The Convergent TV ecosystem is changing by the second as linear and streaming continue a complicated dance. Still, linear TV continues to see strong viewership and engagement numbers across the board.
EDO scored every ad airing on linear primetime TV in 2022 and ranked programs by consumer engagement. Here are the top 10 broadcast and cable shows of last year.
Highlights:
- The holy dating show trinity that is The Bachelor franchise on ABC continues to perform well in EDO data. The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, and Bachelor in Paradise engaged viewers enough in 2022 to reach EDO’s top 10 performing broadcast primetime programs.
- Family Guy on FOX is the lone animated show to crack the top 10. Ads during the show outperformed the broadcast primetime average by 28%.
- A tear-jerking This is Us season finale comes in third on the 2022 ranker, narrowly beating out The Bachelorette.
- The only top broadcast programs that returned in 2022 are The Bachelor (ABC), This is Us (NBC), The Bachelorette (ABC), and Beat Shazam (FOX).
- The bigger picture: 42% of the top-performing programs on cable primetime programming last year were reality shows, followed by documentaries (21%) and general entertainment (19%).
Highlights:
- Donald Glover’s Atlanta on FX saw its final season in 2022, which also generated the top-performing cable primetime show by ad engagement. The program is 74% more likely to drive consumer engagement versus the average cable primetime show.
- The Deep End on Freeform is the network’s first try at a true-to-life docuseries, performing about 66% better than the average primetime cable program. The four-part documentary is based on the questionable teachings of Teal Swan, a spiritual leader accused of building a cult.
- If We’re Being Honest with Laverne Cox on E! performed well for advertisers in 2022. The first season of the series sees actress Cox interview powerful women in entertainment, from comediennes Whitney Cummings and Leslie Jones to singer Angelica Ross.
- The bigger picture: The top broadcast primetime programs in 2022 were mainly in the drama (28%), game shows (21%) and general entertainment (17%) genres.
EDO collects consumer engagement data for every single linear national ad airing since 2015. Check out more TV insights to learn how our outcome-based measurement can lead to business results.