The growing sex abuse allegations surrounding the reality TV starring Duggar family seems to have sent the TLC cable network to its lowest consumer perception levels since at least January 2013.
The descent also put them significantly below the perception levels of the average cable television network.
After the network’s perception peaked in early March this year, it held up until May 19th and 20th, when In Touch magazine published an article detailing claims that Josh Duggar sexually abused minors when he was a teenager, followed by a local police report. In the two weeks following that story, TLC rolled quickly downhill where they now have more negative perception than positive.
YouGov BrandIndex measured TLC’s perception with its Buzz score, which asks respondents "If you've heard anything about the brand in the last two weeks, through advertising, news or word of mouth, was it positive or negative?"
A score can range from 100 to -100 with a zero score equaling a neutral position.
Between May 20th and this past Monday, TLC’s Buzz score dropped five points from 4 to -1. That means currently, 1% of adults 18 and over have a more negative view of TLC than positive. The average Buzz score of all major cable television networks is currently 4, five points above TLC’s score.
TLC’s peak Buzz score for 2015 was early March, when it reached 6. TLC’s previous Buzz score high was 10, hit in February, May and September of 2013.
