Summer Of Cable, Part II: Record Viewership Again In Summer 2008

It's been another good summer for cable.

Summer 2008 may not have generated as many ratings headlines for cable as last year, when Disney Channel's "High School Musical 2" blew away viewership records and there was a higher number of original scripted series bows.

But the ad-supported cable networks still are hitting record viewership deliveries this summer. According to Turner Research data released Tuesday, the sector collectively is averaging 6 million more primetime viewers than 2004, the most recent year that included a presidential election and a Summer Olympics.

That group, which includes most basic cable networks with exceptions like Disney Channel, is averaging 51 million total viewers in primetime from May 26-Aug. 17, continuing an annual trend of growing summertime viewership. That figure represents a 13% increase over 2004 but less than a 1% increase over 2007.

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