Big Four summer viewership up

It’s no wipeout – the summer doldrums that normally afflict network TV are lifting this year, a possible side effect of high gas prices and the wilting economy.

Viewership for the Big Four networks is up slightly, reversing years of declines, even as basic cable continues to grow with more original series.

ABC’s “Wipeout” is the lone new broadcast hit, but top shows “Hell’s Kitchen” and “America’s Got Talent” have gained viewers, and NBC’s picture is poised to brighten considerably next week with the Olympics.

“People are home more,” says John Rash, media buyer at Campbell Mithun, a Minneapolis ad agency. “The sluggish economy may have meant more people opted for television as their entertainment of choice.”

USA’s “Burn Notice,” “Monk” and “Psych,” along with Lifetime’s hit “Army Wives,” also have improved over last season. TNT’s “The Closer” remains cable’s top series with 7.4 million viewers.

And even as the writers’ strike delayed HBO’s “Entourage” and FX’s “Rescue Me,” there are more new shows gaining traction in more places. Summer’s top newcomer, USA’s “In Plain Sight,” is more popular than big-network shows such as ABC’s “The Mole” and NBC’s “Last Comic Standing.”

“Cable networks have the quality scripted programming that the networks just are not offering in the summer months,” says Carat USA analyst Shari Anne Brill.

Instead, there’s a whole lotta misses among the networks’ reality-rich diet, from “Celebrity Circus” to “Greatest American Dog.” Several of last summer’s top series – “Deal or No Deal,” “The Singing Bee,” “CSI” reruns – are either gone or down sharply.

Network executives point out that each summer sees its share of flotsam. Last year brought “On the Lot,” “Fat March” and “Pirate Master.” (Remember them?)

But it’s been three years since “Dancing With the Stars” became a summer sensation, echoing earlier successes of “Survivor” and “American Idol,” which went on to become in-season hits.

ABC, which says “Wipeout” will remain a summer-only staple, credits June’s NBA Finals with a big share of its score: Tournament viewership was up 61 percent over last year’s. (Delayed finales of top series “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Lost” also helped.)

And increases in DVR usage give more viewers more chances to watch. About 19 percent of the audience for “So You Think You Can Dance,” “Hell’s Kitchen” and “Wipeout” is watching on a delayed basis, higher than the percentage for “American Idol” or “Survivor.”