the streaming services still stubbornly refuse to share just how many people are now consuming their wares.
The broadcast networks still lead, and CBS was the most-watched network of 2017, despite being down 10 percent vs. 2016. (Fox managed to be flat, but that was thanks to the Super Bowl, always TV’s most-watched telecast of the year). In adults 18-49, NBC led, buoyed by NFL Sunday Night Football and hit drama “This Is Us.” But it, too, was down 19 percent in the demo.
On the positive tip, major networks seeing viewership growth in 2017 included ESPN, MSNBC, Hallmark Channel, Investigation Discovery, A&E, TLC, TV Land, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, VH1, Nick Jr., Me TV, Travel Channel, BET, WGN America, NFL Network, CMT, Oxygen, BBC America, DIY, Nat Geo Wild, Velocity, The Weather Channel, and Sundance TV. Others seeing gains in adults 18-49 included Tru TV and MTV.
Here are some of the notable winners and losers from 2017:
HIGHS
MSNBC: A year after posting record ratings thanks to the presidential election, Fox News’ primetime viewership was flat in 2017, and CNN actually dipped 16 percent. But the story was different at MSNBC, which continued its meteoric rise in an extremely newsy year. MSNBC jumped 50 percent in primetime among total viewers, making it the No. 9 network in all of television (and No. 5 in cable). It’s MSNBC’s biggest win ever over CNN.
Hallmark: A winner last year as well, Hallmark’s continued growth in the fact of industry-wide viewership erosion continues to impress. Everyone talks about Hallmark Channel’s dominance during the holidays with Christmas movies, but its feel-good fare impresses throughout the year: The network was up 9 percent among total viewers and 3 percent with adults 18-49. And then there’s rising sister network Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, which saw its viewership jump 26 percent in 2017 — the second-highest improvement, behind MSNBC, of any English language network.
A&E: A&E has finally escaped the shadow of its “Duck Dynasty” past, a megahit that skewed the network’s ratings for several years. When “Duck” collapsed in a sea of controversy, so did A&E’s ratings. But that’s all behind them, and after dabbling in scripted fare, a refocus on reality has helped A&E regain its mojo. Thanks to new hits like “Live PD,” A&E was another rare entertainment network success story in 2017 — a total viewer bump of 15% and a slight 1% uptick in adults 18-49.
The Weather Channel: This is the kind of success that unfortunately comes at a cost. After a turbulent year of hurricanes and terrible storms, The Weather Channel’s total viewership increased by 14 percent. The story of this year’s storms continues, of course, in Puerto Rico, which is still suffering from the effects of the storm. It’s believed than more than 1,000 people have now died as the island struggles to regain power and rebuild. Many Puerto Ricans are also moving to the mainland U.S., which may explain the 41% growth for WAPA America, the U.S. cable network arm of Puerto Rico’s oldest broadcast station.
True crime channels: Viewers love their murder, and industry leader Investigation Discovery proves that jumping another 10 percent among total viewers in 2017. But NBC Universal’s rebranded Oxygen, which is now in the true crime space, is also paying off: the channel was up 22 percent this year.
LOWS
WGN America: Put an asterisk here, as WGN America was actually one of the rare entertainment network growth stories of 2017: Its total viewership was up 10 percent, while adults 18-49 ratings bumped up 15 percent. But it was a bit for naught: Tribune Media, which is in the midst of potentially being sold to Sinclair, dumped its premium programming approach this year — and the executive and programming team that made this all happen have moved on. At least they pulled off their goal of making WGN America a more valuable property, and exited on a high note.
Disney: The kids business is a fickle one, as audiences graduate to older fare and teen stars grow up. That’s the case for Disney Channel, which has seen several of its signature shows depart, only to be replaced by lesser performers. Disney Channel was down 24 percent in 2017 (rival Nickelodeon was flat), while sister networks Disney XD (down 30 percent) and Disney Junior (down 11 percent) also experienced drops.
Spike TV: Viacom is probably getting out of the Spike business just in time, but in replacing it with the new Paramount Network in January, it will kick off with a smaller viewership base. In its final year, Spike dropped 20 percent in total viewers and 24 percent with adults 18-49.
Smaller networks: NBC Universal took the lead in shutting down small, minimal performing networks in 2017, as Cloo, Chiller and Esquire Network were all shut down. (Its Universal Kids, plummeting since being rebranded from Sprout, is now its lowest-rated English-language channel). But NBCU is far from the only company with tiny channels that are dropping viewers fast: Viacom’s MTV Classic was down 50 percent to a miniscule 16,000, while MTV2 was down 24 percent; Discovery’s Discovery Life (down 13 percent) and Discovery Family (down 20 percent) still haven’t found audiences; AETN’s FYI was down 21 percent; and Turner’s Cartoon Network spinoff Boomerang dropped 26 percent.
Here’s the ranker of almost every broadcast and cable network in 2017 (with the exception of certain digital networks, as well as cable networks that aren’t measured by Nielsen), according to total viewers. (Below this chart, we also rank the year’s top 50 most-watched networks in the adults 18-49.)
THE MOST-WATCHED NETWORKS OF 2017 (BY TOTAL VIEWERS)
|
TOTAL VIEWER RANK |
NETWORK |
2017 VIEWERS |
2016 VIEWERS |
% CHANGE |
|
1 |
CBS |
7,996,000 |
8,845,000 |
-10% |
|
2 |
NBC |
7,284,000 |
8,494,000 |
-14% |
|
3 |
ABC |
5,592,000 |
6,315,000 |
-11% |
|
4 |
Fox |
4,733,000 |
5,068,000 |
-7% |
|
5 |
Fox News Channel |
2,423,000 |
2,424,000 |
0% |
|
6 |
ESPN |
1,904,000 |
1,855,000 |
+3% |
|
7 |
Univision |
1,666,000 |
1,933,000 |
-14% |
|
8 |
USA Network |
1,662,000 |
1,771,000 |
-3% |
|
9 |
MSNBC |
1,615,000 |
1,079,000 |
+50% |
|
10 |
The CW |
1,590,000 |
1,768,000 |
-10% |
|
11 |
HGTV |
1,530,000 |
1,580,000 |
-3% |
|
12 |
TBS |
1,500,000 |
1,648,000 |
-9% |
|
13 |
Telemundo |
1,379,000 |
1,507,000 |
-8% |
|
14 |
Discovery |
1,352,000 |
1,423,000 |
-5% |
|
15 |
History |
1,326,000 |
1,364,000 |
-3% |
|
16 |
Nickelodeon |
1,314,000 |
1,313,000 |
+0% |
|
tie |
TNT |
1,314,000 |
1,574,000 |
-17% |
|
18 |
Ion |
1,270,000 |
1,281,000 |
-1% |
|
19 |
Hallmark Channel |
1,186,000 |
1,088,000 |
+9% |
|
20 |
Investigation Discovery |
1,097,000 |
996,000 |
+10% |
|
21 |
AMC |
1,088,000 |
1,300,000 |
-16% |
|
22 |
CNN |
1,067,000 |
1,273,000 |
-16% |
|
23 |
FX |
1,033,000 |
1,134,000 |
-9% |
|
24 |
Disney Channel |
1,023,000 |
1,343,000 |
-24% |
|
25 |
A&E |
989,000 |
858,000 |
+15% |
|
26 |
Food Network |
983,000 |
1,067,000 |
-8% |
|
27 |
TLC |
971,000 |
885,000 |
+10% |
|
28 |
Adult Swim |
963,000 |
1,213,000 |
-21% |
|
29 |
Bravo |
924,000 |
941,000 |
-2% |
|
30 |
Nick at Nite |
881,000 |
1,015,000 |
-13% |
|
31 |
Cartoon Network |
846,000 |
969,000 |
-13% |
|
32 |
Lifetime |
838,000 |
984,000 |
-15% |
|
33 |
Freeform |
760,000 |
853,000 |
-11% |
|
34 |
HBO (Premium) |
726,000 |
677,000 |
+7% |
|
35 |
TV Land |
709,000 |
615,000 |
+15% |
|
36 |
Unimas |
703,000 |
614,000 |
+14% |
|
37 |
Hallmark Movies & Mysteries |
694,000 |
550,000 |
+26% |
|
38 |
VH1 |
647,000 |
642,000 |
+1% |
|
39 |
Syfy |
641,000 |
707,000 |
-9% |
|
40 |
Nick Jr. |
639,000 |
617,000 |
+4% |
|
41 |
Me TV |
617,000 |
596,000 |
+4% |
|
42 |
MTV |
578,000 |
584,000 |
-1% |
|
43 |
Spike TV |
563,000 |
705,000 |
-20% |
|
44 |
Animal Planet |
559,000 |
596,000 |
-6% |
|
45 |
Disney Junior |
545,000 |
615,000 |
-11% |
|
46 |
OWN |
534,000 |
572,000 |
-7% |
|
47 |
INSP |
528,000 |
439,000 |
+20% |
|
48 |
Travel Channel |
491,000 |
479,000 |
+3% |
|
49 |
BET |
475,000 |
445,000 |
+7% |
|
50 |
WE TV |
468,000 |
502,000 |
-7% |
|
51 |
E! |
465,000 |
544,000 |
-15% |
|
52 |
Fox Sports 1 |
458,000 |
485,000 |
-6% |
|
53 |
LMN |
455,000 |
512,000 |
-11% |
|
54 |
National Geographic |
451,000 |
515,000 |
-12% |
|
55 |
Comedy Central |
416,000 |
514,000 |
-19% |
|
56 |
Tru TV |
386,000 |
408,000 |
-5% |
|
57 |
GSN |
376,000 |
441,000 |
-15% |
|
58 |
WGN America |
373,000 |
340,000 |
+10% |
|
59 |
FXX |
357,000 |
401,000 |
-11% |
|
60 |
Grit |
345,000 |
342,000 |
+1% |
|
61 |
ESPN 2 |
336,000 |
350,000 |
-4% |
|
62 |
NBC Sports Network |
329,000 |
399,000 |
-18% |
|
63 |
NFL Network |
326,000 |
308,000 |
+6% |
|
64 |
CNBC |
324,000 |
333,000 |
-3% |
|
65 |
CMT |
306,000 |
270,000 |
+13% |
|
66 |
HLN |
300,000 |
324,000 |
-7% |
|
tie |
Science |
300,000 |
318,000 |
-6% |
|
68 |
Bounce TV |
298,000 |
300,000 |
-1% |
|
69 |
Oxygen |
298,000 |
244,000 |
+22% |
|
70 |
BBC America |
279,000 |
231,000 |
+21% |
|
71 |
DIY |
271,000 |
256,000 |
+6% |
|
72 |
Nat Geo Wild |
268,000 |
266,000 |
+1% |
|
73 |
Velocity |
261,000 |
221,000 |
+18% |
|
74 |
The Weather Channel |
248,000 |
218,000 |
+14% |
|
75 |
Estrella |
241,000 |
216,000 |
+12% |
|
76 |
Sundance TV |
236,000 |
215,000 |
+10% |
|
tie |
Starz (Premium) |
236,000 |
253,000 |
-7% |
|
78 |
Nicktoons |
210,000 |
209,000 |
+0% |
|
79 |
Disney XD |
205,000 |
293,000 |
-30% |
|
80 |
Showtime (Premium) |
202,000 |
240,000 |
-16% |
|
81 |
IFC |
187,000 |
187,000 |
+0% |
|
tie |
Univision Deportes |
187,000 |
217,000 |
-14% |
|
83 |
Cozi TV |
183,000 |
172,000 |
+6% |
|
84 |
Reelzchannel |
181,000 |
173,000 |
+5% |
|
85 |
Destination America |
178,000 |
194,000 |
-8% |
|
86 |
Escape |
174,000 |
193,000 |
-10% |
|
tie |
Pop |
174,000 |
174,000 |
+0% |
|
88 |
Laff |
170,000 |
n/a |
n/a |
|
tie |
TV One |
170,000 |
205,000 |
-17% |
|
90 |
Galavision |
169,000 |
166,000 |
+2% |
|
91 |
American Heroes Channel |
168,000 |
179,000 |
-6% |
|
92 |
MLB Network |
160,000 |
148,000 |
+8% |
|
93 |
FYI |
152,000 |
192,000 |
-21% |
|
94 |
Starz Encore (Premium) |
149,000 |
178,000 |
-16% |
|
95 |
Teennick |
145,000 |
183,000 |
-21% |
|
96 |
Cooking Channel |
139,000 |
145,000 |
-4% |
|
97 |
Boomerang |
138,000 |
186,000 |
-26% |
|
98 |
FX Movie Channel |
131,000 |
133,000 |
-2% |
|
99 |
RFD-TV |
129,000 |
138,000 |
-7% |
|
100 |
Golf Channel |
128,000 |
131,000 |
-2% |
|
tie |
UP |
128,000 |
127,000 |
+1% |
|
102 |
Cinemax (Premium) |
121,000 |
113,000 |
+7% |
|
103 |
Discovery Family |
118,000 |
148,000 |
-20% |
|
104 |
MTV 2 |
118,000 |
156,000 |
-24% |
|
105 |
Universal Kids |
117,000 |
168,000 |
-30% |
|
106 |
NBA TV |
111,000 |
117,000 |
-5% |
|
107 |
Fox Business Network |
107,000 |
135,000 |
-21% |
|
108 |
Great American Country |
104,000 |
100,000 |
+4% |
|
tie |
Viceland |
104,000 |
179,000 |
-42% |
|
110 |
Azteca America |
98,000 |
107,000 |
-8% |
|
111 |
Smithsonian Channel |
97,000 |
104,000 |
-7% |
|
112 |
Discovery En Español |
89,000 |
109,000 |
-18% |
|
113 |
ESPN U |
87,000 |
96,000 |
-9% |
|
114 |
Ovation |
83,000 |
79,000 |
+5% |
|
115 |
Discovery Life |
77,000 |
89,000 |
-13% |
|
116 |
Logo |
65,000 |
74,000 |
-12% |
|
117 |
Universo |
58,000 |
77,000 |
-25% |
|
118 |
Baby First TV |
55,000 |
50,000 |
+10% |
|
119 |
BET Her |
55,000 |
60,000 |
-8% |
|
120 |
El Rey |
54,000 |
54,000 |
+0% |
|
121 |
Fox Deportes |
53,000 |
61,000 |
-13% |
|
122 |
Fuse |
49,000 |
59,000 |
-17% |
|
123 |
Tennis Channel |
46,000 |
n/a |
n/a |
|
124 |
ESPN Desportes |
41,000 |
40,000 |
+2% |
|
125 |
Fox Sports 2 |
37,000 |
33,000 |
+12% |
|
126 |
Cine Latino |
34,000 |
29,000 |
+17% |
|
127 |
Chiller |
33,000 |
64,000 |
-48% |
|
128 |
WAPA America |
31,000 |
22,000 |
+41% |
|
129 |
BEIN Sport Español |
30,000 |
30,000 |
+0% |
|
130 |
Discovery Familia |
29,000 |
41,000 |
-29% |
|
131 |
Nat Geo Mundo |
28,000 |
38,000 |
-26% |
|
132 |
Justice Central |
21,000 |
n/a |
n/a |
|
133 |
MTV Classic |
16,000 |
32,000 |
-50% |
|
134 |
BEIN Sport |
14,000 |
14,000 |
+0% |
|
135 |
Fox Life |
4,000 |
4,000 |
+0% |
|
136 |
Comedy.TV |
2,000 |
n/a |
n/a |
Ad-Supported Networks Source: Nielsen, NPM (12/26/2016-12/21/2017 vs. 12/28/2015-12/22/2016) Mon-Sat 8pm-11pm/Sun 7pm-11pm, Most Current. Ranked by 2017 Year-To-Date. Premium Networks Source: Nielsen, Cable Prime = M-S, 8-11P. Live+7 Total U.S. Ratings/000s as dated. Rank & % change based on 000s. CY17 to date = 12/26/16 – 12/03/17; CY16 equiv. = 12/28/15 – 12/04/16.
THE 50 MOST WATCHED NETWORKS OF 2017 (AMONG ADULTS 18-49)
|
18-49 RANK |
NETWORK |
2017 VIEWERS |
2016 VIEWERS |
% CHANGE |
|
1 |
NBC |
2,267,000 |
2,811,000 |
-19% |
|
2 |
Fox |
1,887,000 |
2,050,000 |
-8% |
|
3 |
CBS |
1,839,000 |
2,267,000 |
-19% |
|
4 |
ABC |
1,818,000 |
2,136,000 |
-15% |
|
5 |
ESPN |
801,000 |
792,000 |
+1% |
|
6 |
Univision |
742,000 |
903,000 |
-18% |
|
7 |
Telemundo |
696,000 |
755,000 |
-8% |
|
8 |
The CW |
695,000 |
813,000 |
-15% |
|
9 |
USA Network |
682,000 |
701,000 |
-3% |
|
10 |
TBS |
672,000 |
754,000 |
-11% |
|
11 |
TNT |
578,000 |
632,000 |
-9% |
|
12 |
Adult Swim |
554,000 |
656,000 |
-16% |
|
13 |
Discovery Channel |
518,000 |
581,000 |
-11% |
|
14 |
AMC |
507,000 |
635,000 |
-20% |
|
15 |
FX |
495,000 |
574,000 |
-14% |
|
16 |
Bravo |
470,000 |
490,000 |
-4% |
|
17 |
HGTV |
425,000 |
475,000 |
-11% |
|
18 |
History |
408,000 |
424,000 |
-4% |
|
19 |
VH1 |
406,000 |
399,000 |
+2% |
|
20 |
A&E |
401,000 |
398,000 |
+1% |
|
21 |
MTV |
392,000 |
383,000 |
+2% |
|
22 |
Food Network |
390,000 |
435,000 |
-10% |
|
23 |
Freeform |
381,000 |
430,000 |
-11% |
|
24 |
Ion |
363,000 |
399,000 |
-9% |
|
25 |
TLC |
356,000 |
338,000 |
+5% |
|
26 |
Investigation Discovery |
350,000 |
324,000 |
+8% |
|
27 |
HBO |
337,000 |
343,000 |
-2% |
|
28 |
Lifetime |
333,000 |
423,000 |
-21% |
|
29 |
Nickelodeon |
327,000 |
315,000 |
+4% |
|
30 |
Nick At Nite |
326,000 |
364,000 |
-10% |
|
31 |
Unimas |
324,000 |
314,000 |
+3% |
|
32 |
Fox News Channel |
319,000 |
345,000 |
-8% |
|
33 |
CNN |
295,000 |
365,000 |
-19% |
|
34 |
Cartoon Network |
282,000 |
302,000 |
-7% |
|
35 |
Comedy Central |
272,000 |
332,000 |
-18% |
|
36 |
Hallmark Channel |
269,000 |
260,000 |
+3% |
|
37 |
Spike TV |
263,000 |
345,000 |
-24% |
|
38 |
MSNBC |
262,000 |
202,000 |
+30% |
|
39 |
Syfy |
257,000 |
287,000 |
-10% |
|
40 |
Disney Channel |
252,000 |
328,000 |
-23% |
|
41 |
E! |
249,000 |
305,000 |
-18% |
|
42 |
BET |
231,000 |
211,000 |
+9% |
|
43 |
Tru TV |
225,000 |
222,000 |
+1% |
|
44 |
FXX |
202,000 |
226,000 |
-11% |
|
45 |
Travel Channel |
181,000 |
181,000 |
+0% |
|
46 |
Nick Jr. |
171,000 |
167,000 |
+2% |
|
47 |
OWN |
169,000 |
199,000 |
-15% |
|
48 |
Disney Junior |
168,000 |
191,000 |
-12% |
|
49 |
Fox Sports 1 |
166,000 |
197,000 |
-16% |
|
50 |
Animal Planet |
164,000 |
192,000 |
-15% |
Ad-Supported Networks Source: Nielsen, NPM (12/26/2016-12/21/2017 vs. 12/28/2015-12/22/2016) Mon-Sat 8pm-11pm/Sun 7pm-11pm, Most Current. Ranked by 2017 Year-To-Date. Premium Networks Source: Nielsen, Cable Prime = M-S, 8-11P. Live+7 Total U.S. Ratings/000s as dated. Rank & % change based on 000s. CY17 to date = 12/26/16 – 12/03/17; CY16 equiv. = 12/28/15 – 12/04/16.
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