Cable nets

Distribution For ESPN, ESPN2, FX Down Slightly Headed Into '12 College Football

Published August 8, 2012

ESPN is in 98.8 million U.S. TV homes as college football season gets set to begin, the net’s lowest level for August since ’09 (98.4 million homes). ESPN2 similarly is at its lowest level for the start of college football since ’09. ESPNU is in 73.3 million homes, up from 72.9 at the start of last season. Also seeing a year-over-year drop ahead of football season is FX (98.1 million vs. 99.2 million homes). The Weather Channel leads all cable nets in August in distribution, and is the only U.S. cable net in over 100 million homes. Listed below are figures for the top 10 most-distributed cable nets in August, compared to the same period in recent years. Also listed are figures for cable sports nets (THE DAILY).

AUGUST CABLE TV NETWORK DISTRIBUTION IN THE U.S. (MILLIONS OF HOMES)
NETWORK	'06	'07	'08	'09	'10	'11	'12
The Weather Channel	90,584	94,354	96,277	99,389	99,890	100,933	100,066
TBS	90,569	93,992	96,792	99,432	100,601	101,033	99,935
Nickelodeon/ Nick-At-Nite	90,558	94,312	96,154	98,957	99,995	100,428	99,636
Food Network	89,586	93,548	95,625	98,518	99,818	100,481	99,576
Discovery Channel	91,185	94,924	96,368	99,117	100,030	100,728	99,528
USA Network	90,861	94,397	96,078	98,740	99,404	100,293	99,321
Cartoon Network/ Adult Swim	89,705	93,666	95,439	97,653	98,732	99,622	99,250
CNN	90,944	94,607	95,977	98,771	99,578	100,148	99,145
A&E	90,502	94,182	95,745	98,346	99,252	100,024	99,013
TNT	90,871	94,448	95,923	98,608	99,563	100,086	98,940
ESPN	91,109	94,674	96,207	98,405	99,445	99,753	98,752
ESPN2	90,586	94,332	95,625	98,016	99,373	99,617	98,738
FX	88,846	92,428	93,175	95,633	96,343	99,171	98,101
Golf Channel	69,022	75,095	74,618	81,107	82,979	83,954	84,310
Speed	67,300	71,367	72,478	73,624	76,474	78,310	81,300
NBC Sports Network	69,775	72,337	72,859	75,540	74,108	76,087	77,191
ESPNews	50,601	59,920	64,776	68,775	73,665	74,237	74,657
ESPNU	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	72,917	73,335
MLB Network	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	54,959	56,412	70,150
NBA TV	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	55,074	59,821
NFL Network	n/a	43,731	39,746	42,440	56,504	56,800	59,590
Fox Soccer	n/a	n/a	n/a	34,445	36,961	39,173	41,314
Outdoor Channel	27,581	29,868	30,064	3,0437	35,609	34,059	38,077
Fuel TV	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	32,248	36,363
ESPN Classic	61,485	63,085	62,412	63,702	41,761	33,663	31,476
Sportsman Channel	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	30,255

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