The Weather Channel Earns Greatest Sustained Increases in Viewership During Extensive Coverage of Hurricane Katrina

The Weather Channel Earns Greatest Sustained Increases in Viewership During Extensive Coverage of Hurricane Katrina

ATLANTA, Aug. 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- In the days that Hurricane Katrina gathered strength to become the deadly and dangerous 11th hurricane of the season, The Weather Channel drew a large increase in viewers. At one point, leading up to the urgent need for evacuation warnings and shelter advisories, The Weather Channel had the greatest increase in viewers of any news and information network. The total day (5 a.m.-2 a.m.) HH rating for The Weather Channel on August 28 was 1.71, according to available metered market Nielsen data, an increase of 470% compared to 3rd Quarter 2005 to date. This was significantly higher than increases experienced by cable news networks covering the hurricane, proving that The Weather Channel continues to be a primary destination for people seeking severe weather information specifically.

The network's coverage of Hurricane Katrina included frequent updates and analysis by Hurricane Expert Dr. Steve Lyons and live reports by experienced meteorologists from all of the major impact points as well as updates on tornadoes spawned by the storm provided by Severe Weather Expert Dr. Gregory Forbes.

"Our biggest concern during these types of weather situations is to warn and prepare people with the latest forecasts, on-site observation, and a constant vigilance to bring residents all the information they need," said Debora Wilson, president of The Weather Channel Companies. "Applying the exceptional resources that distinguish us with TV viewers, we reach across a variety of information platforms including weather.com, The Weather Channel Radio Network, online services for mobile and broadband. Whatever way people seek weather information, they know they will receive the same expertise and depth they have come to trust on The Weather Channel."

When receiving advance information about the hurricane was especially critical, The Weather Channel rated #1. The Weather Channel achieved a 1.29 HH rating during the 5 a.m. - noon-time period, according to available metered market Nielsen data. The Weather Channel outperformed other networks that had the following ratings during that time period -- a 0.92 for Fox News, a 0.55 for CNN, a 0.22 for MSNBC.

Hurricane Katrina also led to an increase in traffic to The Weather Channel Web site, weather.com, on Sunday, August 28, when the site set a weekend day record for video streams viewed. In addition, weather.com saw a 350% increase in traffic compared to an average Sunday. The Weather Channel blog, available at www.weather.com/blog, and featuring posts from The Weather Channel field crews and expert meteorologists, experienced increased traffic as well, when viewers read and reacted to behind-the-scenes, first-hand accounts from the experts tracking Hurricane Katrina.

The record for highest total day rating ever achieved by The Weather Channel was last year on September 13, the day leading up to Hurricane Ivan's landfall, with a total day rating of 1.9 households representing 1.6 million homes. The peak quarter-hour rating for that day was between 9:30-9:45 p.m. with a 3.6 rating representing over 3.1 million households.

For additional information, please contact Kathy Lane, 770-226-2102, or klane@weather.com.

Source: The Weather Channel

CONTACT: Kathy Lane of The Weather Channel, +1-770-226-2102, or klane@weather.com

Web site: http://www.weather.com/ http://www.weather.com/blog

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