SUMMER TV viewership hit an all-time high this year — thanks to cable.
For the summer of 2009, the average person watched 32.2 hours of TV a week — compared to 29.8 hours per week in the summer of 2004, according to a Turner research report.
The spike in TV viewing is attributable to cable shows like “Royal Pains,” “The Closer” and “Burn Notice” — all of which averaged over 7 million viewers, dwarfing broadcast fare like ABC’s “Defying Gravity” and NBC’s “The Philanthropist,” which have struggled to find an audience.
Even second-tier cable shows like “Monk” (5.6 million viewers) and “In Plain Sight” (5.1 million viewers) far outclassed their broadcast brethren, continuing a trend that’s occurred for several years now.
And cable networks have reaped the bonanza of increased summer viewing. TLC, home to “Jon & Kate Plus 8,” was up 52 percent compared to last summer.
BET and Food Network were up 34 percent and 33 percent, respectively. —