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Is Anybody Watching the Food Network?
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Ubiquitous
Aug 5, 2014, 5:29:17 AM8/5/14
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A look into their primetime ratings reveals that their cultural
influence far outweighs pure numbers
By Dan Myers
There�s no denying that Food Network is a cultural game-changer. It�s
launched the careers of countless celebrity chefs and arguably sparked
�foodie� culture in America as we know it. But how many people have
actually watched it? And how do the ratings compare to those of other
networks, both cable and broadcast?
We reached out to Nielsen, who did some research for us and calculated
the top-rated primetime (8 to 11 p.m.) programs in 2000, 2005, 2010,
and 2014. Tracking the evolution of the network�s primetime strategy is
a fascinating ride.
First, let�s head back to 2000, when episodes of Emeril Lagasse�s
Emeril Live were broadcast a whopping 356 times. Average viewership
among the 18-49 demographic (the one that�s commonly accepted as the
most important) clocked in at about 141,000 viewers per broadcast, with
a .1 rating (Ratings are the percentage of all television-equipped
households tuned in to a program at any given moment). It�s a
surprisingly low number, considering the fact that Emeril�s star was
shining so bright that less than a year later he was awarded a self-
titled primetime sitcom on NBC. But even if every single person who
tuned into Emeril Live every night also watched Emeril, a .1 rating is
no recipe for success in the Broadcast world. It�s also worth noting
that the highest-rated Food Network program in 2000 wasn�t in fact
Emeril Live, it was Japanese import Iron Chef, which aired 104 times
that year and had an average of 212,000 viewers. Other top-rated
primetime Food Network shows in 2000 included Food Finds (135,000
viewers), Two Fat Ladies (134,000 viewers even though it only aired
five times in primetime), the second season of Good Eats (131,000
viewers), and Food Nation with Bobby Flay (117,000 viewers). Rounding
out the top-20 primetime programs that year was Ming Tsai�s East Meets
West, which netted just 79,000 viewers in the 18-49 demographic on
average for the 21 primetime telecasts (the show aired primarily during
the afternoon).
Fast-forward five years, and the only primetime shows remaining from
2000 were Good Eats, Food Nation, and Emeril Live. The highest-rated
program that year was the first season of The Next Food Network Star,
which, contrary to popular belief, wasn�t won by Guy Fieri (he won the
second season), but by �Hearty Boys� Dan Smith and Steve McDonagh, who
now run a Chicago catering company and burger joint. That show�s 12
episodes averaged a .3 rating in the 18-49 demographic, with 523,000
average viewers, nearly triple the highest-rated show from five years
previous. Other highly-rated primetime shows that year included the
first and second seasons of Iron Chef America (435,000 viewers),
Rachael Ray�s Tasty Travels (348,000 viewers), and Unwrapped (361,000
viewers). Emeril Live, which aired 295 times that year, clocked in at
243,000 average viewers, nearly double the audience of 2000 but now on
the lower end of the spectrum. Their lowest-rated top-20 primetime show
in 2005 was the long-forgotten Weighing In, in which �calorie commando�
Joan Carlos Cruz helped people lose weight, with 198,000 average
viewers. The overwhelming success of Food Network Star was certainly a
sign of things to come.
In 2010, the primetime lineup was topped off by Worst Cooks in America,
which averaged 927,000 viewers among adults 18-49 years old, a .7
rating. Emeril was long gone by now, replaced by the network�s new
king, Guy Fieri, whose Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives averaged 675,000
viewers. Other top-rated shows that year included Chopped Champions
(782,000 viewers), The Great Food Truck Race (675,000), and Chopped
(664,000). This was a transitional year for the network�s primetime
lineup; while they�d certainly found a formula that worked (many of the
top shows from back then are still primetime anchors), the lineup was
bogged down with middling shows like Chefs vs. City, Meat & Potatoes,
Private Chefs of Beverly Hills, and Food Feuds, which averaged about
425,000 viewers each. The lowest-rated program in the top 20 primetime
shows that year was Family Style, whose five episodes only attracted an
average of 312,000 viewers. Yes, this number would have blown Emeril
out of the water 10 years previous, but don�t forget that the network
had millions fewer subscribers back then.
If the primetime lineup in 2010 was a hodgepodge of reality shows,
competitions, travel shows, and straightforward cooking shows, 2014�s
lineup has settled on the true moneymaker: competition shows. The 10th
season of Food Network Star, Worst Cooks in America, Chopped, Cutthroat
Kitchen, Rachael vs. Guy, Guy�s Grocery Games, Beat Bobby Flay, Food
Court Wars, and Kitchen Casino are the top draws, rounded out by �save
my restaurant�- style shows like Restaurant Impossible, Restaurant
Stakeout, Save My Bakery, and Buy This Restaurant. Food Network Star
has been the top-rated primetime show for them this year, pulling a .9
rating and averaging 1,080,000 18-49-year-old viewers, followed by
Worst Cooks in America at 777,000 viewers, Chopped: Tournament of
Champions at 699,000 viewers, and Alton Brown�s Cutthroat Kitchen at
693,000 viewers. Rounding out the bottom of the top-20 list this year
was Buy This Restaurant, which averaged just 274,000 viewers in the
four episodes that made it to air. With an average of 523,000 viewers
during primetime, it�s clear that these formats keep viewers tuning in.
So far this year, Food Network�s 18-49 primetime viewership has
averaged 523,000 viewers. Compared to other cable networks, Food
Network actually ranks 17th in year-to-date primetime rankings; TNT,
USA, History, ESPN, and Disney are the top 5 cable networks ratings-
wise, and it�s also behind Lifetime, A&E, Discovery, Fox News, and TBS.
Gordon Ramsay�s Hell�s Kitchen, which airs on Fox, has averaged 4.82
million viewers per episode this season, a 1.66 rating, a far larger
audience than any Food Network averages. And for comparison�s sake, the
highest-rated program on network TV for the week of July 14, NCIS,
attracted about 8 million viewers, a 5.3 rating, and the highest-rated
cable show, TNT�s Major Crimes, earned a 3.4 rating, with 5.3 million
viewers.
When you think of the comparatively modest ratings of the programs on
Food Network�s primetime lineup, it�s incredible to think of the
cultural impact that they�ve had. Their non-primetime programs made
huge stars out of everyone from Rachael Ray to Paula Deen, and their
full programming slate has arguably done more to change the dining
culture in this country than any other influencing factor; it�s
introduced us to some of the country�s leading chefs, it�s taken us
into the kitchen of some of the country�s most popular restaurants, and
it�s shown us the blood, sweat, and tears that go into making a
restaurant successful. And when you compare Food Network�s primetime
numbers to those of, say, NBC, which is pulling an average of 2,931,000
18-49-year-old viewers so far this year but has little cultural
influence beyond America�s Got Talent, it�s downright stunning.
--
So to recap:
Iraq is imploding
Russia is expanding
The US is being invaded
Vets are dying
IRS is lying
And Obama is fundraising & golfing
influence far outweighs pure numbers
By Dan Myers
There�s no denying that Food Network is a cultural game-changer. It�s
launched the careers of countless celebrity chefs and arguably sparked
�foodie� culture in America as we know it. But how many people have
actually watched it? And how do the ratings compare to those of other
networks, both cable and broadcast?
We reached out to Nielsen, who did some research for us and calculated
the top-rated primetime (8 to 11 p.m.) programs in 2000, 2005, 2010,
and 2014. Tracking the evolution of the network�s primetime strategy is
a fascinating ride.
First, let�s head back to 2000, when episodes of Emeril Lagasse�s
Emeril Live were broadcast a whopping 356 times. Average viewership
among the 18-49 demographic (the one that�s commonly accepted as the
most important) clocked in at about 141,000 viewers per broadcast, with
a .1 rating (Ratings are the percentage of all television-equipped
households tuned in to a program at any given moment). It�s a
surprisingly low number, considering the fact that Emeril�s star was
shining so bright that less than a year later he was awarded a self-
titled primetime sitcom on NBC. But even if every single person who
tuned into Emeril Live every night also watched Emeril, a .1 rating is
no recipe for success in the Broadcast world. It�s also worth noting
that the highest-rated Food Network program in 2000 wasn�t in fact
Emeril Live, it was Japanese import Iron Chef, which aired 104 times
that year and had an average of 212,000 viewers. Other top-rated
primetime Food Network shows in 2000 included Food Finds (135,000
viewers), Two Fat Ladies (134,000 viewers even though it only aired
five times in primetime), the second season of Good Eats (131,000
viewers), and Food Nation with Bobby Flay (117,000 viewers). Rounding
out the top-20 primetime programs that year was Ming Tsai�s East Meets
West, which netted just 79,000 viewers in the 18-49 demographic on
average for the 21 primetime telecasts (the show aired primarily during
the afternoon).
Fast-forward five years, and the only primetime shows remaining from
2000 were Good Eats, Food Nation, and Emeril Live. The highest-rated
program that year was the first season of The Next Food Network Star,
which, contrary to popular belief, wasn�t won by Guy Fieri (he won the
second season), but by �Hearty Boys� Dan Smith and Steve McDonagh, who
now run a Chicago catering company and burger joint. That show�s 12
episodes averaged a .3 rating in the 18-49 demographic, with 523,000
average viewers, nearly triple the highest-rated show from five years
previous. Other highly-rated primetime shows that year included the
first and second seasons of Iron Chef America (435,000 viewers),
Rachael Ray�s Tasty Travels (348,000 viewers), and Unwrapped (361,000
viewers). Emeril Live, which aired 295 times that year, clocked in at
243,000 average viewers, nearly double the audience of 2000 but now on
the lower end of the spectrum. Their lowest-rated top-20 primetime show
in 2005 was the long-forgotten Weighing In, in which �calorie commando�
Joan Carlos Cruz helped people lose weight, with 198,000 average
viewers. The overwhelming success of Food Network Star was certainly a
sign of things to come.
In 2010, the primetime lineup was topped off by Worst Cooks in America,
which averaged 927,000 viewers among adults 18-49 years old, a .7
rating. Emeril was long gone by now, replaced by the network�s new
king, Guy Fieri, whose Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives averaged 675,000
viewers. Other top-rated shows that year included Chopped Champions
(782,000 viewers), The Great Food Truck Race (675,000), and Chopped
(664,000). This was a transitional year for the network�s primetime
lineup; while they�d certainly found a formula that worked (many of the
top shows from back then are still primetime anchors), the lineup was
bogged down with middling shows like Chefs vs. City, Meat & Potatoes,
Private Chefs of Beverly Hills, and Food Feuds, which averaged about
425,000 viewers each. The lowest-rated program in the top 20 primetime
shows that year was Family Style, whose five episodes only attracted an
average of 312,000 viewers. Yes, this number would have blown Emeril
out of the water 10 years previous, but don�t forget that the network
had millions fewer subscribers back then.
If the primetime lineup in 2010 was a hodgepodge of reality shows,
competitions, travel shows, and straightforward cooking shows, 2014�s
lineup has settled on the true moneymaker: competition shows. The 10th
season of Food Network Star, Worst Cooks in America, Chopped, Cutthroat
Kitchen, Rachael vs. Guy, Guy�s Grocery Games, Beat Bobby Flay, Food
Court Wars, and Kitchen Casino are the top draws, rounded out by �save
my restaurant�- style shows like Restaurant Impossible, Restaurant
Stakeout, Save My Bakery, and Buy This Restaurant. Food Network Star
has been the top-rated primetime show for them this year, pulling a .9
rating and averaging 1,080,000 18-49-year-old viewers, followed by
Worst Cooks in America at 777,000 viewers, Chopped: Tournament of
Champions at 699,000 viewers, and Alton Brown�s Cutthroat Kitchen at
693,000 viewers. Rounding out the bottom of the top-20 list this year
was Buy This Restaurant, which averaged just 274,000 viewers in the
four episodes that made it to air. With an average of 523,000 viewers
during primetime, it�s clear that these formats keep viewers tuning in.
So far this year, Food Network�s 18-49 primetime viewership has
averaged 523,000 viewers. Compared to other cable networks, Food
Network actually ranks 17th in year-to-date primetime rankings; TNT,
USA, History, ESPN, and Disney are the top 5 cable networks ratings-
wise, and it�s also behind Lifetime, A&E, Discovery, Fox News, and TBS.
Gordon Ramsay�s Hell�s Kitchen, which airs on Fox, has averaged 4.82
million viewers per episode this season, a 1.66 rating, a far larger
audience than any Food Network averages. And for comparison�s sake, the
highest-rated program on network TV for the week of July 14, NCIS,
attracted about 8 million viewers, a 5.3 rating, and the highest-rated
cable show, TNT�s Major Crimes, earned a 3.4 rating, with 5.3 million
viewers.
When you think of the comparatively modest ratings of the programs on
Food Network�s primetime lineup, it�s incredible to think of the
cultural impact that they�ve had. Their non-primetime programs made
huge stars out of everyone from Rachael Ray to Paula Deen, and their
full programming slate has arguably done more to change the dining
culture in this country than any other influencing factor; it�s
introduced us to some of the country�s leading chefs, it�s taken us
into the kitchen of some of the country�s most popular restaurants, and
it�s shown us the blood, sweat, and tears that go into making a
restaurant successful. And when you compare Food Network�s primetime
numbers to those of, say, NBC, which is pulling an average of 2,931,000
18-49-year-old viewers so far this year but has little cultural
influence beyond America�s Got Talent, it�s downright stunning.
--
So to recap:
Iraq is imploding
Russia is expanding
The US is being invaded
Vets are dying
IRS is lying
And Obama is fundraising & golfing
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