As a longtime television enthusiast and connoisseur of all things entertainment, I must say that this data is truly intriguing! The ever-evolving landscape of television networks is as dynamic as the shows they broadcast.
The “echo effect” of broadcasts is evident. As the year 2024 comes to a close, CBS has taken the lead in terms of total viewers for the entire year, largely due to Super Bowl LVIII. It’s no shock that live sports continue to be a powerful draw for traditional networks, as NBC too saw an increase compared to the previous year and even claimed the title of top network among adults aged 18-49 in 2024 – a feat boosted by the highly successful Paris Olympics. ABC, on the other hand, experienced minimal change (a slight decrease of 1%) from the preceding year, which is quite a success these days – and likely due to airing more NFL Monday Night Football games during the fall.
Out of the top four companies, only Fox experienced a drop by more than ten percent, which can be attributed to its hosting of the Super Bowl in 2023; naturally, this would lead to a decrease. In the cable sector, if you weren’t a news network during a significant presidential election year, then 2021 was another year marked by substantial drops.
The following day, EbMaster will reveal the list of this year’s top-viewed prime-time broadcasts. Meanwhile, let’s take a look back at the networks that experienced gains and (primarily) losses in 2024.
WINNERS
CBS, NBC, ABC: Despite the NFL and other sports being credited for keeping broadcasting afloat, there’s more to the tale. This autumn has been strong for linear networks in entertainment programs too, with successful new shows like CBS’ “Matlock”, ABC’s “High Potential” and NBC’s “Happy’s Place”. Broadcast television remains significant in 2024, while cable… we’ll discuss that shortly.
ON THE SPANISH CHANNEL FRONT: A significant competition is heating up. Traditional leader Univision maintains its lead, but NBCU-owned Telemundo is making a strong challenge for the throne. This year, Telemundo experienced an impressive 12% increase – matching CBS for the largest growth in broadcasting. (And if you exclude special events, Telemundo has claimed the primetime victory during prime time hours for the very first time.)
TIDBIT OF THE YEAR FROM JUSTICE CENTRAL: AMERICAN CRIMES AND OTHER DIGITAL NETWORKS: One of the most intriguing facts this year involves the expansion of lesser-known digital networks, which primarily operate on over-the-air HD subchannels but can also be found on satellite, cable, and even AVOD platforms. It’s possible you haven’t encountered these networks before, given their modest initial presence. However, due to their small starting point, the percentage increase they’ve experienced can be quite significant.
At your upcoming social gatherings, try posing this intriguing question: “What do you think were the two most rapidly expanding television networks in 2024?” Your friends might struggle to guess. The answer is Justice Central, which experienced a growth of 508%, and American Crimes, with an increase of 460%.
It’s interesting to note that two television networks, Justice Central and American Crimes, have recently expanded their programming. Justice Central is a network owned by Byron Allen’s company, primarily airing court reality shows produced by him. This year, they’ve also started broadcasting classic series like “Matlock” and “Perry Mason.” On the other hand, American Crimes, previously known as NBC LX, is now under NBC’s ownership and focuses on true crime shows from their library such as “Dateline” and “Lockup.” This change has been done quietly without much press release, but it seems to be popular among viewers. It remains uncertain where this channel might end up in the upcoming SpinCo spinoff.
Among other digital networks experiencing significant growth are Charge! (an increase of 33%), Dabl (a rise of 38%), Telexitos (up 39%), and TBD TV (a surge of 80%). The reasons behind their success differ: Dabl, owned by Paramount but managed by Weigel broadcasting, transformed its format to comedy in 2024, focusing primarily on shows from UPN’s early days such as “Girlfriends,” “Moesha,” and “Everybody Hates Chris.” Telexitos, owned by NBCU (a network they may want to keep an eye on), broadcasts repeats of old Spanish TV shows. Charge!, owned by Sinclair, features crime dramas like “CSI: Miami.” And TBD, also owned by Sinclair, moved away from viral videos in 2024, instead opting for a mix of comedy repeats like “SNL” and “Key and Peele,” resulting in the ratings boost.
In the year of the presidential election: During this electoral year, Fox News saw a significant surge, increasing viewership by 30%, making it the fifth most-watched network in 2024, trailing behind its entertainment sibling Fox. MSNBC continued to be among the top 10 networks, holding the seventh spot with a more modest 4% increase. Despite facing challenges, CNN experienced a 20% rise and ranked at No. 15. Newsmax also saw an uptick of 31%, but it remained at No. 38. Strangely, Newsnation failed to capitalize on the election buzz, actually experiencing a 1% decrease in viewership during 2024.
BIG TEN NETWORK: In contrast to other league-affiliated networks that experienced drops in viewership in 2024, such as the NFL Network (decrease of 26%) and NBA TV (minor decline of 2%), the Big Ten Network experienced a surge, effectively transforming into the Bigger Ten. The incorporation of former Pac-12 teams like USC and UCLA likely played a significant role in this growth, as the Big Ten saw an increase of 25%.
LOSERS
SPIN-OFF CHANNELS: It’s harder than being a major cable network these days to be a spin-off of one. These channels, born during the height of cable carriage deal frenzy, are often the first to suffer. Many of them have abandoned any hope of original content and now run on autopilot with repeats: FXX (-29%), Nat Geo Wild (-29%), Cooking Channel (-31%), American Heroes (-27%), MTV 2 (-31%) are some examples. The most disheartening decline might be VH1, an early MTV spin-off that managed to hold its ground for years but dropped a staggering 38% in 2024.
CHILDREN AND TEENAGE MEDIA PLATFORMS: It’s becoming a repetitive pattern that Gen Z and Gen Alpha are not tuning into traditional TV broadcasts. Instead, they are consuming Disney and Nickelodeon content through streaming services, hopefully. However, the attention of these age groups is also being drawn towards platforms like YouTube and TikTok, which has led to another challenging year for all players in this sector.
STARTUPS: Pretty brave to attempt to launch a new network or attempt a big rebrand in the year 2024. So far there isn’t much to show for folks like Dr. Phil’s Merit Street or Scripps News — which was rebranded from Newsy last year. Scripps News won its first News Emmy in September… and then shut down two months later. The channel ceased operations on Nov. 16.
Here you’ll find the top-ranked programs for broadcast, cable, and premium cable networks in 2024, based on total viewers, as well as the top 50 list for adults aged 18 to 49. Most of the channels measured by Nielsen are listed here, with a few exceptions for those that do not rely on advertising support.
Here are the year-end network rankings from 2015 to 2023 for easy reference.
THE MOST-WATCHED NETWORKS OF 2024 (BY TOTAL VIEWERS)
| Rank | NETWORK | VIEWERS (000) | % CHANGE |
| 1. | CBS | 5,055 | +12% |
| 2. | NBC | 4,990 | +10% |
| 3. | ABC | 3,861 | -1% |
| 4. | Fox | 2,841 | -15% |
| 5. | Fox News | 2,470 | +30% |
| 6. | ESPN | 1,674 | -2% |
| 7. | MSNBC | 1,263 | +4% |
| 8. | Univision | 1,044 | -17% |
| 9. | Telemundo | 965 | +12% |
| 10. | Ion | 833 | -16% |
| 11. | TNT | 815 | -13% |
| 12. | Hallmark Channel | 812 | -13% |
| 13. | HGTV | 773 | -18% |
| 14. | TBS | 738 | -6% |
| 15. | CNN | 707 | +20% |
| 16. | USA | 673 | -2% |
| 17. | History | 655 | -15% |
| 18. | Me TV | 620 | -2% |
| 19. | Discovery Channel | 577 | -18% |
| 20. | INSP | 558 | -21% |
| 21. | TLC | 542 | -28% |
| 22. | Food Network | 535 | -20% |
| 23. | Grit | 494 | -4% |
| 24. | The CW | 445 | -2% |
| 25. | Bravo | 436 | -24% |
| 26. | Investigation Discovery | 429 | -21% |
| 27. | Hallmark Mystery | 376 | -17% |
| 28. | TV Land | 374 | -20% |
| 29. | Unimás | 351 | -6% |
| 30. | A&E | 344 | -20% |
| 31. | FX | 343 | -12% |
| 32. | Paramount Network | 342 | -1% |
| 33. | Lifetime | 340 | -23% |
| 34. | Game Show Network | 333 | -2% |
| 35. | AMC | 317 | -14% |
| 36. | Fox Sports 1 | 312 | +1% |
| 37. | We TV | 301 | -18% |
| 38. | Newsmax | 294 | +31% |
| 39. | Reelzchannel | 293 | -13% |
| 40. | ESPN 2 | 286 | -11% |
| 41. | Oxygen | 281 | -10% |
| 42. | Syfy | 262 | -8% |
| 43. | BET | 261 | -22% |
| 44. | Bounce TV | 237 | -6% |
| 45. | Nat Geo | 228 | -24% |
| 46. | MTV | 225 | -12% |
| 47. | Adult Swim | 210 | -3% |
| 48. | Nick at Nite | 208 | -15% |
| 49. | Freeform | 200 | -21% |
| 50. | Comedy Central | 195 | -16% |
| 51. | Travel | 193 | -15% |
| 52. | Court TV Mystery | 186 | +7% |
| 53. | Cozi | 184 | -6% |
| Family Entertainment TV | 184 | -20% | |
| 55. | Sundance | 180 | -13% |
| 56. | Heroes and Icons | 163 | -4% |
| 57. | Animal Planet | 160 | -26% |
| 58. | Laff | 159 | +5% |
| LMN | 159 | -17% | |
| 60. | E! | 158 | -23% |
| 61. | IFC | 155 | -12% |
| 62. | HBO | 154 | -7% |
| 63. | HLN | 151 | -9% |
| Start TV | 151 | -21% | |
| 65. | Magnolia Network | 147 | -14% |
| 66. | FXX | 145 | -29% |
| NFL Network | 145 | -26% | |
| 68. | BBC America | 137 | -23% |
| Motor Trend | 137 | -26% | |
| 70. | Charge! | 136 | +33% |
| 71. | Paris Extra 2 | 134 | n/a |
| 72. | CMT | 133 | -21% |
| 73. | Nickelodeon | 131 | -31% |
| TruTV | 131 | +9% | |
| 75. | Great American Family | 128 | -8% |
| 76. | Weather Channel | 126 | +6% |
| 77. | CNBC | 122 | -25% |
| 78. | Ion Plus | 116 | -11% |
| 79. | Nat Geo Wild | 112 | -29% |
| 80. | Disney | 110 | -17% |
| 81. | Newsnation | 108 | -1% |
| 82. | OWN | 107 | -27% |
| 83. | Paris Extra 1 | 107 | n/a |
| 84. | Pop TV | 106 | -12% |
| Up | 106 | -15% | |
| 86. | Comet | 105 | +4% |
| 87. | Science | 101 | -25% |
| 88. | Antenna TV | 96 | -16% |
| 89. | VH1 | 95 | -38% |
| 90. | Fox Business Channel | 90 | -1% |
| MLB Network | 90 | +3% | |
| 92. | TUDN | 87 | -22% |
| 93. | Disney Jr. | 84 | -37% |
| Get TV | 84 | -8% | |
| 95. | NBA TV | 83 | -2% |
| | Big Ten Network | 80 | +25% |
| 97. | Justice Central | 79 | +508% |
| 98. | TV One | 78 | -10% |
| 99. | Hallmark Family | 74 | -10% |
| 100. | Dabl | 73 | +38% |
| Estrella TV | 73 | -10% | |
| 102. | Nick Jr. | 68 | -39% |
| Telexitos | 68 | +39% | |
| 104. | Golf | 66 | -21% |
| 105. | Court TV | 64 | +14% |
| 106. | Smithsonian | 62 | -29% |
| 107. | Catchy Comedy | 60 | -13% |
| 108. | Ovation | 59 | -25% |
| Viceland | 59 | -3% | |
| 110. | Cooking Channel | 58 | -31% |
| 111. | TBD TV | 54 | +80% |
| 112. | Nicktoons | 51 | -12% |
| RFD-TV | 51 | -6% | |
| Story Television | 51 | +28% | |
| Tennis | 51 | -7% | |
| 116. | FX Movie Channel | 50 | -26% |
| 117. | Universo | 49 | +9% |
| 118. | Showtime | 48 | -38% |
| FYI | 48 | -25% | |
| 120. | Starz | 43 | -25% |
| 121. | BET Her | 40 | -2% |
| 122. | American Heroes | 35 | -27% |
| | ESPN U | 35 | -20% |
| 124. | Boomerang | 34 | -17% |
| Fox Deportes | 34 | -17% | |
| 126. | Destination America | 33 | -20% |
| MTV 2 | 33 | -31% | |
| Scripps News | 33 | n/a | |
| 129. | American Crimes | 28 | +460% |
| 130. | Merit Street | 27 | n/a |
| 131. | AXS TV | 26 | -26% |
| 132. | Galavision | 25 | -31% |
| 133. | Teen Nick | 24 | -53% |
| The Cowboy Channel | 24 | -8% | |
| 135. | Discovery Family Channel | 23 | -18% |
| ESPN Deportes | 23 | +15% | |
| 137. | Discovery En Español | 22 | -33% |
| 138. | Fox Sports 2 | 21 | +5% |
| 139. | Discovery Life Channel | 20 | +0% |
| | Logo | 20 | -43% |
| Universal Kids | 20 | -5% | |
| 142. | Disney XD | 18 | -44% |
| 143. | Outdoor Channel | 17 | -23% |
| 144. | Cleo TV | 11 | -27% |
| CNN En Español | 11 | +38% | |
| Comedy TV | 11 | +57% | |
| 147. | Discovery Familia | 9 | -31% |
| 148. | Nat Geo Mundo | 6 | -45% |
| 149. | Galanovelas | 5 | -29% |
| | Sportsman Channel | 5 | -29% |
| 151. | BEIN Sport Español | 2 | -33% |
| BEIN Sport | 2 | -33% | |
| 153. | Hogar De HGTV | 1 | -50% |
| | Accuweather | n/a | n/a |
| | Azteca | n/a | n/a |
THE 50 TOP-RATED NETWORKS OF 2024 (BY ADULTS 18-49)
| Rank | NETWORK | 18-49 VIEWERS (000) | % CHANGE |
| 1. | NBC | 987 | +6% |
| 2. | CBS | 832 | +23% |
| 3. | ABC | 792 | -1% |
| 4. | Fox | 777 | -22% |
| 5. | ESPN | 623 | -6% |
| 6. | Univision | 341 | -23% |
| 7. | TNT | 324 | -16% |
| 8. | Telemundo | 271 | -8% |
| 9. | USA | 233 | +4% |
| 10. | TBS | 224 | -11% |
| 11. | Fox News | 203 | +44% |
| 12. | Bravo | 145 | -30% |
| 13. | TLC | 130 | -34% |
| 14. | Adult Swim | 120 | -6% |
| 15. | Food Network | 118 | -24% |
| Ion | 118 | -19% | |
| 17. | Unimás | 109 | -18% |
| 18. | CNN | 107 | +18% |
| 19. | MTV | 106 | -13% |
| 20. | Discovery Channel | 102 | -32% |
| 21. | HGTV | 101 | -26% |
| 22. | Fox Sports 1 | 100 | +2% |
| FX | 100 | -25% | |
| 24. | Comedy Central | 94 | -29% |
| 25. | ESPN 2 | 90 | -17% |
| 26. | Hallmark | 89 | -26% |
| History | 89 | -20% | |
| 28. | MSNBC | 86 | +12% |
| 29. | A&E | 84 | -31% |
| 30. | The CW | 83 | -9% |
| 31. | Nick at Nite | 80 | -24% |
| 32. | Investigation Discovery | 79 | -26% |
| 33. | Freeform | 76 | -28% |
| FXX | 76 | -34% | |
| 35. | AMC | 75 | -21% |
| 36. | Paramount Network | 75 | -5% |
| 37. | BET | 70 | -28% |
| 38. | Syfy | 61 | -21% |
| 39. | Lifetime | 55 | -26% |
| TruTV | 55 | -5% | |
| 41. | E! | 54 | -21% |
| Reelzchannel | 54 | -28% | |
| 43. | TV Land | 54 | -22% |
| 44. | Nickelodeon | 49 | -35% |
| 45. | Bounce TV | 46 | -10% |
| 46. | We TV | 45 | -38% |
| 47. | Oxygen | 43 | -38% |
| 48. | Paris Extra 2 | 42 | n/a |
| 49. | Nat Geo | 40 | -23% |
| 50. | Game Show Network LaffMe TV | 3939 39 | -11%-9% -9% |
Read More
- SUI PREDICTION. SUI cryptocurrency
- „People who loved Dishonored and Prey are going to feel very at home.” Arkane veteran sparks appetite for new, untitled RPG
- LDO PREDICTION. LDO cryptocurrency
- Destiny 2: A Closer Look at the Proposed In-Game Mailbox System
- Clash Royale Deck Discussion: Strategies and Sentiments from the Community
- Jennifer Love Hewitt Made a Christmas Movie to Help Process Her Grief
- ICP PREDICTION. ICP cryptocurrency
- Naughty Dog’s Intergalactic Was Inspired By Akira And Cowboy Bebop
- Critics Share Concerns Over Suicide Squad’s DLC Choices: Joker, Lawless, and Mrs. Freeze
- EUR IDR PREDICTION
2024-12-26 22:49