‘Duck Dynasty,’ ‘Vikings’ lift A&E Networks in second quarter

A+E Networks, the parent of History, A&E and Lifetime, is on a roll with its original programming.

Original shows from the cable programming company, including A&E’s “Duck Dynastry” and History’s “Vikings” and “Pawn Stars,” were among the most-watched cable shows for the second quarter, according to Nielsen.

In fact, A+E Networks had six of the top 10 average most-watched cable shows per episode in the quarter.

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“Duck Dynasty” led the pack with nearly 13 million viewers per episode, far outpacing second-place “Vikings,” which drew 5.2 million. Coming in third, “Pawn Stars” had 4.9 million.

Other A+E shows in the top 10 included A&E’s “Longmire” in fourth place, History’s “Swamp People” in sixth and “Bates Motel” in ninth.

Nancy Dubuc, the executive who helped make History Channel a cable juggernaut, was promoted to president and chief executive of A+E in April and has ramped up the company’s push for original content.

TNT’s “Falling Skies” was the top non-A+E show, at No. 5 with an average of 4.7 million viewers.

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In the key 18-49 demographic, A+E had four of the top 10 most-viewed shows.

Among the networks, TNT took the top spot in primetime with the help of the NBA playoffs. Its primetime viewership increased 4% compared with the same quarter last year.

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