USA edged TNT by a mere 14,000 viewers to come in first in primetime among basic-cable networks in the first-quarter Nielsen sweepstakes.
Leaping by 28% from the first three months of 2003, USA harvested 2.43 million total viewers. TNT averaged 2.41 million viewers, a 3% increase over the same period a year ago.
But TNT finished No. 1 in adults 18-49 (flat vs. last year) and adults 25-54 (up 2%); USA was second, but 26% better in 25-54 and 13% higher in 18-49.
Sports events like the NBA All-Star Game and the Budweiser Shootout auto race fueled TNT's big first quarter, which was also aided by reruns of "Law & Order" and multiple runs of theatrical hit "What Women Want."
USA's quarterly winners were original episodes of "Monk," consistently the highest-rated scripted series on basic cable; "A Perfect Husband: The Laci Peterson Story" original movie; and reruns of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit."
In addition to USA's 28% gain in total viewers, the following networks shot up by double digits in primetime for the first quarter (based on the order of their overall finish): Discovery Channel (27%), ESPN (19%), History Channel (25%), MTV (12%), AMC (25%) and ABC Family (39%).
Also seeing rises were Comedy Central (17%), Hallmark Channel (52%), ESPN2 (11%), VH1 (13%), Bravo (75%), Travel Channel (18%), Gameshow Network (13%), Lifetime Movie Network (20%), Soap Net (109%) and Toon Disney (up 10%).
Also up were Speed Channel (17%), WE: Women's Entertainment (12%), National Geographic Channel (64%), Discovery Health (39%), Outdoor Life Network (48%) and Fuse (87%).
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