• by Wayne Friedman , June 13, 2017

May’s prime-time commercial TV ratings for both broadcast and cable networks registered steep double-digit percentage declines.

Broadcast and cable networks each lost 13% in May 2017 versus May 2016 in Nielsen’s C3 metric, according to MoffettNathanson Research analysis of Nielsen data. Broadcast networks posted 5.23 million 18-49 C3 viewers for the month, with cable networks at 15.65 million.

Nielsen C3 is the average minute commercial ratings plus three days of time-shifted viewing -- a primary measure for national TV advertisers when it comes to guaranteeing their media buys.

In April, broadcast was down 15%, and cable 11%, in prime time.

Results were similar looking at total day C3 data, with broadcast down 14% to 2.96 million 18-49 viewers and cable dipping 9% to 9.24 million.

Overall TV was down 13% in prime time and 11% in total day.  By comparison, in February, TV was down 10% in prime time and 8% in total day.

Looking at individual broadcast networks' prime-time results, Fox lost 7% (to 1.18 million 18-49 viewers) with NBC losing 8% (now at 1.38 million); ABC falling 15% (1.39 million); and CBS at 18% (1.23 million).

Cable network groups also witnessed steady drops in prime time in C3 18-49 viewing: AMC Networks was off 4% (624,000); 21st Century Fox, 8% (1.15 million); A+E Networks, 8% (1.12 million); Time Warner, 9% (3.21 million); and Viacom, 9% (2.33 million).

Cable network groups that saw double-digit declines: Discovery Communications, 10% (1.62 million); NBCUniversal, 10% (2.13 million); Scripps Network Interactive, 11% (958,000); and Walt Disney, 20% (1.29 million).

Big cable news networks were among the few to have gains in May: CNN added an average 66,000 total day C3 18-49 viewers, with MSNBC up 59,000; and Fox News Channel up 56,000.

Three other non-news channels scored gains in the same measure; two from Discovery Communications: ID up 28,000 and TLC adding 4,000. AMC Network grew 3,000 in the month.