MSNBC, CNN Halt Post-Election Swoons, But Fox News Stays Way Out in Front in January

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It’s positive for CNN and MSNBC as they experienced significant audience growth in January. Both networks saw considerable increases compared to December and the time following the elections.

Conversely, neither CNN nor MSNBC have regained the viewership they held throughout much of the previous year. Instead, they find themselves competing for the runner-up position, with Fox News leading the pack, having achieved its highest cable news ratings ever in January.

In January of 2024, I was thrilled to see impressive viewership growth across all three networks. Viewers aged 25 to 54 and the crucial advertising demographic saw double-digit percentage increases compared to December. Fox News took the lead, attracting approximately 1.92 million viewers throughout the day and a whopping 2.78 million during primetime. These figures represent a remarkable 30% and 31% jump over December’s numbers, according to Nielsen measurements spanning from Dec. 30 to Jan. 26.

On a significant upward trend, MSNBC garnered 506,000 viewers throughout the entire day, marking a 26% increase compared to December. In primetime, they attracted 734,000 viewers, representing a 29% rise. CNN experienced the greatest percentage growth among the three networks, yet it still lagged behind MSNBC in both total-day viewership (421,000 viewers, up by 39%) and prime-time viewership (522,000, up by 55%).

Once more, CNN surpassed MSNBC in attracting viewers between the ages of 25 and 54 during the month. On a daily basis, they averaged around 80,000 such viewers, while in primetime, that number climbed to 118,000. In comparison, MSNBC managed an average of 45,000 daily viewers and 63,000 during primetime. Fox News remained the clear leader with approximately 253,000 adults aged 25-54 watching during the day, and a whopping 353,000 tuning in during prime time.

Moving further along the list, NewsNation achieved its best monthly total audience for January (approximately 66,000), as well as its second highest viewership during prime time hours with around 121,000 viewers.

Following a presidential election, it’s normal for cable news networks to experience a decline in viewership. This has been the case with the three largest outlets after previous elections as well. However, CNN and MSNBC are showing signs of improvement. The coverage of Donald Trump’s second inauguration on January 20th attracted each network’s largest audience since election day. From January 20th to 24th, MSNBC’s weekday primetime lineup saw a significant increase in viewership, averaging 1.3 million viewers – a jump of 61% compared to the average of the preceding three weeks.

As a dedicated viewer, I’m eagerly looking forward to seeing how both CNN and MSNBC will close the gap between their projected audiences for the entire year of 2024. Right now, their January ratings are significantly lower than their average performance over the past twelve months. However, with plenty of time left in the year, I’m confident they’ll work hard to regain ground and deliver the quality content that keeps me tuning in.

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2025-01-29 02:56