News & Rants - The CW falls to ION TV

I just looked at the network averages for the week ending January 3rd, 2010 and was I shocked that my first prediction for 2010 came true so soon. The CW came in behind ION-TV in both House Hold Ratings and Viewers, plus tied with ION in the all important 18-49 demographic.

Just think about this for a moment. ION-TV has less than 100 affiliates in the US.

ION TV drew 1.24 million viewers (0.8 HH rating) for the week. The CW was only able to generate 940 thousand viewers (0.6 HH rating). The shocking stat was in the 18-49 demo. The two networks tied at a 0.4 rating, but ION edged out in total viewers in the demographic, 480k to 470k. The news actually get even worse.

We have seen that My Network TV has posted year to year gains for December with their rerun lineup as a "Syndication Platform". They have had Law & Order: CI nights draw in excess of 4.5 million viewers. So we know that The CW lost to MyTV. But here is where it gets good (or bad if you are The CW).

Three of the Four Spanish language networks also beat The CW in all ratings categories for the same week. Univision regularly beats The CW, so that is not a surprise. But, bot Telemundo and Telefurura drew more viewers and more 18-49 viewers than did The CW. Only the very limited Azteca drew fewer viewers for the week.

So, to start out the New Year, The CW network is the #10 broadcaster in the USA.
How much longer can this network last?