ABC kids block tops Fox on Saturday (original) (raw)

NEW YORK — ABC’s Saturday-morning kids block surged ahead of five-year broadcast champ Fox in viewership for the season to date, but cable net Nickelodeon still ranks No. 1 for kids in the daypart.

For the season to date, Nickelodeon has averaged a 4.1 rating/18 share in kids 2-11 from 8-11 a.m., according to Nielsen Media Research, followed by ABC with a 3.6/16 and Fox at a 3.5/16.

Nickelodeon’s viewership lead is impressive because the cable network programs reruns in the Saturday-morning daypart. Also, the cable net achieved its ratings though it’s seen in less than 70% of the country.

While Nick usually does not schedule its top shows on Saturday morning, it did run marathons of kids fave “Rugrats” on two Saturdays that far surpassed the channel’s usual Saturday ratings.

Among the broadcast networks, the last time ABC ranked alone at No. 1 at this point in the season was eight years ago. Fox has dominated the Saturday-morning daypart since spring 1993.

Since ABC began its “Disney’s One Saturday Morning” Saturday-morning daypart, the Alphabet net has grown 33% and Fox has lost 28% of its audience. At this time last year, Fox led with a 5.0/21 compared to ABC’s 2.7/12.

This year, the WB has also improved significantly, growing 24% from last season.