The Linear TV 2023 Viewership Report
E2 Marketing Solutions
February 29, 2024
The data is in. We’ve scoured the sources and crunched the numbers to provide valuable insights on last year’s viewership numbers across Traditional Linear TV Channels and Programs. Let’s explore which channels and programs are up, down, and flat in this week’s latest addition to The Beta Blog.
The Bottom Line on 2023’s Linear TV Viewership
As you may have guessed, we are continuing to see a reduction in Linear TV viewership levels year over year. According to MediaPost, in Q4 2023 the National Linear TV Ad Market fell by 7% in total, and that’s including a 22% increase in ad spend on NFL.
Broadcast vs Cable TV Station Viewership in 2023
Looking at the entire year of 2023, we’ve segmented Broadcast and Unwired Affiliates from Cable networks. Broadcast is not losing as many viewers as Cable, most likely due to Over-The-Air (OTA) retaining some cord cutters, but viewership counts are still declining in both sectors. The full total viewership numbers on over 150 ranked networks can be found in this Variety Report and we’ve consolidated a digestible top 10 list as well as other valuable insights for you.
Broadcast and Cable TV Stations - Top Ten of 2023
It is important to note that the Rank positions on the following lists are determined by total viewership or the average number of people watching a program during a given minute when it airs. Total viewership numbers are in thousands, so add 3 zeros to each figure (000).
Looking at the Top 10 Broadcast networks, ABC and FOX reported small gains in viewers, while all other affiliates were down. NBC, CBS, CW, and Unimas were hit the hardest in terms of total viewers lost.
| Rank (2023) | Network | Viewers (2023) | Viewers (2022) | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NBC | 4,537 | 5,148 | -12% |
| 2 | CBS | 4,508 | 5,144 | -12% |
| 3 | ABC | 3,888 | 3,867 | 1% |
| 4 | FOX | 3,353 | 3,233 | 4% |
| 5 | Univision | 1,265 | 1,315 | -4% |
| 6 | ION | 997 | 1,023 | -3% |
| 7 | Telemundo | 859 | 933 | -8% |
| 8 | Me TV | 631 | 688 | -8% |
| 9 | The CW | 453 | 574 | -21% |
| 10 | Unimas | 372 | 489 | -24% |
Reviewing the Top 10 cable networks, MSNBC reported a small gain, with all other networks in the top 10 losing viewership. Fox News and TLC suffered the most viewership loss.
| Rank (2023) | Network | Viewers (2023) | Viewers (2022) | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fox News | 1,899 | 2,369 | -20% |
| 2 | ESPN | 1,705 | 1,877 | -9% |
| 3 | MSNBC | 1,220 | 1,197 | 2% |
| 4 | HGTV | 943 | 1,081 | -13% |
| 5 | TNT | 938 | 965 | -3% |
| 6 | Hallmark | 929 | 1,034 | -10% |
| 7 | TBS | 786 | 875 | -10% |
| 8 | History | 775 | 836 | -7% |
| 9 | TLC | 749 | 971 | -23% |
| 10 | Inspiration | 709 | 778 | -9% |
The Top 5 Most Successful TV Stations of 2023
Moving on from the Top 10 list, let’s look at the networks that experienced the most amount of gain in average total viewership.
- FOX Broadcast saw the largest viewership gain, up 4% from 2022 with 120,000 more viewers on average in 2023. Fox’s rank remained in 4th place compared to 2022, however compared to their counterpart broadcast affiliates, Fox reported a gain while NBC and CBS lost on average over 600,000 viewers each.
- Reelz Channel, with a fantastic 34% viewership change from 2022 produced 85,000 more viewers on average in 2023 and moved 14 positions in rank up to 37.
- Ranking in 25th place compared to 34th in 2022, Grit produced 80,000 more viewers on average in 2023, an 18% increase.
- Great American Family with a huge 76% viewership change from 2022, produced 60,000 more viewers on average and improved from 103 to 77 in rank which was the largest rank movement on the list.
- Finally, NewsNation improved its viewership by 73% and produced 46,000 more viewers in 2023. A great movement for the 89th ranked network, however NewsNation in total still only produced approximately 110,000 viewers on average in 2023.
Honorable Mention TV Stations of 2023
It’s still worth mentioning other great movers and shakers, such as Ovation and Fox Business, who both saw a 44% increase and about 25,000 increases in average viewership each. Also the digitnets continue to do well with their subscription cable and over the air coverage, Defy TV, Charge, and NCBLX all reported 22%-28% increases in 2023 viewership.
The Top 5 Most Unsuccessful TV Stations of 2023
Now let’s look at the most amount of loss in average total viewership:
- CBS lost 636,000 average viewers compared to 2022, a 12% reduction. They remained second in rank.
- NBC also kept its first rank position but lost 611,000 average viewers in 2023, a 12% decrease YoY.
- The cable network Fox News lost 470,000 viewers on average, and again, also kept the 5th ranked position.
- TLC moved from 12th rank to 16th. They saw a 23% decrease in 2023 which was a loss of 222,000 viewers on average.
- Finally, ESPN lost 172,000 viewers in 2023 on average, which was a 9% decrease and remained in the 6th ranked position.
The Hardest Hit TV Stations of 2023
Unfortunately, sometimes we have to report the not so good news. The Spanish programming channels were hit hard, Galavision takes the first spot with a 56% loss in average viewership and falling from rank 100 in 2022 to rank 127 in 2023. Discovery en Espanol and CNN en Espanol also saw roughly 50%, and Discovery Familia and Nat Geo Mundo lost 35% each in 2023. English programming channels such as Sportsman channel lost 50% average viewers but somehow improved from 151 to 149 in rank. Finally, Disney XD and VH1 each lost approximately 40%, however Disney has shifted programming and is concentrating on their streaming platform, Disney+.
In Remembrance: TV station Changes and Closures of 2023
Cable networks experienced some losses and consolidations in 2023 as well. The Olympic Channel, NBC Sports Network, and G4 all shut down their operations in 2022. Cinemax consolidated with HBO to form Max, Fuse discontinued linear and converted to streaming only, Decades rebranded to Catchy Comedy, and the Black News Channel seized operations and merged with Grio.
Broadcast and Cable TV Stations - Full Viewership 2023 Report
Looking for the full 2023 vs 2022 Linear TV Station Viewership report on over a 150 Networks? The full list is below:
Note this report contains a lot of data that you wont be able to access on a mobile device. Switch over to desktop or tablet to access the the full report.
| Rank (2023) | Network | Viewers (2023) | Viewers (2022) | % Change | Viewers Change | Rank (2022) | Rank Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NBC | 4,537 | 5,148 | -12% | (611) | 1 | 0 |
| 2 | CBS | 4,508 | 5,144 | -12% | (636) | 2 | 0 |
| 3 | ABC | 3,888 | 3,867 | 1% | 21 | 3 | 0 |
| 4 | Fox | 3,353 | 3,233 | 4% | 120 | 4 | 0 |
| 5 | Fox News | 1,899 | 2,369 | -20% | (470) | 5 | 0 |
| 6 | ESPN | 1,705 | 1,877 | -9% | (172) | 6 | 0 |
| 7 | Univision | 1,265 | 1,315 | -4% | (50) | 7 | 0 |
| 8 | MSNBC | 1,220 | 1,197 | 2% | 23 | 8 | 0 |
| 9 | Ion | 997 | 1,023 | -3% | (26) | 11 | 2 |
| 10 | HGTV | 943 | 1,081 | -13% | (138) | 9 | (1) |
| 11 | TNT | 938 | 965 | -3% | (27) | 13 | 2 |
| 12 | Hallmark Channel | 929 | 1,034 | -10% | (105) | 10 | (2) |
| 13 | Telemundo | 859 | 933 | -8% | (74) | 14 | 1 |
| 14 | TBS | 786 | 875 | -10% | (89) | 15 | 1 |
| 15 | History | 775 | 836 | -7% | (61) | 16 | 1 |
| 16 | TLC | 749 | 971 | -23% | (222) | 12 | (4) |
| 17 | INSP | 709 | 778 | -9% | (69) | 19 | 2 |
| 18 | Discovery Channel | 702 | 821 | -14% | (119) | 17 | (1) |
| 19 | USA Network | 688 | 738 | -7% | (50) | 20 | 1 |
| 20 | Food Network | 672 | 779 | -14% | (107) | 18 | (2) |
| 21 | Me TV | 631 | 688 | -8% | (57) | 22 | 1 |
| 22 | CNN | 591 | 735 | -20% | (144) | 21 | (1) |
| 23 | Bravo | 571 | 595 | -4% | (24) | 23 | 0 |
| 24 | Investigation Discovery | 546 | 566 | -4% | (20) | 26 | 2 |
| 25 | Grit | 513 | 433 | 18% | 80 | 34 | 9 |
| 26 | TV Land | 467 | 521 | -10% | (54) | 27 | 1 |
| 27 | Hallmark Movie & Mysteries | 454 | 492 | -8% | (38) | 29 | 2 |
| 28 | The CW | 453 | 574 | -21% | (121) | 25 | (3) |
| 29 | Lifetime | 443 | 589 | -25% | (146) | 24 | (5) |
| 30 | A&E | 432 | 508 | -15% | (76) | 28 | (2) |
| 31 | FX | 389 | 462 | -16% | (73) | 33 | 2 |
| 32 | Unimás | 372 | 489 | -24% | (117) | 31 | (1) |
| 33 | AMC | 369 | 468 | -21% | (99) | 32 | (1) |
| 34 | WE TV | 369 | 428 | -14% | (59) | 35 | 1 |
| 35 | Paramount Network | 346 | 491 | -30% | (145) | 30 | (5) |
| 36 | Game Show Network | 340 | 361 | -6% | (21) | 36 | 0 |
| 37 | Reelzchannel | 337 | 252 | 34% | 85 | 51 | 14 |
| 38 | BET | 335 | 359 | -7% | (24) | 38 | 0 |
| 39 | ESPN 2 | 323 | 335 | -4% | (12) | 41 | 2 |
| 40 | Oxygen | 312 | 331 | -7% | (19) | 42 | 2 |
| 41 | Fox Sports 1 | 308 | 273 | 13% | 35 | 48 | 7 |
| 42 | National Geographic | 301 | 356 | -15% | (55) | 39 | (3) |
| 43 | Syfy | 285 | 359 | -21% | (74) | 37 | (6) |
| 44 | MTV | 256 | 288 | -11% | (32) | 44 | 0 |
| 45 | Freeform | 254 | 301 | -16% | (47) | 43 | (2) |
| 46 | Bounce TV | 253 | 254 | 0% | (1) | 50 | 4 |
| 47 | Nick at Nite | 245 | 283 | -13% | (38) | 47 | 0 |
| 48 | Comedy Central | 233 | 266 | -12% | (33) | 49 | 1 |
| 49 | Family Entertainment TV | 231 | 240 | -4% | (9) | 56 | 7 |
| 50 | Travel Channel | 226 | 336 | -33% | (110) | 40 | (10) |
| 51 | Newsmax | 225 | 184 | 22% | 41 | 73 | 22 |
| 52 | Animal Planet | 217 | 286 | -24% | (69) | 46 | (6) |
| 53 | Adult Swim | 217 | 245 | -11% | (28) | 54 | 1 |
| 54 | SundanceTV | 206 | 238 | -13% | (32) | 57 | 3 |
| 55 | FXX | 204 | 246 | -17% | (42) | 53 | (2) |
| 56 | E! | 204 | 232 | -12% | (28) | 59 | 3 |
| 57 | NFL Network | 197 | 207 | -5% | (10) | 65 | 8 |
| 58 | Cozi | 196 | 202 | -3% | (6) | 68 | 10 |
| 59 | LMN | 191 | 237 | -19% | (46) | 58 | (1) |
| 60 | Nickelodeon | 190 | 287 | -34% | (97) | 45 | (15) |
| 61 | Start TV | 190 | 207 | -8% | (17) | 66 | 5 |
| 62 | Motor Trend | 184 | 213 | -14% | (29) | 63 | 1 |
| 63 | BBC America | 179 | 190 | -6% | (11) | 70 | 7 |
| 64 | IFC | 177 | 223 | -21% | (46) | 60 | (4) |
| 65 | Court TV Mystery | 174 | 185 | -6% | (11) | 71 | 6 |
| 66 | Magnolia Network | 170 | 203 | -16% | (33) | 67 | 1 |
| 67 | CMT | 169 | 217 | -22% | (48) | 61 | (6) |
| 68 | Heroes and Icons | 169 | 172 | -2% | (3) | 78 | 10 |
| 69 | HBO | 166 | 250 | -34% | (84) | 52 | (17) |
| 69 | HLN | 166 | 211 | -21% | (45) | 64 | (5) |
| 71 | CNBC | 163 | 196 | -17% | (33) | 69 | (2) |
| 72 | Nat Geo Wild | 158 | 181 | -13% | (23) | 75 | 3 |
| 73 | VH1 | 154 | 241 | -36% | (87) | 55 | (18) |
| 74 | Laff | 151 | 146 | 3% | 5 | 82 | 8 |
| 75 | OWN | 147 | 213 | -31% | (66) | 62 | (13) |
| 76 | Cartoon Network | 146 | 181 | -19% | (35) | 76 | 0 |
| 77 | Great American Family | 139 | 79 | 76% | 60 | 103 | 26 |
| 78 | Science Channel | 134 | 184 | -27% | (50) | 72 | (6) |
| 79 | Disney Junior | 133 | 183 | -27% | (50) | 74 | (5) |
| 80 | Disney Channel | 132 | 178 | -26% | (46) | 77 | (3) |
| 81 | Defy TV | 130 | 97 | 34% | 33 | 92 | 11 |
| 82 | Up | 124 | 117 | 6% | 7 | 85 | 3 |
| 83 | Pop TV | 121 | 128 | -5% | (7) | 84 | 1 |
| 84 | TruTV | 120 | 147 | -18% | (27) | 81 | (3) |
| 85 | Weather Channel | 119 | 160 | -26% | (41) | 80 | (5) |
| 86 | Antenna TV | 114 | 115 | -1% | (1) | 86 | 0 |
| 87 | Nick Jr. | 112 | 169 | -34% | (57) | 79 | (8) |
| 88 | TUDN | 111 | 135 | -18% | (24) | 83 | (5) |
| 89 | Newsnation | 109 | 63 | 73% | 46 | 109 | 20 |
| 90 | Charge! | 102 | 80 | 28% | 22 | 102 | 12 |
| 91 | Comet | 101 | 99 | 2% | 2 | 89 | (2) |
| 92 | Fox Business Network | 91 | 63 | 44% | 28 | 108 | 16 |
| 93 | Get TV | 91 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 94 | TV One | 87 | 104 | -16% | (17) | 88 | (6) |
| 95 | Smithsonian | 87 | 98 | -11% | (11) | 91 | (4) |
| 96 | MLB Network | 87 | 96 | -9% | (9) | 93 | (3) |
| 97 | NBA TV | 85 | 90 | -6% | (5) | 97 | 0 |
| 98 | Cooking Channel | 84 | 98 | -14% | (14) | 90 | (8) |
| 99 | Golf Channel | 84 | 94 | -11% | (10) | 94 | (5) |
| 100 | Hallmark Drama | 82 | 90 | -9% | (8) | 96 | (4) |
| 101 | Estrella TV | 81 | 106 | -24% | (25) | 87 | (14) |
| 102 | Ovation Network | 79 | 55 | 44% | 24 | 115 | 13 |
| 103 | Catchy Comedy | 69 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 104 | Showtime | 69 | 92 | -25% | (23) | 95 | (9) |
| 105 | FX Movie Channel | 68 | 80 | -15% | (12) | 101 | (4) |
| 106 | FYI | 64 | 87 | -26% | (23) | 98 | (8) |
| 107 | Big Ten Network | 64 | 75 | -15% | (11) | 104 | (3) |
| 108 | Viceland | 61 | 71 | -14% | (10) | 105 | (3) |
| 109 | Nicktoons | 58 | 65 | -11% | (7) | 106 | (3) |
| 110 | Starz | 57 | 83 | -31% | (26) | 99 | (11) |
| 111 | Court TV | 56 | 58 | -3% | (2) | 111 | 0 |
| 112 | Tennis Network | 55 | 50 | 10% | 5 | 122 | 10 |
| 113 | RFD-TV | 54 | 50 | 8% | 4 | 121 | 8 |
| 114 | Dabl | 53 | 59 | -10% | (6) | 110 | (4) |
| 115 | Teen Nick | 51 | 43 | 19% | 8 | 126 | 11 |
| 116 | Telexitos | 49 | 56 | -13% | (7) | 113 | (3) |
| 117 | American Heroes | 48 | 55 | -13% | (7) | 114 | (3) |
| 118 | MTV 2 | 48 | 55 | -13% | (7) | 116 | (2) |
| 119 | Universo | 45 | 57 | -21% | (12) | 112 | (7) |
| 120 | ESPN U | 44 | 49 | -10% | (5) | 123 | 3 |
| 121 | True Real | 44 | 43 | 2% | 1 | 127 | 6 |
| 122 | Boomerang | 41 | 52 | -21% | (11) | 119 | (3) |
| 123 | Destination America | 41 | 52 | -21% | (11) | 120 | (3) |
| 124 | BET Her | 41 | 44 | -7% | (3) | 125 | 1 |
| 125 | Fox Deportes | 41 | 41 | 0% | 0 | 129 | 4 |
| 126 | Story Television | 40 | 41 | -2% | (1) | 131 | 5 |
| 127 | Galavisión | 36 | 82 | -56% | (46) | 100 | (27) |
| 128 | AXS TV | 35 | 42 | -17% | (7) | 128 | 0 |
| 129 | Logo | 35 | 41 | -15% | (6) | 130 | 1 |
| 130 | Discovery En Español | 33 | 63 | -48% | (30) | 107 | (23) |
| 131 | Disney XD | 32 | 53 | -40% | (21) | 118 | (13) |
| 132 | Azteca | 31 | 47 | -34% | (16) | 124 | (8) |
| 133 | TBD TV | 30 | 31 | -3% | (1) | 133 | 0 |
| 134 | Discovery Family Channel | 28 | 38 | -26% | (10) | 132 | (2) |
| 135 | The Cowboy Channel | 26 | 24 | 8% | 2 | 138 | 3 |
| 136 | Outdoor Channel | 22 | 30 | -27% | (8) | 134 | (2) |
| 137 | Universal Kids | 21 | 23 | -9% | (2) | 139 | 2 |
| 138 | Discovery Life Channel | 20 | 28 | -29% | (8) | 135 | (3) |
| 139 | ESPN Deportes | 20 | 27 | -26% | (7) | 137 | (2) |
| 140 | Fox Sports 2 | 20 | 19 | 5% | 1 | 142 | 2 |
| 141 | Cleo TV | 15 | 13 | 15% | 2 | 148 | 7 |
| 142 | Discovery Familia | 13 | 20 | -35% | (7) | 140 | (2) |
| 143 | Baby First TV | 13 | 18 | -28% | (5) | 143 | 0 |
| 144 | Justice Central | 13 | 11 | 18% | 2 | 149 | 5 |
| 145 | Nat Geo Mundo | 11 | 17 | -35% | (6) | 144 | (1) |
| 146 | Accuweather | 10 | 9 | 11% | 1 | 150 | 4 |
| 147 | CNN En Español | 8 | 15 | -47% | (7) | 146 | (1) |
| 148 | Galanovelas | 7 | 14 | -50% | (7) | 147 | (1) |
| 149 | Sportsman Channel | 7 | 9 | -50% | (2) | 151 | 2 |
| 150 | Comedy TV | 7 | 4 | 75% | 3 | 156 | 6 |
| 151 | NBCLX | 5 | 4 | 25% | 1 | 154 | 3 |
| 152 | BEIN Sport Español | 3 | 4 | -25% | (1) | 153 | 1 |
Linear TV Program Viewership in 2023
So what was everyone watching last year? If you guessed sports, you win! Sports was the overwhelming majority of the most watched programs on Linear TV last year. Variety consolidated a list of the top 100 programs, and we have broken down the numbers for you.
In 2023, the top 100 programs attracted 1.5 billion viewers in total (not averaged like our prior report). Actually, 1.512 billion to be exact, which is approximately 6 million less than 2022’s list. We’ve taken that list and segmented it into two simple categories, Sports and Regular Programming, with a few subcategories as well.
| Program | Sub Category | Viewers (2023) | Viewers (2022) | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NFL | Sports | 913,663 | 815,207 | 12% |
| NCIS | Entertainment | 130,960 | 108,764 | 20% |
| 60 Minutes | News | 75,664 | 88,722 | -15% |
| NBA | Sports | 70,277 | 74,748 | -6% |
| Blue Bloods | Entertainment | 48,342 | N/A | N/A |
| FBI | Entertainment | 40,537 | 75,496 | -46% |
| College Basketball | Sports | 40,048 | 20,620 | 94% |
| Young Sheldon | Entertainment | 38,998 | N/A | N/A |
| Chicago Fire | Entertainment | 38,509 | 10,382 | 271% |
| Oscars | Entertainment | 19,412 | 17,561 | 11% |
| Next Level Chef | Entertainment | 16,893 | N/A | N/A |
| Grammy's | Entertainment | 13,376 | 10,232 | 31% |
| Fire Country | Entertainment | 12,225 | N/A | N/A |
| Yellowstone | Entertainment | 11,474 | 71,531 | -84% |
| Sports Post Game | Sports | 11,474 | 32,988 | -65% |
| Accused | Entertainment | 10,604 | N/A | N/A |
| College Football | Sports | 10,119 | 44,009 | -77% |
| Night Court | Entertainment | 9,628 | N/A | N/A |
| MLB | Sports | N/A | 70,989 | N/A |
| Winter Olympics | Sports | N/A | 76,931 | N/A |
Sports Programming Viewership in 2023
Looking at the 2023 top 100 programs list, Sports programming accounted for nearly 70% of the 1.5 billion viewers. This number is down compared to 2022 which was at 75%.
However, and certainly attributed to the Tailor and Travis effect, the NFL in 2023 soared with 913 million viewers compared to 815 million in 2022. Superbowl LVII drove in 115 million vs the Superbowl LVI which produced 99 million viewers, and we have a strange feeling the 2024 Superbowl ratings will be even larger.
College Basketball also increased, with NCAA March Madness tournament driving 40M viewers in 2023 compared to 20M in 2022. On the other hand, NBA shrunk by 4 million, while College Football playoffs dropped by 30M viewers. MLB in 2023?, it didn’t even make the list, but regardless, live sports content is still dominating linear TV and especially American Football.
Regular Programming Viewership in 2023
When we look at Regular Programming, we break things out into News and Entertainment subcategories. In total, Regular Programming brought in 466 million viewers in 2023, which was up from 382 million in 2022.
Entertainment was the main driver, the Oscars drove in 19M viewers compared to 17M in 2022, the Grammy’s 13M vs. 10M. Then you have the drama bucket, i.e. NCIS, FBI, and the other Chicago Fire, etc’s of the world. Although there were typical programming changes with shows such as Yellowstone winding down, the category was still up in 2023, attracting 358 million viewers vs. 266 million in 2022.
The News subcategory was down in 2023, programs such as 60 minutes, etc, which drove in 75 million viewers vs. 88 million in 2022. So hats off to the Entertainment side of linear programming, it helped fill the losses we experienced with non-NFL live sports.
Summing it Up
With the rise of Connected TV (CTV) and other streaming platforms, there is no doubt that Linear TV viewership levels are continuing to decline. However, CTV is not necessarily adding and supplementing more viewership to the Streaming and Linear ecosystem in total. The data shows that overall viewership is going down across traditional and digital delivery methods. But we are still talking about billions of eyeballs and audiences, and Linear is a very effective method to reach your target consumer or build your brand. Entertainment programming saw a nice rise in 2023 but do keep in mind that many of these programs were clean leads from sports.
Where should you put your ad budget? Our bet is on sports and primetime dayparts for maximum reach. Yes, these placements are pricey, but there are methods to hit sports and primetime without breaking the bank. Keep your eye on The Beta Blog for more updates regarding the Linear TV marketplace and future viewership reports.
E2 Marketing Solutions offers marketing consultation and specialty services for brands and agencies. If you are looking for more information on how to execute effective Linear TV ad campaigns, contact us today!