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    HGTV, Food Network Feed Off Of Virus Stay-At-Home Viewers; Nielsen Week In Review

    By SHOOTUpdated:No Comments2034 Views
    In this Jan. 16, 2020 file photo, chief brand officer, Discovery & Factual, Nancy Daniels speaks at the Discovery Network TCA Winter Press Tour in Pasadena, Calif. HGTV and the Food Network have seen their viewership jump by more than 20 percent last month over April 2019. Executives at the Discovery-owned networks say it's because they are creating an environment that gives comfort to viewers with the extended time at home. (Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP, File)

    By David Bauder, Media Writer

    NEW YORK (AP) --

    Americans stuck at home staring at fading furniture and wondering what to cook for dinner have been a boon for television networks like HGTV and the Food Network.

    The Food Network's overall ratings in April were up 25 percent over the same month last year, while HGTV was up 22 percent, the Nielsen company said.

    Both networks have adjusted programming in reaction to coronavirus shutdowns with more in the works. The Food Network's Guy Fieri has gotten takeout at some of his favorite dives, and other chefs are exploring how to be creative with what's in the pantry. HGTV is planning a show where new products are left on the doorway of people and design experts will judge how the family made use of them, said Kathleen Finch, chief lifestyle brand officer for the Discovery-owned networks.

    "People are gravitating to our networks and talent because we provide more than entertainment right now," Finch said.

    Stuck-at-home show hosts are also making use of camera equipment lent by their networks. Comic Amy Schumer is making a program that debuts Monday for the Food Network, "Amy Schumer Learns to Cook," that is being filmed by her nanny, Finch said.

    HGTV hit paydirt this month with shows that featured Brad Pitt, Melissa McCarthy and other celebrities improving the living situations for people they know. The network is planning a show that will feature comics sitting around and commenting on episodes of "Househunters," Finch said.

    Four Discovery-owned networks — TLC, HGTV, Discovery and the Food Network — were among the 10 most popular cable networks in primetime last week, Nielsen said.

    While HGTV and the Food Network are popular primarily because of the environment they offer, TLC is being fueled by a single hit show: "90 Day Fiance," which films couples as they decide quickly whether or not to get hitched to qualify for a marital visa. Primarily because of that show, TLC's prime-time ratings in April jumped 47 percent from last year, Nielsen said.

    Later this month, TLC is premiering a dating show, "Find Love Live," that depicts courtship in the quarantine era, Finch said.

    CBS topped the broadcast networks in primetime last week, averaging 5.8 million viewers. ABC was second with 3.7 million, NBC had 3.6 million, Fox had 2.7 million, Univision had 1.6 million, ION Television had 1.2 million and Telemundo had 910,000.

    Fox News Channel crushed the cable competition, averaging 3.69 million viewers in primetime. MSNBC had 1.78 million, CNN had 1.55 million, TLC had 1.302 million and HGTV had 1.3 million.

    ABC's "World News Tonight" won the evening news competition, averaging 10.5 million viewers. NBC's "Nightly News" had 9.5 million and the "CBS Evening News" had 6.6 million.

    For the week of April 27-May 3, the top 20 shows, their networks and viewers:

    1. "Young Sheldon," CBS, 10.15 million.
    2. "60 Minutes," CBS, 9.31 million.
    3. "Blue Bloods," CBS, 8.52 million.
    4. "NCIS," CBS, 8.4 million.
    5. "Survivor," CBS, 8.1 million.
    6. "The Masked Singer," Fox, 7.8 million.
    7. "Magnum, P.I.," CBS, 7.21 million.
    8. "FBI," CBS, 7.03 million.
    9. "FBI: Most Wanted," CBS, 6.97 million.
    10. "911," Fox, 6.81 million.
    11. "The Voice," NBC, 6.68 million.
    12. "Man With a Plan" (Thursday, 8:30 p.m.), CBS, 6.59 million.
    13. "American Idol," ABC, 6.4 million.
    14. "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire," ABC, 6.21 million.
    15. "Man With a Plan" (Thursday, 9 p.m.), CBS, 6.08 million.
    16. "The Conners," ABC, 5.96 million.
    17. "MacGyver," CBS, 5.89 million.
    18. "Seal Team," CBS, 5.76 million.
    19. "Station 19," ABC, 5.58 million.
    20. "America's Funniest Home Videos," ABC, 5.27 million.

    Category:News
    Tags:coronavirusFood NetworkHGTVNielsen



    Supreme Court Allows Multibillion-Dollar Class Action Lawsuit To Proceed Against Meta

    Friday, November 22, 2024

    The Supreme Court is allowing a multibillion-dollar class action investors' lawsuit to proceed against Facebook parent Meta, stemming from the privacy scandal involving the Cambridge Analytica political consulting firm.

    The justices heard arguments in November in Meta's bid to shut down the lawsuit. On Friday, they decided that they were wrong to take up the case in the first place.

    The high court dismissed the company's appeal, leaving in place an appellate ruling allowing the case to go forward.

    Investors allege that Meta did not fully disclose the risks that Facebook users' personal information would be misused by Cambridge Analytica, a firm that supported Donald Trump 's first successful Republican presidential campaign in 2016.

    Inadequacy of the disclosures led to two significant price drops in the price of the company's shares in 2018, after the public learned about the extent of the privacy scandal, the investors say.

    Meta spokesman Andy Stone said the company was disappointed by the court's action. "The plaintiff's claims are baseless and we will continue to defend ourselves as this case is considered by the District Court," Stone said in an emailed statement.

    Meta already has paid a $5.1 billion fine and reached a $725 million privacy settlement with users.

    Cambridge Analytica had ties to Trump political strategist Steve Bannon. It had paid a Facebook app developer for access to the personal information of about 87 million Facebook users. That data was then used to target U.S. voters during the 2016 campaign.

    The lawsuit is one of two high court cases involving class-action lawsuits against tech companies. The justices also are wrestling with whether to shut down a class action against Nvidia.... Read More

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