College basketball had the 1967-73 UCLA Bruins. Major League Baseball had the 1949-53 New York Yankees. And cable television has the 2006-2011 USA Network.
For a ridiculous nineteenth straight time, the NBC Universal property posted a victory in the quarterly cable ratings race in total viewers. It also edged the competition in the 18-49 demo in the first quarter of this year, after a defeat at the sausage-fingered hands of ESPN at the tail end of 2010.
In addition to NBCU's thriving corporate synergy, USA can chalk up its success to an overpowering mix of original programming and acquired series.
The cable giant's notable hits in the quarter were "White Collar" and its sister series "Royal Pains," which were the top two scripted dramas on cable during the period; and "Fairly Legal," cable's top-rated new drama series, which snared 1.5 in the 18-49 demo.
USA is also the home of "WWE Monday Night Raw," which — close your eyes, professional-wrestling haters — reeled in an average of 5.5 million viewers and was the highest-rated show among 18- to 34-year-old males in the 9-11 p.m. Monday time slot in all of television, broadcast or cable.
All this plus the occasional "Walker, Texas Ranger" rerun, to boot. Well played, USA.
