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Prime Time Cable Beats Broadcast Nets

It was d�j� vu all over again as Turner chief research officer Jack Wakshlag crunched the year-end television viewership numbers, which when taken in the aggregate tend to support a number of trends that favor cable networks over their broadcast counterparts.

According to Nielsen Media Research data analyzed by Turner�s research arm, ad-supported cable is on track to beat out the broadcast nets in prime time household share for the fourth consecutive year, taking in a projected 55.3 percent share year-to-date through December 4, compared to the seven broadcast nets� 41.5 percent share.

Cable continues to hammer away at the adults 18-34 and 18-49 demographics, ushering in what Wakshlag characterized as �the beginning of a new era.� Compared to 2004, the seven broadcast nets are down an average 8 percent in prime among the 18-34 demographic, with NBC suffering the most attrition (minus 32 percent). Broadcast is also down 4 percent overall among 18-49.

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