Breakout Freshman Series Including Food Network’s 24 in 24: Last Chef Standing and Wildcard Kitchen, ID’s Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, HGTV’s Renovation Aloha, TBS’ Stupid Pet Tricks and ID’s Spacey Unmasked Helped Drive Audiences Across the Portfolio
Popular freshman hits including Food Network’s 24 in 24: Last Chef Standing and Wildcard Kitchen and ID’s Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, as well as TBS’ acquired series The Big Bang Theory, helped Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) deliver two nights of more than a 60 percent share, nine nights of more than a 50 percent share and 28 nights of more than a 40 percent share of primetime cable viewing among Adults 18-49 in Q2. Live sports, including TNT Sports’ coverage of the 2024 NCAA Men’s Final Four, 2024 NBA Playoffs and 2024 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs, along with support from the networks’ popular entertainment content, drove the viewership among Adults 18-49 during the quarter.
In second quarter, WBD, which includes CNN, Discovery, Food Network, HGTV, Investigation Discovery, TBS, TNT, TLC, Adult Swim and OWN, claimed 35 percent of adult primetime cable viewing—more than any other network group. And, the portfolio’s lineup of live sports, complex relationships, true crime, high-stakes cooking and home renovation competitions, and adult animation attracted more than 147 million total viewers on average each month, four million more viewers than in Q1 2024 and nearly three million more than in Q2 2023. TNT, TBS, TLC, Food Network and HGTV maintained their position in the top 10 of ad-supported cable networks, and WBD owned several of the top unscripted freshman series for the quarter, including HGTV’s Renovation Aloha, TBS’ Stupid Pet Tricks and ID’s Spacey Unmasked.
Q2 2024 performance highlights for brands at Warner Bros. Discovery included:
- TNT secured the #1 rank for cable entertainment networks in total day and prime among Adults 25-54. TNT delivered its most-watched NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs in three years of coverage through the Conference Finals. In addition, the NBA Playoffs accounted for five of the top ten telecasts on cable in the second quarter.
- TBS ranked as the #2 cable entertainment network in total day and prime among Adults 25-54, with The Big Bang Theory remaining cable’s #1 acquired series among Adults. The 2024 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship game delivered a nine percent ratings increase versus the 2022 game on the network and ranked as the #8 telecast on cable in the quarter.
- TLC claimed the #1 rank for ad-supported primetime cable networks without sports among Adults and Women on Sunday nights, driven by 90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After, the #3 non-sports ad-supported cable program on Sunday nights in second quarter among Adults and Women. Additionally, 90 Day: The Single Life Tell All attracted 1.4 million total viewers and ranked as the #3 non-sports ad-supported cable program on Monday nights among Adults and Women.
- CNN brought in strong audience numbers across television, streaming and digital platforms in Q2 2024, ranking in the top 5 most watched cable networks, marking the 8th consecutive quarter in the top 5 for total viewers. Among Adults 25-54, CNN ranked in the top 10 among all cable networks for the third consecutive quarter. Further, CNN reached the most viewers in cable news in the second quarter among both Adults 25-54 and total viewers. The 2024 CNN Presidential Debate (Thu, 6/27; 9p-10:39p) was the highest-rated program in CNN history and the most watched non-sports program of the year so far on television among both Adults 25-54 and total viewers. With Live+3 data, it delivered a combined 52.65 million total viewers and 14.26 million Adults 25-54, with CNN ranking #1 among all networks that aired the debate.
- Adult Swim, a top 10 cable network among Adults, boasted its third consecutive quarter of primetime growth in Q2 with a 14 percent ratings increase. Season two of Smiling Friends is pacing at a 28 percent ratings increase versus the season one average, while the sophomore season of My Adventures with Superman is delivering ratings growth versus last year.
- With more top 10 unscripted cable series among Men than any other network, Discovery Channel debuted Alien Encounters: Fact or Fiction, its highest-rated freshman series since October 2023, while its popular series Contraband: Seized at the Border delivered its highest-rated season premiere ever. The latest season premiere of Expedition Unknown delivered more than 2.1 million viewers and tied with the 2020 season premiere as the highest-rated season premiere ever for the series, and the latest season premiere of hit series Deadliest Catch delivered ratings growth over the previous season premiere for the first time in 10 years. In addition, Gold Rush: White Water garnered double-digit season-over-season ratings growth for the first time in five years.
- ID finished second quarter as the #1 cable network without news or sports in total day among Adults and Women. During the quarter, 10 of ID’s 15 returning true crime series delivered season-over-season ratings growth, led by stalwart fan-favorites Signs of a Psychopath, Evil Lives Here and Homicide Hunter: American Detective.
- Second quarter ratings successes for Food Network, a top 10 non-news/sports cable network across every day of the week in total day and prime among Adults and Women, included Tournament of Champions, Spring Baking Championship and 24 in 24: Last Chef Standing, which now ranks as the net’s highest-rated freshman series among Men since 2020 and one of the top 5 unscripted freshman series among Adults and Men to launch across all of cable so far this year. Additional freshman titles, including Wildcard Kitchen, Best Bite in Town and Next Baking Master: Paris netted ratings growth over the prior six weeks. And, popular series Girl Meets Farm and Symon’s Dinners Cooking Out are both pacing ahead of their prior season ratings.
- HGTV ranked as a top 10 non-news/sports ad-supported cable network among Women every night of the week in prime. Rock the Block solidified its place as HGTV’s highest-rated series year-to-date among Adults and Women with strong double-digit ratings gains over the prior six weeks. And, the network saw success with freshman series Zillow Gone Wild, which delivered double-digit ratings growth above the network’s year-to-date freshman premiere average.
- The latest season of Love & Marriage: Huntsville drove OWN to rank as Saturday night’s #1 cable network among African-American Women. 2Q24 to-date, Love & Marriage: Huntsville and Love & Marriage: DC were the top 2 original cable series on Saturday nights across all of television among African-American Adults and African-American Women.
About Warner Bros. Discovery
Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ: WBD) is a leading global media and entertainment company that creates and distributes the world’s most differentiated and complete portfolio of branded content across television, film, streaming and gaming. Available in more than 220 countries and territories and 50 languages, Warner Bros. Discovery inspires, informs and entertains audiences worldwide through its iconic brands and products including: Discovery Channel, Max, discovery+, CNN, DC, TNT Sports, Eurosport, HBO, HGTV, Food Network, OWN, Investigation Discovery, TLC, Magnolia Network, TNT, TBS, truTV, Travel Channel, MotorTrend, Animal Planet, Science Channel, Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, Warner Bros. Television Group, Warner Bros. Pictures Animation, Warner Bros. Games, New Line Cinema, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Turner Classic Movies, Discovery en Español, Hogar de HGTV and others. For more information, please visit www.wbd.com.
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Media Contacts:
Chelsey Riemann / chelsey.riemann@wbd.com / 865-607-4188
Alexa Butterman / alexa.butterman@wbd.com / 516-297-8946