July 2011 Ratings: Casey Anthony Leads HLN To Second Place in Cable News

By Merrill Knox 

It was a big month for HLN. Intense interest in the Casey Anthony trial led the network to significant increases across the board when compared to last July: in total day, a +146% increase in total viewers and an +84% increase in the A25-54 demographic, and in primetime, a +120% increase in total viewers and a +102% increase in the demographic. In fact, HLN topped both MSNBC and CNN in both total and demo viewers in July, placing only behind Fox News Channel in both primetime and total day.

The ratings for July, 2011:

  • Primetime (Mon-Sun): 998K Total Viewers / 295K A25-54
  • Total Day (Mon-Sun): 702K Total Viewers / 230K A25-54

Every show on HLN saw an increase in viewership compared to the same month last year. Particularly strong were the 4 p.m. hour of “HLN News,” which saw a +352% increase in total viewers and a +215% increase in the demographic, and the 5 p.m. hour of “Special Report,” which increased their audience by +318% in total viewers and +195% in the demographic. Nancy Grace, who was the public face of HLN’s coverage on her 8 p.m. show, was up +98% in total viewers and +89% in the A25-54 demographic.

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Another big winner was “Dr. Drew,” which was up +119% in total viewers and +139% in the demo compared to last year.

The weakest-performing show was the 11 p.m. “Showbiz Tonight,” but even that program increased its viewership by +45% in total viewers and by +11% in the demographic.

HLN’s full release on July 2011 ratings is after the jump.

 

HLN Surges to its Best Month Ever in July

Ranks #1 in Cable News 9a to 5p Among 25-54 in July

HLN Programs Post Double and Triple Digit Gains Over Year-Ago

More Than 5 Million Tune in to HLN for Casey Anthony Verdict in July

 

 

In July, HLN posted its best month ever in Total Day among both total viewers and the 25-54 demo (702k and 230k, respectively), topping solid numbers from June and previous highly-ranked months including September 2001.   It also had its best delivery ever in M-Su Prime among total viewers (998k) and ranked #1 in the dayside daypart (M-F 9a-5p) across all cable news among 25-54 viewers (256k).

 

Additionally on July 5, during the breaking news coverage of the verdict in the Casey Anthony trial, HLN was the most-watched television network on broadcast or cable with more than 5.2 million viewers turning between 2:15 and 2:30 during the reading of the verdict.

 

HLN’s entire line-up achieved double and triple digit gains versus year-ago, with highlights including:

 

  • Morning Express with Robin Meade posted an increase of +74% in total viewers (524k) and a +20% gain among demo viewers (199k), topping MSNBC’s Morning Joe in both demos to rank as the #2 cable news morning show in the month of July.
  • HLN Special Report at 5p posted a whopping +318% increase compared to a year ago among total viewers (1.016 million) and grew +195% among demo viewers (301k), far and away the most growth of any cable news network at 5p.
  • Prime News at 6p increased +224% among total viewers (900k) and grew +151% among demo viewers (281k), the most growth of any cable news network at 6p.
  • Issues with Jane Velez-Mitchell scored a +116% gain among total viewers (960k) and +75% growth among demo viewers (298k), the most growth of any cable news network at 7p.
  • Nancy Grace ranked as HLN’s top program of the month, posting a +98% increase in total viewers (1.369 million) and +89% among demo viewers (411k), the most growth of any cable news network at 8p.
  • Dr. Drew increased by +119 in total viewers (1.148 million) and +139% among demo viewers (335k), the most growth in cable news at 9p.

 

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