USA Network Tops Cable Competitors in Summer Ratings

1:49 PM PDT 9/15/2011 by Philiana Ng

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Virginia Sherwood/USA Network

"Burn Notice"

Home to "Burn Notice" and "Royal Pains," the network improved in all key categories over last summer, including total viewers.

USA Network finished off the summer as the most-watched cable network.

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With nine original series airing -- the most ever for the network -- USA improved in total viewers (up 2 percent) and the key demographics (adults 25-54: up 3 percent; 18-49: up 4 percent; and 18-34: up 6 percent) over the same period last summer.

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In the adults 25-54 category, USA had a 35 percent lead over TNT for the summer, averaging 1.5 million. In total viewers, the NBCUniversal-owned cabler topped Disney Channel by 33 percent, averaging 3.7 million total viewers. In 18-49, USA topped second-place network, History Channel, by 39 percent, drawing 1.4 million. In the younger 18-34, USA ranked second to MTV with an average of 594,000.

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USA, home to series like Burn Notice, Royal Pains and White Collar, was the only network to post a household coverage rating over a 2.0 this summer with a 2.76; its nearest competitor, TNT, delivered a 1.97.