TBS Retakes First Place Among Adults 18-34 in Primetime; Network Scored Big in 2010 with Late-Night and Original Sitcoms
December 15, 2010
CONAN Scores as Late-Night's Top Talk Show among Young Adults
TBS is closing out 2010 by reclaiming the title as basic cable's #1 network among adults 18-34 in primetime. TBS's extraordinary year included the launch of a new late-night block, a slate of top-rated original sitcoms and strong coverage of the MLB Playoffs.
In 2010, TBS made a landmark move by signing Conan O'Brien to host a new, late-night talk show. CONAN went on to become late-night's #1 talk show with young adults, while Lopez Tonight enjoyed a strong start in its new midnight timeslot. TBS also launched its first one-hour comedy Glory Daze, which has performed extremely well among adults 18-34, and the sitcom Are We There Yet?, which became basic cable's #1 sitcom among adults 18-49 and television's #1 primetime scripted series with young African-American adults. TBS enjoyed continued strength from the network's two Tyler Perry series, Meet the Browns and House of Payne.
"TBS scored tremendous success this year with some of the most popular and most talked-about programming on television," said Michael Wright, executive vice president and head of programming for TBS, TNT and Turner Classic Movies (TCM). "We couldn't be more thrilled with the success of our late-night lineup and its popularity among young adults. Meanwhile, our Wednesday original sitcoms made their mark as the biggest on cable and tremendous drivers behind the diversity of our audience."
2010 Ratings Highlights:
· TBS is on track to reclaim its title as basic cable's #1 network among adults 18-34 (558,000) in primetime for 2010. The network also boasts a remarkable primetime median age of just 35. By comparison, broadcast networks NBC and ABC each have a median age of 50, while CBS has a median age of 55 and FOX a median age of 45.
· TBS's biggest story of the year was the arrival of Conan O'Brien to the network's late-night lineup. Since its premiere, CONAN has proven itself to be a powerhouse hit among young adults. Through its first four weeks on TBS, the series ranked as television's #1 late-night talk show among adults 18-34 and adults 18-49. CONAN's delivery of adults 18-34 was more than double the show's nearest competitors. CONAN's median age � 33 � is the youngest late-night talk show.
· Lopez Tonight is a success in its new midnight timeslot following CONAN. Lopez Tonight has averaged 346,000 adults 18-34 at midnight, up 11% over its 2010 deliveries in the 11 p.m. timeslot. Lopez Tonight is also averaging 586,000 adults 18-49 at midnight, up 8% over the 11 p.m. performance.
· TBS's roster of original and acquired sitcoms continued to dominate the field, with Are We There Yet? ranking as basic cable's #1 sitcom for the year in delivery of adults 18-49, followed by Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns.
· Proving TBS's strength with diverse audiences, Are We There Yet? ranked as the #1 scripted primetime series on all of television in delivery of African-American adults 18-49 and was second only to American Idol among all series for the year. In addition, Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns made the Top 3 scripted series of the year with African-American adults 18-49.
· TBS entered the one-hour comedy arena with Glory Daze, which has averaged 709,000 adults 18-34, well above the network's primetime average in that demo. The show has also averaged more than 1 million adults 18-49 and 1.5 million total viewers, with a remarkable median age of 28.
· TBS's MLB Playoffs coverage, which included all four League Division Series and the American League Championship Series, experienced strong growth compared to 2009, with viewers up 9%, adults 18-34 up 7%, adults 18-49 up 5%, adults 25-54 up 8% and male adult demos up double-digit percentages. The ALCS drove the growth, as it was up 36% among viewers, 29% among adults 18-34, 32% among adults 18-49 and 40% among adults 25-54.
Looking ahead to 2011, TBS will welcome back Are We There Yet? to the Wednesday lineup in January, along with new episodes of Tyler Perry's House of Payne. For the first time, TBS will share coverage of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament with TNT, truTV and CBS.
About TBS
TBS, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., is television's top-rated comedy network and is available in 100.8 million households. It serves as home to such original comedy series as Glory Daze, Are We There Yet? and Tyler Perry's House of Payne and Meet the Browns; the late-night series CONAN, starring Conan O'Brien, and Lopez Tonight, starring George Lopez; hot contemporary comedies like Family Guy and The Office; special events, including star-studded comedy festivals in Chicago; blockbuster movies; hosted movie showcases; and championship sports.
Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news, entertainment, animation and young adult media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.
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