BALTIMORE—Sinclair Broadcast Group has announced that its Comet, Charge! and TBD free, over-the-air, national multicast networks continue to see rapid growth, delivering the highest viewership in the networks’ history, with double-digit ratings increases.
For the full year of 2023, among total viewers, the networks experienced unprecedented year over year growth, with Comet +17%, Charge! +37% and TBD +10%*. The trend continued in January 2024 with Comet +28%, Charge! +11% and TBD +7% compared to January 2023.
Comet, which features sci-fi and fantasy entertainment franchises, in addition to its total year ratings growth the network saw its highest quarter ever for total day in Q4 ’23, up 28% year-over-year.
“The results speak for themselves. Viewers are turning away from traditional cable TV networks and discovering new linear viewing alternatives on free, over-the-air multicast TV. As viewers move, advertisers follow, and we are excited to welcome top brands to Comet, Charge! and TBD,” said Adam Ware, senior vice president, Growth Networks Group. “We are bullish on the future of multicast TV and are continuing to invest in the sector, including adding more networks like The Nest, which has already delivered strong growth in just its first few months.”
Other key highlights include:
- Grimm, which launched on Comet in Jul ’23, has increased viewership among P25-54 each quarter. In Jan ’24 Grimm was up +39% from its premiere and +79% from last years’ time period.
- The X-Files increased +7% among total viewers for prime time and late fringe in Q4 2023 versus 2022.
- Comet’s recently launched Mega Movie Saturday franchise, a themed movie marathon airing each month, increased +42% among P25-54 versus the 2023 the time period average, reaching an average of over 1 million total viewers weekly.
- Charge! with a lineup of high-profile police procedural dramas, saw its highest prime time and late fringe ever among total viewers in November 2023, with December 2023 and January 2024 ranking as the second and third highest rated months respectively. Additionally, November 2023 was the network’s highest ratings ever for total day.
- Law & Order: Criminal Intent, which launched in Oct ’23, led Charge! to its highest quarter ever in Q4 ’23 with 100% increase year-over-year in primetime among P25-54
- Law & Order: Criminal Intent on Charge! has continued to increase from its premiere, up +14% among P25-54 and +31% among W25-54 in Jan ’24
- TBD., the free TV home of big stars and big comedy, with a lineup of ground-breaking, funny franchises, increased +29% in 2023 for total viewers in daytime and delivered its highest rated month ever (Jan ’24) among all viewers.
- The TBD launches of Whose Line Is It Anyway?, Key & Peele, and Punk’d in Dec ’23 led to an increase of + 80% among P25-54 and another +17% increase in Jan ’24.
- Whose Line Is It Anyway? is the network’s highest rated program ever, comprising 7 out of TBD’s top 10 telecasts ever, with its highest averaging 75,000 P25-54.
- The Growth Networks Group continued to secure distribution upgrades throughout 2023 and into 2024, through new affiliations with major broadcast groups including the CBS stations (Comet in New York on WCBS channel 2.5 and in San Francisco on KPIX channel 5.5; Charge! in Los Angeles on KCAL channel 9.3, in Chicago on WBBM channel 2.5 and in Philadelphia on KYW channel 3.5.)
