MTV's No. 1 among teens, young adults

New series paying off

By JOHN DEMPSEY

NEW YORK -- MTV: Music Television finishes only in 10th place in total-day ratings, but in the category that Madison Avenue would kill to reach, the 12- to 24-year-olds, the network came out No. 1 in 1998.

For the year to date, MTV's researchers say the network wound up with a 0.7 Nielsen rating in cable homes among 12- to 24-year-olds, putting it well ahead of the No. 2 USA Network, which finished with a 0.5 rating in cable homes for 12-24s.

MTV says its programming additions are paying off. In September, MTV launched such new series as "Total Request Live," "The Cut" and live specials featuring well-known artists between 3 and 7 p.m.

Also during the fourth quarter of 1998, MTV scored with such specials as the weekend stunt "The Cut Finale" and "Ultra Sound: Ladies Night," plus such events as "Fashionably Loud" and "Sports & Music Festival," all geared to MTV's target audience of teens and young adults.