Media Life Magazine, a cable trade publication, ran a profile of Spike last week in anticipation of the beginning of cable upfront presentations this month.
The network ranked 11th in total primetime audience in the first quarter, up 15% from Q1 '07 to almost 1.4 million viewers. It placed in the top ten among the 18-49 and 25-54 demographics (which were relatively flat year over year), but was down 3% in the 18-34 demographic with an average of 298,00 viewers (SEE ALSO: The Ultimate Fighter Cumulative Rating Breakdown).
According to the experts, the network is in good shape heading into upfronts:
“They have to be pretty satisfied,” says Brad Adgate, senior vice president and corporate research director at Horizon Media. “They found a pretty strong niche in young men, which is a tough audience to reach because they’re doing a lot of things other than watching TV.”
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On a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being excellent: 3.5.Spike TV is in pretty good shape going into the upfront. Its focus on young men has been getting clearer and it’s been adding shows that fit well into its brand. It’s also a top-12 network in every major demographic with mostly improving ratings.
