NBA Playoffs Push TNT to Top of Cable in Viewers, Adults 18-49

With the NBA Playoffs in full swing, TNT achieved across-the-board victories last week, ranking as basic cable's #1 network in primetime among total viewers, adults 25-54 and adults 18-49. TNT also landed a primetime win among adults 18-34 for the week and a total-day win among adults 25-54.

Since the beginning of this year's NBA Playoffs coverage (Sunday, April 21), TNT has ranked #1 across all cable networks airing sports programming in primetime, averaging a 2.8 U.S. HH rating and more than 3.5 million total viewers. Additionally, TNT has televised the Top 7 most-viewed NBA Playoff games on cable for the postseason to date, plus eight of the Top 10.

The April 15 season finale of TNT's Dallas brought in 4.1 million viewers, according to final Live + 7 data. The two-hour event also garnered 1.9 million adults 25-54 and more than 1.5 million adults 18-49. For the second season, Dallas scored a final tally of 3.8 million viewers in Live + 7, including 1.7 million adults 25-54 and 1.4 million adults 18-49.

Adult Swim
Adult Swim's Total Day performance ranked #1 with adults 18-24, 18-34 & 18-49 and men 18-24, 18-34, & 18-49 on basic cable this week. Compared to the same week in 2012, Total day delivery grew with adults 18-24 by 9%, adults 18-34 by 9%, adults 18-49 by 7%, men 18-24 by 11%, men 18-34 by 11% and men 18-49 by 7%.

In Prime Time, Adult Swim ranked #2 [behind TNT] among basic cable networks delivery of adults 18-34. Compared to the same week in 2012, Prime delivery increased with adults 18-24 by 25%, adults 18-34 by 19%, adults 18-49 by 14%, men 18-24 by 49%, men 18-34 by 28% and men 18-49 by 20%.

Thursday's premiere episode of the live-action workplace comedy, Your Pretty Face Is Going to Hell (12 a.m.) grew by double-digits across the board vs. the same time period last year.

Sunday's premiere episode of Loiter Squad (12 a.m.) increased by double digit growth with adults & men 18-34 & 18-49 vs. the same time period last year.

All new episodes that premiered during the action-adventure Toonami block - including Bleach, Naruto, Soul Eater, and Tenchi Muyo! GXP earned mostly double and triple-digit increases across key adult and men demos vs. the same time period last year. Additionally, Soul Eater (Saturday, 1 a.m.) was #1 in its timeslot with men 18-24 &18-34.

The Sunday premiere episode of The Cleveland Show (10:30 p.m.) was #1 in its timeslot with men 18-24, while the Saturday premiere grew by double and triple-digit growth across the board vs. the same time period last year.

Adult Swim's programming - including Family Guy, American Dad, and Robot Chicken - accounted for 18 of the top 50 telecasts on basic cable for the week with adults 18-34 and 20 of the top 50 telecasts with men 18-34, both more than any other network.

Cartoon Network
Across the first week of May 2013, Cartoon Network ranked as television's #1 network for Early Prime (7-9 p.m.) delivery of boys 9-14.

Cartoon Network was the #1 television destination for boys 6-11 & 9-14 among all TV on Wednesday and Saturday Night (7-9 p.m.) and #1 for boys 9-14 on Monday and Friday Night (7-9 p.m.).

Tuesday's new premiere episode of the original animated series Teen Titans Go! (7:30 p.m.) was the #1 telecast of the day with boys 6-11 & 9-14 and #1 in its time period with all key boy demos. Additionally, the new episode premiere of The Looney Tunes Show (8 p.m.) was #1 in its timeslot with all key boy demos, while earning growth with all key kids and boys 2-11 & 6-11.

Saturday morning premiere episodes of Beyblade: Metal Fury (8 a.m.) and Pokemon BW: Adventures in Unova (8:30 a.m.) ranked #1 in their respective time periods for boys 9-14.

TBS
The hit TBS original series Men at Work scored 1.7 million viewers in Live+3 viewing for last Thursday's episode, including 1.0 million adults 18-49 and 528,000 adults 18-34.

Tuesday night's episode of Who Gets the Last Laugh? brought in 1.2 million viewers in Live + 3. In the demos, the show averaged 612,000 adults 18-49 and 299,000 adults 18-34.

Last week, The Big Bang Theory on TBS charted 18 of basic cable's top 20 sitcom telecasts among total viewers and adults 18-49.

truTV
truTV's hit series Hardcore Pawn (Tuesdays at 9 p.m.) rang up more than 2 million viewers last Tuesday and ranked as one basic cable's Top 5 programs in the timeslot with adults 18-49 (1.0 million) and adults 18-34 (474,000). The show delivered double-digit growth across the board when compared to the same time last year. It also propelled truTV to rank as one of ad-supported cable's Top 10 networks for the night with total viewers and key adult and male demos.

NBA TV
NBA TV's first round NBA Playoff coverage was highlighted by the Milwaukee Bucks vs. Miami Heat (Game 2) on Tuesday, April 23, registering the network's best adults 18-34 rank of all time for a playoff game (270,000). The Heat/Bucks telecast was also the third most-viewed playoff game ever on NBA TV among total viewers (764,000).

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