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Welcome to a whole new world of television—in which cable is setting the standard for achievement across-the-board.

In the 2004 television environment, cable has clearly established itself as the advantage medium. It now regularly outperforms all other sources of TV in viewership, program quality, and diversity. Ad-supported cable didn't just merely lead the TV field in 2003...it dominated. It made gains among virtually all key age/gender demos, in contrast to broadcast's wide-ranging declines.

The following charts from the CAB's 2004 Cable TV Facts publication highlight cable's achievement across-the-board.
 
GROWTH:
 
• Cable Programming Penetration Nears 84% Of All Television Homes
• Cable Networks Will Continue To Invest Heavily In Quality Programming
• Advertising Revenues Will Reach Over $19 Billion in 2004
• Viewing To Ad-Supported Cable Continues to Grow Substantially
• Ad-Supported Cable Network Penetration Booming
• Americans Will Spend Over $56 Billion On Cable Services In 2004
• Around The Clock Audience Growth For Ad-Supported Cable Television
• Ad-Supported Cable's Long Term Household Growth
• Top 50 National Cable Advertisers
• Ad-Supported Cable's Growth Is Fueled By Both Ends Of The Age Spectrum
 
VIEWERSHIP:
 
• Broadcast Shares Shift To Cable
• Long Term Total TV Household Share Trends
• How Cable Stacks Up Against The Competition
• The Big Erosion Picture: Ad-Supported Cable vs. All Broadcast
• Time Spent Viewing By TV Source: In Hrs:Mins Per Week (2002/2003)
• 75% of Broadcast's Programming Earns Below A 5.0 Adult 18-49 Rating in Primetime
• Total Broadcast Viewing Shrivels In Cable Plus Households
• Cable Viewing Shares Heat Up In The Summertime
• Cable Viewing Shares Strong In All Dayparts
• Ad-Supported Cable Shares Rising To New Heights (2002/03)
• Long Term U.S. HH Primetime Ratings
• Ad-Supported Cable Leads The Pack
 
MARKETING AND MEDIA PLANNING:
 
• Income Gap Widens Between Wired Cable And Non-Cable Homes
• Wired Homes Grow More Affluent Over Time
• Number of "Hard" Interconnects Has Doubled
• Unaided Recall Study Reveals The Power Of Ad-Supported Cable TV
• Broadcast Network Affiliate Shares Drop In Cable Plus HHs (2002/03)
• Broadcast Underdelivers Cable Plus Homes; Overdelivers Broadcast Only Homes
• Total Wired Cable Household Income Reaches $4.9 Trillion
• Cable Reaches Upscale Professionals
• Cable's Percent Of Total TV Impressions Has Grown Exponentially Over The Years, Surpassing Broadcast
• Cable HHs Represent Vast Majority Of Upscale Adults
• Cable HHs More Likely To Purchase Goods And Services Than Non-Cable HHs
• Cable Reaches Kids
• Local Cable Provides Geographic Fit For Grocery Stores
• Yellow Pages Usage Is Low For Many Products And Services
• Cable's Reach Out-Reaches Radio
• Radio Cumes Decline In Two Out Of Four Dayparts
• Newspaper Readership vs. Ad Exposure
• U.S. Daily Newspaper Circulation Continues To Decline
• Viewing To Ad-Supported Cable Within Wired Homes
• Quality Of News Programming Higher On Cable Than Broadcast
• Ad-Supported Cable Programming Top Of Mind With Viewers
• Monthly Cable Subscriptions Represent Good Entertainment Value
• Cable Programming Quality Increases Over Time
 
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Current Cable TV Facts:
2005 Cable TV Facts