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CABLE WORLD STAFF
With broadcast buoyed by the runaway success of ABC's Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and other sweeps programming, basic cable was held to a 5% primetime ratings advance during November.
Basic cable's primetime rating averaged a 25.0 from Nov. 1-28, up from a 23.9 during the prior-year period (Nov. 2-29, 1998), according to a Turner Entertainment Research analysis of Nielsen Media Research data. On the delivery side of the equation, basic cable saw its household delivery improve 6% to 25.2 million. For its part, premium cable scored a 6% gain to a 3.3 primetime average from a 3.1 and a 6% rise in households to 3.33 million.
Collectively, ABC, NBC and CBS posted a weighted total average of 28.7%, up 4% from a 27.5. Adding Fox into that equation, the four networks were ahead 1% to a 33. With UPN and The WB in the mix, the six-network weighted total grew 2% to a 35.9, while the inclusion of Pax also pushed the seven-network total ahead 2% to a 36.6.
Headed by its NFL coverage, ESPN was the top-rated cable network with a 2.5 average (flat), while TBS, led by a strong movie lineup, finished second with a 2.1, up 17% from last year. Indeed, the channel's premiere presentation of The Wizard of Oz Nov. 21 attracted 5.06 million households, the largest theatrical movie audience ever for basic cable, while its 6.4 rating made it the highest-rated theatrical in 1999.
Rounding out the top 10 networks in primetime were: USA (down 17% to a 2), Nickelodeon (off 5% to a 1.8), TNT (a 19% decrease to a 1.7), Cartoon (up 7% to a 1.6), Lifetime (also up 7% to a 1.5), A&E (ahead 8% to a 1.3), Discovery (minus 8% to a 1.1) and TLC and History (gains of 13% and 29%, respectively, to 0.9 averages).
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