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Adult Swim Cartoon Network News Archive

Adult Swim Scores Most Watched Week With “Futurama” Farewell

[via press release]

Adult Swim Achieves Its Most-Watched Week of the Year With Five-Day Chronological Run of FUTURAMA in its Entirety

Emmy-winning Animated Series from Matt Groening Claims 17 of Top 50 Shows of the Week Among Adults 18-34

Adding a cherry to its 2007 year-end performance as ad-supported basic cable’s #1 network among young adults, Adult Swim presented a five-day marathon (Dec. 26-30, 11 p.m.-6 a.m.) of Matt Groening’s Emmy-winning FUTURAMA—72 episodes in chronological order—earning the network its most-watched week of the year among key young adult demos, according to preliminary data from Nielsen Media Research.  Through the strength of the programming stunt, Adult Swim set its 2007 record for the highest weekly delivery of adults 18-34 (510,000), men 18-34 (347,000), adults 18-49 (651,000) and men 18-49 (427,000).  The on-air event also claimed 17 of the top 50 shows of the week among adults 18-34.  As a result, Adult Swim will close 2007 once again ranking #1 among all basic cable for weekly total day delivery of adults 18-34, adults 18-24, men 18-34 and men 18-24.

Compared to the same time period in 2006, Adult Swim delivery and ratings grew by significant double and triple digits across all targeted demos, ranging from 44% – 100%.  Highlights of Adult Swim’s overall performance as well as standouts from the FUTURAMA marathon presentation include the following:

ADULT SWIM (Monday-Saturday, 11 p.m.-6 a.m.; Sunday, 10 p.m.-6 a.m.) vs. the Same Time 2006 Period:

  • Adults 18-34 delivery (510,000) increased by 91%, and ratings (0.8) by 100%
  • Adults 18-24 delivery (269,000) and ratings (0.9) both improved by 50%
  • Adults 18-49 delivery (651,000) grew by 77%, and ratings (0.5) by 67%
  • Men 18-34 delivery (347,000) expanded by 88%, and ratings (1.0) by 67%
  • Men 18-24 delivery (184,000) jumped by 50%, and ratings (1.3) by 44%.
  • On Saturday, Dec. 29, FUTURAMA accounted for all top 10 highest-rated telecasts of the day on ad supported cable with both adults and men 18-24.  The highest delivering episode was at 12:30 a.m.—403,000 adults 18-24 and 313,000 men 18-24
  • On Sunday, Dec. 30, the FUTURAMA marathon ended on a high note by claiming 9 of the top 10 ad-supported basic cable programs of the day among men 18-34 and men 18-24, including the #1 telecasts of the day among each demo.  The 1 a.m. telecast delivered 752,000 men 18-34, making it the highest watched episode of the marathon among men 18-34.  The 12:30 a.m. episode was the most-watched among men 18-24 (396,000).

FUTURAMA, winner of the 2002 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program (less than one hour), began its run on Adult Swim in January 2003, showcasing 72 episodes of the series.  FUTURAMA chronicles the adventures of Philip J. Fry, a pizza delivery boy who was accidentally frozen on New Year’s Eve in 1999 while on the job.  When he thaws out 1000 years later, he must adapt to a very different world populated by peculiar species, robots, space ships and omnipresent advertising.

FUTURAMA was created by Matt Groening, who also created The Simpsons.  Groening and David X. Cohen developed the series, which debuted on FOX in 1999.

Adult Swim (AdultSwim.com), launched in 2001, is Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.’s network offering original and acquired animated comedy and action series for young adults.  Airing overnight 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. Sunday (ET, PT), Adult Swim shares channel space with Cartoon Network, home to the best in original, classic and acquired programming for children and families, and is seen in 91 million U.S. homes.

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news, entertainment, animation and young adult media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.

RATING PERIOD:  12/24/07 – 12/30/07

SOURCE:  Turner Entertainment Research from Preliminary Nielsen Media Research data based on Live+SD data.   These television ratings data are reproduced here with permission from Nielsen Media Research.   Reproduction of these data in volume, without permission from Nielsen Media Research, is prohibited.