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Cable TV Wins EOY Viewer Ratings

AdAge reports, the good news for TV networks is that TV viewing is up about 10 percent from five years ago. Better news for cable networks is that they�ve reaped most of that increase in viewing.

According to Turner analysis of Nielsen Media Research, while 55 percent of TV viewing is to cable networks, the cable industry only nabbed 31 percent of total prime-time advertising dollars -- a sticking point for many in the cable industry.

But among the cable landscape, there are also clear winners and losers. This year was no different, as Turner�s TNT won the crown for viewers 18 to 49, averaging almost 1.2 million in prime time. The network was fueled by a pair of drama series that both ranked in the top three new original cable series for the year for viewers 18 to 49. �The Closer,� starring Kyra Sedgewick,� and �Wanted� with Gary Cole both averaged more than 1.5 million viewers in the demo.

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