DISCOVERY CHANNEL DELIVERS HIGHEST RATED YEAR EVER ACROSS PERSONS AND MEN 25-54 WITH MOST WATCHED YEAR EVER IN 2015
- For the First Time Ever Discovery Channel is Cable’s #1 Non-Sports Network for the Year - -Discovery Channel Delivers Highest Rated Year in Women in Over 10 Years - NAKED AND AFRAID XL is Cable’s #1 New Unscripted Freshman Series of the Year-
January 5, 2016
Discovery Channel was cable’s #1 non-sports network for Men in 2015 for the first time ever, and bucked the trend to shine as one of the few cable networks to end 2015 with double-digit gains in Total Viewers P2+ and ratings increases across key demos vs. last year in L+3. Discovery Channel finished 2015 with its highest rated year ever across both Persons 25-54 and Men 25-54 and its most watched year ever in Total Viewers P2+. The network also delivered its highest rated year in more than 10 years among Women 25-54 and Women 18-49. The network’s series, NAKED AND AFRAID XL, finished the year as the #1 new unscripted series on cable in Total Viewers P2+ and across Persons and Men 25-54/18-49 and Men18-34.
In 2015 Discovery made major strides in a wide range of demos including millennials, core viewers, kids, and families while being up in double digits in Total Viewers for the year (up +11%) vs. 2014. Discovery’s successes also included Persons 25-54 (up +7% vs. 2014), Men 25-54 (up +4%), and up double digits in Women 25-54 (+12%). Other increases included Persons 18-49 (up +7%), Men 18-49 (up +4%), Women 18-49 (up +9%), Persons 18-34 (up +9%), Men 18-34 (up +6%), Women 18-34 (up +12%) and Persons 6-11 (up +14%).
GOLD RUSH was cable’s #1 unscripted series among Persons 18-49 while Discovery had four of the Top Five unscripted cable series for the year in Persons 25-54 (GOLD RUSH at #1, ALASKAN BUSH PEOPLE at #3, DEADLIEST CATCH at #4 and NAKED AND AFRAID XL at #5) and all five of the Top Five among Men 25-54 (GOLD RUSH, DEADLIEST CATCH, ALASKAN BUSH PEOPLE, STREET OUTLAWS, and NAKED AND AFRAID XL). Among Men 18-49, Discovery had the Top Five (GOLD RUSH, STREET OUTLAWS, DEADLIEST CATCH, ALASKAN BUSH PEOPLE and NAKED AND AFRAID XL) and the top four among Men 18-34 (GOLD RUSH, STREET OUTLAWS, NAKED AND AFRAID XL and ALASKAN BUSH PEOPLE) for the year. Among Total Viewers P2+, Discovery had the Top Three unscripted series for the year with GOLD RUSH (5.51m), ALASKAN BUSH PEOPLE (4.64m) and DEADLIEST CATCH (3.66m).
Discovery's SHARK WEEK 2015 in July was the highest-rated SHARK WEEK in the event's 28 year history in Prime Time in Persons 25-54, Women 25-54 and Women 18-49. It was also the highest-rated SHARK WEEK on record in Total Day in Persons/Men/Women 25-54, Persons/Women 18-49, Women 18-34, Persons 6-11 and Total Viewers P2+ from July 5-11.
Source: The Nielsen Company, L+3, coverage area data, TP-based for all dayparts. “Best ever” stories and quoted % changes based on ratings (two decimals), network/program ranks based on 000s; program rankers=3+ TC, excl. breakouts & program-level specials, as well as all sports/news/and talk shows (unless noted).