'Polar Vortex' Coverage Gets Big Ratings For TWC

While most of the US was forced to deal with the sub-freezing temperatures of the polar vortex, the Weather Channel was cooking up record results, according to The NY Post.

The network, owned by NBCUniversal and private-equity powerhouses Blackstone Group and Bain Capital, captured new corporate advertising sponsors for its storm coverage. And it added tourism-category advertisers on TV and its websites — as warmer locales looked to tempt viewers hoping to escape the frigid climes.

For example, battery maker Duracell jumped at the opportunity to advertise to viewers swamped with news of electrical blackouts.

While executives at the network declined to discuss how much added revenue it booked because of the prolonged and widespread cold weather, they did say the network’s ratings beat news channels for the No. 1 slot during the storm.

The ratings during January’s first week were the best in six years.

The network reached 56 million households and hit the top 20 of all cable networks. TWC was the top-rated news network in the weekday 6 a.m. to 11 a.m. time slot.

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