Cable News Ratings Thursday, October 21: CNN’s Biden Town Hall a Dud, Tucker and Hannity More Than Double President’s Audience

By Mediaite StaffOct 22nd, 2021, 4:29 pm
 

Biden Says Democrats Close to a Deal on Key Legislation

An exclusive town hall with President Joe Biden couldn’t help propel CNN past Fox News in the Thursday ratings — or even help it come close.

According to data from Nielsen, Fox News’ Tucker Carlson Tonight and Hannity crushed the Anderson Cooper-moderated Biden town hall in both overall audience and the advertiser-coveted adults 25-54 demographic. Carlson took the top spot in both categories – with 3 million total viewers and 446,000 in the demo. Hannity placed second with 2.64 million overall, while The Five placed second in the demo with 442,000. The town hall finished behind every single Fox News program in the overall category with 1.28 million viewers. It finished eighth in the demo with 288,000 viewers.

Here is a full breakdown of Thursday cable news ratings by show:

Total Viewers (thousands)

ET FNC CNN MSNBC NEWSMAX NEWSNATION
6a FOX AND FRIENDS:
1061		 NEW DAY:
332		 MORNING JOE:
730		 DICK MORRIS DEMOCRACY:
29		 MURDER, SHE WROTE:
13
7a FOX AND FRIENDS:
1395		 NEW DAY:
356		 — WAKE UP AMERICA:
123		 MORNING IN AMERICA:
17
8a FOX AND FRIENDS:
1654		 NEW DAY:
443		 — — —
9a AMERICAS NEWSROOM:
1770		 CNN NEWSROOM:
547		 STEPHANIE RUHLE REPORTS:
706		 NATIONAL REPORT:
149		 —
10a AMERICAS NEWSROOM:
1742		 CNN NEWSROOM:
663		 JOSE DIAZ-BALART REPORTS:
572		 — JAG:
56
11a FAULKNER FOCUS, THE:
1605		 AT THIS HOUR:
676		 CRAIG MELVIN REPORTS:
562		 — JAG:
97
12p OUTNUMBERED:
1623		 INSIDE POLITICS:
662		 ANDREA MITCHELL REPORTS:
656		 JOHN BACHMAN NOW:
130		 IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT:
195
1p AMERICA REPORTS:
1569		 CNN NEWSROOM:
557		 — — IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT:
232
2p AMERICA REPORTS:
1506		 CNN NEWSROOM:
628		 KATY TUR REPORTS:
581		 AMERICAN AGENDA:
134		 BLUE BLOODS:
160
3p STORY, THE:
1421		 CNN NEWSROOM:
758		 HALLIE JACKSON REPORTS:
606		 — BLUE BLOODS:
226
4p YOUR WORLD W/NEIL CAVUTO:
1494		 LEAD WITH JAKE TAPPER:
813		 DEADLINE:WHITE HOUSE:
1341		 ERIC BOLLING THE BALANCE:
190		 BLUE BLOODS:
293
5p FIVE, THE:
2933		 LEAD WITH JAKE TAPPER:
714		 — CHRIS SALCEDO SHOW, THE:
215		 NEWSNATION: RUSH HOUR:
110
6p SPECIAL RPT W/BRET BAIER:
2385		 SITUATION ROOM:
673		 BEAT W/ARI MELBER:
1209		 SPICER & CO:
243		 DONLON REPORT, THE:
60
7p FOX NEWS PRIMETIME:
2250		 ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT:
800		 REIDOUT:
1135		 GREG KELLY REPORTS:
321		 ON BALANCE W/ VITTERT:
40
8p TUCKER CARLSON TONIGHT:
3004		 CNN PRES TOWN HALL:
1278		 ALL IN W/ CHRIS HAYES:
1172		 STINCHFIELD:
199		 DAN ABRAMS LIVE:
40
9p HANNITY:
2635		 — RACHEL MADDOW SHOW:
1914		 CORTES & PELLEGRINO:
174		 NEWSNATION PRIME:
35
10p INGRAHAM ANGLE, THE:
2319		 DON LEMON TONIGHT:
657		 LAST WORD W/ L. ODONNELL:
1309		 ROB SCHMITT TONIGHT:
143		 BANFIELD:
52
11p GUTFELD!:
1846		 DON LEMON TONIGHT:
411		 11TH HOUR W/B. WILLIAMS:
997		 GREG KELLY REPORTS:
119		 ON BALANCE W/ VITTERT:
13

25-54 Demo (thousands)

ET FNC CNN MSNBC NEWSMAX NEWSNATION
6a FOX AND FRIENDS:
150		 NEW DAY:
67		 MORNING JOE:
73		 DICK MORRIS DEMOCRACY:
2		 MURDER, SHE WROTE:
1
7a FOX AND FRIENDS:
208		 NEW DAY:
84		 — WAKE UP AMERICA:
8		 MORNING IN AMERICA:
4
8a FOX AND FRIENDS:
288		 NEW DAY:
97		 — — —
9a AMERICAS NEWSROOM:
289		 CNN NEWSROOM:
120		 STEPHANIE RUHLE REPORTS:
64		 NATIONAL REPORT:
14		 —
10a AMERICAS NEWSROOM:
269		 CNN NEWSROOM:
146		 JOSE DIAZ-BALART REPORTS:
39		 — JAG:
4
11a FAULKNER FOCUS, THE:
249		 AT THIS HOUR:
139		 CRAIG MELVIN REPORTS:
68		 — JAG:
6
12p OUTNUMBERED:
236		 INSIDE POLITICS:
119		 ANDREA MITCHELL REPORTS:
72		 JOHN BACHMAN NOW:
21		 IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT:
5
1p AMERICA REPORTS:
229		 CNN NEWSROOM:
106		 — — IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT:
8
2p AMERICA REPORTS:
217		 CNN NEWSROOM:
109		 KATY TUR REPORTS:
50		 AMERICAN AGENDA:
22		 BLUE BLOODS:
12
3p STORY, THE:
209		 CNN NEWSROOM:
154		 HALLIE JACKSON REPORTS:
60		 — BLUE BLOODS:
30
4p YOUR WORLD W/NEIL CAVUTO:
203		 LEAD WITH JAKE TAPPER:
167		 DEADLINE:WHITE HOUSE:
125		 ERIC BOLLING THE BALANCE:
24		 BLUE BLOODS:
50
5p FIVE, THE:
442		 LEAD WITH JAKE TAPPER:
145		 — CHRIS SALCEDO SHOW, THE:
31		 NEWSNATION: RUSH HOUR:
25
6p SPECIAL RPT W/BRET BAIER:
372		 SITUATION ROOM:
159		 BEAT W/ARI MELBER:
133		 SPICER & CO:
38		 DONLON REPORT, THE:
21
7p FOX NEWS PRIMETIME:
339		 ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT:
208		 REIDOUT:
117		 GREG KELLY REPORTS:
40		 ON BALANCE W/ VITTERT:
5
8p TUCKER CARLSON TONIGHT:
446		 CNN PRES TOWN HALL:
288		 ALL IN W/ CHRIS HAYES:
121		 STINCHFIELD:
38		 DAN ABRAMS LIVE:
1
9p HANNITY:
354		 — RACHEL MADDOW SHOW:
198		 CORTES & PELLEGRINO:
28		 NEWSNATION PRIME:
4
10p INGRAHAM ANGLE, THE:
383		 DON LEMON TONIGHT:
162		 LAST WORD W/ L. ODONNELL:
141		 ROB SCHMITT TONIGHT:
24		 BANFIELD:
11
11p GUTFELD!:
355		 DON LEMON TONIGHT:
107		 11TH HOUR W/B. WILLIAMS:
104		 GREG KELLY REPORTS:
18		 ON BALANCE W/ VITTERT:
4

As for the three cable news networks overall, here are the total day averages in total viewers and the 25-54 category.

Total viewers:

CNN: 624,000

Fox News: 1.74 million

MSNBC: 879,000

25-54 Demo:

CNN: 137,000

Fox News: 270,000

MSNBC: 92,000

Here are the prime time averages— encompassing shows which air from 8-11 p.m. — in total viewers and the 25-54 demo.

Total viewers:

CNN: 1.04 million

Fox News: 2.65 million

MSNBC: 1.46 million

25-54 Demo:

CNN: 234,000

Fox News: 394,000

MSNBC: 153,000

For more ratings information and analysis go to ShowBuzz Daily.

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