Weekly Cable Ratings: Tourney Helps TBS Edge Out Fox News in Primetime

By R. Thomas Umstead
published

Fox News remains most-watched network in total day

Aaron Estrada #55 of the Alabama Crimson Tide shoots the ball against Ian Schieffelin #4 of the Clemson Tigers during the first half in the Elite 8 round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament
TBS’s coverage of the Elite 8, including the Alabama-Clemson regional final, helped win the week for the network in primetime. (Image credit: Getty Images)

TBS’s coverage of the March Madness men’s college basketball tournament helped it narrowly surpass Fox News Channel to top the primetime basic-cable ratings. 

TBS averaged 2.09 million viewers in primetime for the week of March 25-31 to squeak by Fox News’s 2 million viewers, according to Nielsen numbers supplied by Fox News. 

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ESPN finished third for the week with 1.8 million viewers, followed by MSNBC’s 1.2 million viewers and HGTV's 715,000 watchers. 

History was sixth with 666,000 viewers, followed by Hallmark Channel (641,000 viewers), USA Network (558,000), CNN and INSP (535,000 viewers each.)

Fox News continued its winning ways on a total-day basis, topping the chart with 1.3 million viewers. MSNBC finished second with 850,000, followed by ESPN (702,000), TBS (682,000) and CNN (482,000), reported Nielsen. 

R. Thomas Umstead
R. Thomas Umstead

R. Thomas Umstead serves as senior content producer, programming for Multichannel News, Broadcasting + Cable and Next TV. During his more than 30-year career as a print and online journalist, Umstead has written articles on a variety of subjects ranging from TV technology, marketing and sports production to content distribution and development. He has provided expert commentary on television issues and trends for such TV, print, radio and streaming outlets as Fox News, CNBC, the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times and National Public Radio. Umstead has also filmed, produced and edited more than 100 original video interviews, profiles and news reports featuring key cable television executives as well as entertainers and celebrity personalities.