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4 | M U L T I C H A N N E L N E W S | A U G U S T 2 9 , 2 0 1 6 | m u l t i c h a n n e l . c o m

HBO’s fantasy drama Game of Thrones is the most watched entertainment-based series on cable so far this summer (through Aug. 7) on a Nielsen live-plus-7-day basis count-ing average total viewers, per the ratings company.

The sixth season of the fantasy series bested a trio of TNT scripted shows — Major Crimes, Rizzoli & Isles and The Last Ship, according to Nielsen.

For networks, the 2016 presidential campaign was a huge summertime draw for the cable news channels. Fox News Channel, CNN and MSNBC all ranked among the top 10 most watched networks in live-plus-7-day primetime ratings for the summer among total viewers through Aug. 7, according to Nielsen.

Fox News is poised to finish as the most watched net-

work on cable this summer and the only network to aver-age more than 2 million viewers for the period.

The news networks were the only cable channels among the top 10 that garnered a year-to-year viewer-ship gain. Of the seven remaining channels, five posted double-digit declines, Nielsen reported.

— R. Thomas Umstead

‘Game of Thrones’ Slays in Summer RatingsElection powers Fox News Channel to top of network rankings

SHOW NETWORK TOTAL VIEWERS

Game of Thrones HBO 11.5 million

Major Crimes TNT 6.5 million

Rizzoli & Isles TNT 6.4 million

The Last Ship TNT 3.9 million

Alaskan Bush People Discovery Channel 3.9 million

The Haves and the Have Nots OWN 3.6 million

WWE Monday Night Raw USA Network 3.5 million

Love & Hip Hop Atlanta VH1 3.5 million

Suits USA Network 3.4 million

Street Outlaws Discovery Channel 3.3 million

Summer’s Top 10 Cable Entertainment Series *

HBO’s Game of Thrones

HELEN

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NETWORK SUMMER 2016 SUMMER 2015 % CHANGE

Fox News Channel 2.4 million 1.9 million +28%

TNT 1.6 million 2.0 million -17%

USA 1.6 million 1.9 million -14%

HGTV 1.6 million 1.6 million -2%

Discovery Channel 1.4 million 1.7 million -18%

Disney Channel 1.3 million 1.8 million -26%

History 1.3 million 1.5 million -10%

TBS 1.3 million 1.4 million -5%

CNN 1.3 million 596,000 +122%

MSNBC 1.2 million 627,000 +91%

Summer’s 10 Most Watched Cable Networks *

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is interviewed by Fox News Channel’s Megyn Kelly.

ERIC LEIB

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* Period from 5/30-8/7, Nielsen live-plus-7 ratings

*Period from 5/30-8/7, Nielsen live-plus-7 ratings