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Cable Achieves an Official Season Milestone as it Erases the Primetime Share Gap with Broadcast

Ad-Supported Cable is Virtually Tied with the Seven Broadcast Networks for the Just-Completed 2002/03 TV Season

June 3, 2003

In the just-completed 2002/2003 official TV season—the 8-month “non-summer” period during which the national broadcast networks air most of their first-run programming, ad-supported cable has erased the primetime share gap between itself and broadcasters. Ad-supported cable and the seven broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, UPN, WB, PAX) were virtually tied in primetime U.S. household share for the 02/03 official season, according to a Cabletelevision Advertising Bureau analysis of Nielsen data, with cable recording a 47.5 share versus 48.2 for the seven broadcast networks—a difference of only 0.7 share points.

Three years ago in the 1999/2000 official season, ad-supported cable trailed broadcast by 17.1 primetime share points. That gap dwindled to 11.3 share points in 2000/2001; and to 4.9 share points in 2001/2002.

Cable’s achievement comes as it enters the summer season—a period when its primetime shares often exceed 50 points and the collective broadcast share is sub-40. In the 2002 summer season, ad-supported cable posted 16 consecutive weeks of 50+ primetime shares—propelling cable to its first-ever lead over the seven broadcast networks on a total season (October through September) basis.

OFFICIAL TV SEASON (OCTOBER-MAY)
PRIMETIME U.S. HOUSEHOLD SHARES
	Ad-Supported Cable	Seven Broadcast Networks	Share Point Diff.
1999/2000	39.1	56.2	17.1
2000/2001	41.7	53.0	11.3
2001/2002	45.6	50.5	4.9
2002/2003	47.5	48.2	0.7

Source: Cabletelevision Advertising Bureau analysis of Nielsen data, official TV season, various years.