Network TV's Case of the Missing Men: Due to an exodus of 18- to 34-year-old male viewers, the four networks' new TV shows are getting booted off the air faster than "Survivor" contestants this season. [...]
Five of the six networks — ABC, CBS, NBC, UPN and the WB — also saw 3 to 14 percent prime-time declines among women that age, while Fox had a 12 percent spike.
So why are young viewers snubbing prime-time network TV? Experts say there are many reasons, including the quality of the shows and the increasing popularity of distractions like video games, DVDs and cable.
"One obvious answer is the hardest one to solve — it's the programming, stupid," said Robert Thompson, director of Syracuse University's Center for the Study of Popular Television. "Network television is searching for the next big thing. It's foul ball, foul ball, foul ball. They're still up to bat, but there's not a lot going on."
