Thursday Ratings: Fox News GOP Debate Is Highest-Rated In Cable News This Year

by Nando Di Fino | 5:39 pm, December 16th, 2011

» 14 comments

Fox News was almost universally lauded for their production of the Republican debate on Thursday night, and the amount of people who tuned in made it doubly enjoyable for the cable news network: 6.7 million viewers tuned in to watch the debate, with 1.9 million of them coming from the 25-54 year old demo. The only debate this year to beat these numbers was ABC’s last week, which pulled 7.6 million overall and 2.1 million in the demo. Keep in mind that ABC is in about 17 million more homes than Fox News.

As for collateral damage? Prepare to have your innocence shattered. [Lights, please]. The Republican debate averaged more viewers than A Charlie Brown Christmas (6.4 million viewers), which aired from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. on ABC. Charlie Brown did, however, beat the debate in the demo.

Other nuggets from Thursday night:

In the 6 p.m. time slot, Al Sharpton pulled in 226,000 demo viewers, while Vinnie Politan attracted 152,000.

Joy Behar had 106,000 demo viewers tune in for her final live show on HLN.

While FNC pretty much destroyed everything in sight, MSNBC had an exceptionally strong night across the board, as well, finishing second in every time slot.

Alternative headline for this post: Newt Gingrich Beats Up Charlie Brown

Here are the complete cable news ratings for Thursday night:

TV NEWS RATINGS: 25-54 DEMOGRAPHIC (L +SD)

5 pm

The5

309

Blitzer

170

Matthews

192

Special

114

6 pm

Baier

402

King, USA

133

Sharpton

226

Prime

152

7 pm

Shep

376

Burnett

113

Matthews

208

Issues

122

8 pm

O’Reilly

846

Cooper

150

Schultz

183

Grace

108

9 pm

Debate

1.908

Piers

Maddow

286

Dr. Drew

10 pm

Debate

1.817

Cooper

104

O’Donnell

187

Behar

106

11 pm

Hannity

951

Burnett

Schultz

101

Showbiz

TOTAL DAY

462

100

142

PRIME TIME

1.515

114

219

100

Data by Nielsen Media Research. Live and same day (DVR) data.

TV NEWS RATINGS: TOTAL VIEWERS (L +SD)

5 pm	The5 1,470	Blitzer 702	Matthews 724	Special 241
6 pm	Baier 2,034	King, USA 497	Sharpton 777	Prime 350
7 pm	Shep 2,026	Burnett 444	Matthews 786	Issues 421
8 pm	O’Reilly 3,863	Cooper 518	Schultz 859	Grace 480
9 pm	Debate 6,881	Piers 422	Maddow 872	DrDrew 309
10 pm	Debate 6,529	Cooper 314	O’Donnell 627	Behar 367
11 pm	Hannity 3,375	Burnett 266	Schultz 423	Showbiz 202
TOTAL DAY	1,790	362	455	239
PRIME TIME	5,742	418	786	384
Data by Nielsen Media Research. Live and same day (DVR) data

(Image credit: AP/Chris Carlson)

CNN, fnc, HLN, msnbc, Ratings

Anonymous

I am not surprised. I have watrched all of the debates and can’t get enough. And although I am democrat and find most of the candidates intolerable as potential President I love politics and the dram that the repubs are giving us this season. I have even changed my views on some people.
Anonymous

this was the most boring debate ever
and left with bachmann being victorious
Michael T.

So reading between the lines, the ABC debate had the highest ratings.

But Mediaite chose to modify their headline to only include cable news channels when declaring the ratings winner because ABC is available in more homes.

WTF? Fox News is available in more homes than MSNBC, but never have I seen that used as reason to diminish the ratings winner like was just done to ABC.

Cower to Fox News and your conservative fan base much Mediaite?
Anonymous

But what about Rachel?

LOL
12voltman1

Everyone likes shows with funny clowns!
http://twitter.com/Decamped The Dude

“The Republican debate averaged more viewers than A Charlie Brown Christmas”

:(
http://www.facebook.com/people/Neil-Murphy/100000566621491 Neil Murphy

FOX wins in the ratings because of all their LIBERAL viewers.
Anonymous

LOL…Did you guys see O’Reilly and Hannity?

O’Reilly beat all three combined X 2 over

Hannity beat all three combined X 4 over
Anonymous

It find it hilarious that FOX seldom even acknowleges that MSNBC exists
anywhere in TV land on this earth.
No MSNBC Show can get through it’s segment without disparaging FOX
and FOX just sits back and laughs at them!
LOVE IT !!
Lean Forward worst promotion campaign ever! lollol
Anonymous

And the dumb get dumber.
Anonymous

I watch FOX – how do you think I know when they edit tapes to give the wrong impression of what was really said?. I watch other TV shows as well, so when they are editing a tape of Obama to come up with a completely different meaning like they did in his speech in Cairo and in Turkey – you bet I know what they are up to.
Anonymous

Typical Murdoch garbage. You have to pay more money to have MSNBC but you don’t to have FOX.
Jacob Israel

Internet much?
http://gamewhen.com/ Michael T

70+ hours/wk

Any questiions?