Network Deep Dive: A&E
Today we’re continuing our series of network deep dives with a look at A&E using data from Inscape and iSpot to surface viewership trends and advertising highlights. (Previous deep dives include History Channel, AMC and The Weather Channel.) Unless indicated otherwise, data below is from Jan. 1 through June 2, 2020.
Viewership Trends via Inscape
First, some topline stats for A&E via Inscape, the TV data company with insights from a panel of more than 15 million smart TVs.
Of all the active smart TVs that Inscape measured in the last 35 days, A&E reached 20.08%, making it No. 21 for percent network reach. Of all the minutes watched by active smart TVs in this time period, 1.46% of the time was spent on A&E, making it No. 18 for time-spent network share.
Here’s a look at A&E’s audience location by local area market. Hotspots of viewership include Myrtle Beach-Florence, SC; Columbia, SC; Tulsa, OK; Glendive, MT; and Zanesville, OH, among others.
When it comes to other networks that A&E viewers are most likely to watch, Crime & Investigation Network leads, followed by FYI, National Geographic, Travel Channel and Discovery Channel.
Based on the average percent of TVs watching, the top programs on A&E so far this year include now-canceled Live PD (see below) as well as its various spinoffs (Rewind, Police Patrol, PD Cam, etc.), The First 48, 60 Days In, Zombie House Flipping and Flipping Vegas.
Other shows likely to be watched by A&E viewers off-network include Hard Time: Locked Up, Ghost Hunters, Lockdown, Alaska State Troopers and Borderforce USA: The Bridges.
On June 10, A&E announced that it was canceling Live PD in the wake of ongoing protests against police brutality. It remains to be seen where the show’s audience will go, but according to Inscape’s data, previous viewers of the series were also likely to watch The First 48, Street Outlaws, Deadliest Catch, Alaskan Bush People and Swamp People.
Inscape has minute-by-minute viewing data for anything that airs on TV. Below, for example, a look at the two-episode season 19 finale of The First 48 on April 30; you can see viewership rose steadily over the course of the broadcast, peaking at the very end.
Advertising Trends via iSpot
According to iSpot.tv, the always-on TV ad measurement and attribution company, there were 49.4 billion TV ad impressions served on A&E from Jan. 1 through June 2, representing a 16.99% increase from the same time period in 2019. A&E is ranked No. 12 for TV ad impressions so far this year (during the same time period in 2019, the network was ranked No. 14 for impressions).
Looking at shows with the highest impression-counts, Live PD is in first place with nearly 15 billion impressions, followed by The First 48 (12.3 billion). Live PD spinoffs round out the top five.
Brands with the highest impression-counts on A&E include Geico (842.9 million), Domino’s (806.7 million), Burger King (748.3 million), Liberty Mutual (748 million) and Progressive (498.1 million).
Looking specifically at The First 48, the show had a 117.04% increase in TV ad impressions on A&E year-over-year, although it’s worth noting that there were fewer new episodes that aired January through June 2019 than this year (17 vs 23).
The most-seen brands on A&E so far in 2020 include Liberty Mutual (228.9 million TV ad impressions), Domino’s (170.1 million), Geico (160.4 million), Burger King (157.2 million) and Carvana (130.4 million). Of those brands, three had notable iSpot Attention Scores (the Attention Score measures the percentage of an ad that is played across a TV device):
- Domino’s - iSpot Attention Score of 95.54, 26% less likely to be interrupted than average
- Geico - iSpot Attention Score of 94.86, 15% less likely to be interrupted
- Burger King - iSpot Attention Score of 94.43, 7% less likely to be interrupted