C3 commercial ratings—the numbers used to buy and sell advertising—were down in November, according to an analysis by Michael Nathanson of MoffettNathanson Research.
On the broadcast networks, viewership among adults 18-49 was flat in primetime, while cable ratings were down 8%. That left a total decline of 4%.
For total day, viewing was down 6%. The broadcasters were down 1%, while cable was off 9%.
“Putting these declines in historical context, we see a sequential improvement for broadcast networks (-8% last month) in primetime and a step down in cable networks (-6% last month),” Nathanson said in a report Thursday. “As we have noted previously, some of these declines can also be attributed to universe changes (such as Nielsen’s incorporation of the broadband-only home) and changing viewership habits.”
Among the broadcasters, Fox’s ratings jumped 20% and NBC was up 3%. ABC was down 15% and CBS was off 1%.
For cable, Time Warner’s portfolio was up 7% in primetime and Scripps Networks Interactive posted a 4% gain. The other programmers were down, with A+E down 20%.
The best performing networks were Adult Swim, BET and Nick at Nite, while ESPN, USA and A&E posted the largest declines.
