A slow May has led to an even slower summer in many parts of TV land.
According to Nielsen Media Research, adult primetime audiences dropped off 11 percent on broadcast and 7 percent on cable this May compared to last year. And this decline appears to have spread into summer premieres as well.
Returning series are down 20 percent as of mid-June, with even NBC’s tentpole reality series America’s Got Talent falling 14 percent.
In fact, only NBC’s American Ninja Warrior and ABC’s The Bachelorette are showing growth in their initial airings, according to Nielsen.
Newcomers aren’t doing much better.
TNT’s Proof was said to be one of the first shows on the network to cater to a younger demo, but a premiere of 2.66 million viewers says it may have missed the mark. Despite a robust preview campaign, Lifetime’s UnReal is averaging roughly 700,000 viewers. ABC Family might have the most promising new drama of the bunch with Stitchers, which came on the heels of its hit Pretty Little Liars.
Late summer series still have a chance.
CBS will debut Big Brother and its James Patterson adaptation Zoo in late June, along with its returning Under the Dome and Extant summer runs.
HBO certainly holds promise with True Detective, and USA and AMC have placed bets on big dramas Mr. Robot and Humans.
Of course, live sports continue to draw viewers. The 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup is airing on Fox and Fox Sports 1 to impressive ratings, as long as Team USA continues to lure fans.
Read more at Ad Age.
Brief Take: A declining summer can mean an even more declining fall, so networks now have to focus even more how to bring those summer eyeballs back to their TVs in time for premiere week.
[Image courtesy of Lifetime]
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