TNT’s coverage of the 2023 NBA Playoffs in May/June and strong performances by such freshman hits as Discovery’s Naked and Afraid: Last One Standing, Food Network’s Summer Baking Championship and ID’s The Curious Case of Natalia Grace helped the US Networks Group at Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) deliver three nights with 60 percent share of viewing among Adults 18-49 across ad-supported cable in primetime. Since March, the network group, which includes Discovery, Food Network, HGTV, Investigation Discovery, TBS, TNT, TLC, Adult Swim, OWN and others, also delivered 16 nights with more than a 50 percent share of cable viewing among Adults 18-49—outperforming other network groups in second quarter.
Six of the WBD networks ranked among the top 10 in cable, with the group attracting 131 million total viewers on average each month. As of June 30, eight of the top 10 highest-rated unscripted freshman or limited series in primetime were from the network group: 90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After? Tell All: No Limits (TLC), Naked and Afraid: Last One Standing (Discovery), The Curious Case of Natalia Grace (ID), Jared From Subway: Catching a Monster (ID), MILF Manor (TLC), Match Me Abroad (TLC), Summer Baking Championship (Food Network) and Seeking Brother Husband (TLC).
“Our popular group of networks attracts more than one-third of all cable viewers 25-54 each night,” said Kathleen Finch, Chairman and Chief Content Officer, US Networks Group, Warner Bros. Discovery. “In 2Q our viewers came for sports, their favorite series and brand-new originals which premiered all quarter long and kept our ratings and audience share high.”
Select second quarter 2023 performance highlights for brands in the US Networks Group at Warner Bros. Discovery include:
- TNT ranked as the #1 cable entertainment network in prime among Adults 25-54, Adults 18-34, Adults 18-49 and P2+.
- TNT delivered its most watched NBA Playoffs coverage in five years. The record-breaking Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals attracted 12 million viewers and was the most watched Eastern Conference Finals Game 7 of all time on TNT.
- TNT, TBS and truTV averaged 1.3 million viewers during this year’s coverage of the NHL Playoffs, making it the most watched NHL Playoffs coverage on cable of all time.
- AEW Rampage and AEW Dynamite reached more than 21 million viewers across TNT and TBS in the second quarter.
- TBS ranked as the #4 cable entertainment network in prime among Adults 25-54, Adults 18-49 and Adults 18-34.
- On TBS, The Big Bang Theory remained cable’s #1 acquired series among Adults 25-54, 18-49 and P2+.
- The latest season American Dad on TBS currently ranks as the #3 cable comedy of the year among Adults 25-54.
- TLC ranked as the #2 cable primetime network without sports among Adults 25-54, Women 25-54, Adults 18-49 and Women 18-49 and holds seven of the top 15 non-sports ad-supported cable programs among Women 25-54 in the second quarter.
- 90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way was the #1 cable program on Sundays among Women 25-54, as well as the #1 non-sports cable program on Sundays among Adults 25-54, Adults 18-49 and Women 18-49.
- Attracting nearly one million total viewers since its season three premiere, 90 Day Fiancé: Love in Paradise has delivered double-digit ratings growth versus its sophomore season among Adults 25-54, Women 25-54 and Women 18-49. It currently ranks as the #2 non-sports cable program in its timeslot among the same demos.
- Since its premiere, freshman series Match Me Abroad ranks as the #1 cable program in its Sunday timeslot among Women 25-54 and Women 18-49 and the #1 non-sports cable program among Adults 18-49 and Adults 18-34.
- Adult Swim ranked as a top 5 cable network among Adults 18-49 and Adults 18-34, as well as among Men 25-54, 18-49 and 18-34.
- So far this year, freshman series Royal Crackers debuted as the #1 new cable comedy among Adults 18-49, while new fantasy series Unicorn: Warriors Eternal ranked as the #1 new animated series on cable among Adults 18-49.
- Discovery Channel owns three of the top 10 unscripted cable series in prime among Men 25-54: Gold Rush, Naked & Afraid: Last One Standing and Deadliest Catch.
- Naked & Afraid: Last One Standing is Discovery Channel’s highest-rated series to date this year and the #2 freshman cable series so far this year among People 25-54 and Men 25-54. In addition, it’s on track to be the network’s highest-rated freshman series in five years.
- The latest season of popular series Expedition Unknown delivered its highest-rated episode in more than three years, and Homestead Rescue continues to deliver season-over-season ratings growth.
- Food Network ranked as a top 10 non-news/sports cable network among Adults 25-54 and Women 25-54 across every day of the week in total day and prime.
- Tournament of Champions wrapped its highest-rated season ever and remains Food Network’s highest-rated series of the year to date.
- New series Summer Baking Championship is the network’s highest-rated freshman title among Women 25-54 since 2020, while the latest season of Spring Baking Championship delivered its highest-rated season among People 18+ and Women 18+ since 2020.
- Beat Bobby Flay posted its highest-rated episode since 2021.
- HGTV ranked as a top 10 non-news/sports cable network among Adults 25-54 and Women 25-54 six out of seven days in prime and a top 10 non-news/sports cable network every night of the week among Women 25-54 in total day.
- Rock the Block was the network’s highest-rated title of the second quarter among Adults 25-54 and Women 25-54, with the season ranking as the #1 non-news/sports cable program during its run among Adults 25-54 and Women 25-54.
- ID ended the second quarter as the year-to-date #1 non-sports cable network in total day among Women 25-54.
- The Curious Case of Natalia Grace ranked as ID’s highest-rated limited series since January 2020, averaging a .92 live plus three-day rating among Adults 25-54. It attracted 10.3 million total viewers across ID, Max® and discovery+.
- OWN’s Love & Marriage: Huntsville was Saturday night’s #1 original series across broadcast and cable among African-American Adults and Women 25-54 and African-American Women 18-49.
- Ready to Love ranked as Friday night’s #2 original cable series among African-American Women 18+.
- OWN delivered three of Friday night’s top 10 original cable series among African-American Adults and Women 25-54 and African-American Adults and Women 18-49 with Ready to Love, Belle Collective and Put A Ring On It.