Discovery Inc. Tops Pay TV Ratings In April 2020

Discovery, Inc. finished April 2020 as the #1 portfolio of pay TV networks in L+3 viewership, bucking industry trends by growing +3% in primetime among P25-54 and +5% among P25-54 in total day, while cable and broadcast overall were down from the previous April. Eleven of Discovery’s networks grew viewership double digits in primetime among the key P25-54 demo compared to April 2019, including TLC (+45%), DIY (+49%), Cooking Channel (+26%) MotorTrend TV (+17%), Food Network (+12%) and AHC (+19%), among others. No other pay TV portfolio claimed more than four networks with double digit growth.

Year to date, Discovery, Inc. is the most-watched pay TV portfolio among total viewers, P25-54 and P18+, with brand stars and hit franchises such as 90 Day Fiancé, Chip and Joanna Gaines, Guy Fieri, Bobby Flay, Drew and Jonathan Scott, and Ree Drummond driving the group’s ratings success.

Brand and series L+3 ratings highlights include:

TLC
TLC is the #1 cable network in primetime among W25-54, W18-49 and W18-34 for April and all of 2020 to date.

TLC scored its best April primetime performance ever for total viewers and for P25-54, W25-54 and W18-49 ratings.

90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days is the #1 cable series among W25-54 and W18+ for April.

HGTV
HGTV is April’s #1 non-news cable network among total viewers, W25-54 and P18+ for total day. In primetime, HGTV is the #2 non-news cable network for total viewers an P18+.
The brand recorded its best monthly primetime P25-54 ratings since January 2019.

New series Celebrity IOU, hosted by Drew and Jonathan Scott – with guest stars Brad Pitt, Melissa McCarthy and Viola Davis – has reached 18.8 million total viewers. Celebrity IOU is the #2 new unscripted original series in all of cable among P25-54 and W25-54 so far this year.

Overall, HGTV holds four of the top 15 new unscripted series among W25-54 in 2020 (#2 Celebrity IOU, #8 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, #13 Unsellable Houses, #14 Flipping 101).

Food Network
Food Network is the #1 non-news cable network among W18-49 in total day, while claiming the #2 non-news cable network spots among P25-54 and W25-54.

The brand delivered its highest-rated April since 2012 among P25-54 for both primetime (+18% YOY) and total day (+26% YOY). This also marked the highest-rated month ever for total day among M25-54 (+47%).

Food Network notched its best weekend ever on April 18 and 19, reaching nearly 18 million viewers.

Series contributing to the ratings gains include Tournament of Champions, The Pioneer Woman, Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, Beat Bobby Flay and Buddy vs. Duff.

Discovery
In April, Discovery saw primetime ratings increase +7% among W25-54.

Driven by the success of Gold Rush: Parker’s Trail and Gold Rush: Dave Turin’s Lost Mine, Discovery achieved its most-watched Fridays in April in network history (P2+).

The series premiere of Bloodline was the highest-rated series premiere lead-out of Deadliest Catch in seven years among P25-54.

OWN
OWN’s If Loving You Is Wrong was the #1 scripted cable series among African-American W18+ in April 2020. The hit drama made OWN Tuesday night’s #1 cable network among African-American W25-54, W18+, and P2+. In addition, OWN’s freshman unscripted series Love Goals was Saturday night’s #1 original series on all of TV among African-American W25-54.

DIY
April 2020 is the highest-rated month in network history for both primetime and total day in all key demos.

DIY’s four-part April 26 special, Magnolia Presents: A Look Back and A Look Ahead, hosted by Chip and Joanna Gaines, drove the network to its highest-rated day in network history among P25-54. The four episodes of the special now rank as four of the top 10 telecasts (including top two) in DIY’s history among P25-54 viewers.

Cooking Channel
Cooking Channel delivered its highest-rated month in network history among P25-54 for both primetime and total day.

Travel Channel
Travel Channel earned its highest-rated April ever in primetime among W25-54. The network tied for its highest-rated April ever among P25-54 and tied for its best month ever among W25-54 in total day.

MotorTrend TV
MotorTrend TV recorded its best April ever, fueled by Iron Resurrection, Texas Metal, and Chasing Classic Cars. The network earned +40% gains in average time spent by Millennial fans and was up double-digits in primetime delivery among P25-54, M25-54 and M18-34.

Science Channel
Science Channel scored its highest-rated April ever across both primetime and total day among P25-54 and P18-49.

SOURCE: Discovery Inc.