MSNBC Crushes Competition During Jan. 6 Hearings, CNN Sees Big Boost While Fox News Retains Audience

Mediaite StaffJun 10th, 2022, 3:59 pm
 

Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) giving opening statement on June 9

The first session of the Jan. 6 House Select Committee hearings finally aired on Thursday night and one of the big questions on everyone’s mind was put to rest: Will they flop in prime time?

As the ratings for the cable news networks show, the hearings were a success. MSNBC topped Fox News in terms of total viewers, averaging 3.95 million across prime time.

Fox averaged a total of 2.92 million total viewers for its counter-programming, which is a small boost from the night before, which brought in some 2.58 million total viewers.

CNN, along with MSNBC, beat Fox News in the key 25-54 age demographic. CNN won the night with a big 733,000 demo viewers, while MSNBC had 573,000 and Fox landed in third with 537,000.

CNN also saw its total-viewer average skyrocket as the struggling network brought in 2.62 million total viewers – a major boost from its 517,000 average prime time viewers the night before.

The hearings were also a boon for Fox Business Network, which raked in 223,000 average viewers from 8 to 10 p.m., significantly topping competitor CNBC, which averaged 158,000 during the same hours.

In post-show coverage, Fox’s Jan. 6 hearings coverage anchored by Bret Baier, Martha MacCallum, and Shannon Bream outpaced CNN from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. with 1.3 million total viewers compared to 841,000 for CNN.

Thursday ratings (8-11 p.m.):

CNN: 2.58 million

Fox News: 2.92 million

MSNBC: 3.95 million

25-54 Demo:

CNN: 733,000

Fox News: 537,000

MSNBC: 573,000

 

Wednesday ratings (8-11 p.m.):

CNN: 517,000

Fox News: 2.57 million

MSNBC: 1.18 million

25-54 Demo:

CNN: 146,000

Fox News: 410,000

MSNBC: 108,000

 

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

Total Viewers (thousands)

ET FNC CNN MSNBC NEWSMAX NEWSNATION
6a FOX AND FRIENDS:
1111		 NEW DAY:
290		 MORNING JOE:
768		 DICK MORRIS DEMOCRACY:
22		 ELEMENTARY:
28
7a FOX AND FRIENDS:
1522		 NEW DAY:
376		 — WAKE UP AMERICA:
71		 MORNING IN AMERICA:
28
8a FOX AND FRIENDS:
1694		 NEW DAY:
450		 — — —
9a AMERICAS NEWSROOM:
1730		 CNN NEWSROOM:
482		 MORNING JOE:
825		 NATIONAL REPORT:
134		 —
10a AMERICAS NEWSROOM:
1626		 CNN NEWSROOM:
531		 JOSE DIAZ-BALART REPORTS:
645		 — IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT:
125
11a FAULKNER FOCUS, THE:
1648		 AT THIS HOUR:
540		 MSNBC REPORTS- LIVE:
576		 — IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT:
153
12p OUTNUMBERED:
1867		 INSIDE POLITICS:
597		 ANDREA MITCHELL REPORTS:
588		 JOHN BACHMAN NOW:
175		 IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT:
230
1p AMERICA REPORTS:
1521		 CNN NEWSROOM:
642		 CHRIS JANSING REPORTS:
591		 — BLUE BLOODS:
215
2p AMERICA REPORTS:
1503		 CNN NEWSROOM:
587		 KATY TUR REPORTS:
627		 AMERICAN AGENDA:
127		 BLUE BLOODS:
228
3p STORY, THE:
1331		 CNN NEWSROOM:
558		 HALLIE JACKSON REPORTS:
691		 — BLUE BLOODS:
249
4p YOUR WORLD W/NEIL CAVUTO:
1440		 LEAD WITH JAKE TAPPER:
610		 DEADLINE:WHITE HOUSE:
1211		 ERIC BOLLING THE BALANCE:
188		 BLUE BLOODS:
295
5p FIVE, THE:
3101		 LEAD WITH JAKE TAPPER:
652		 — CHRIS SALCEDO SHOW, THE:
175		 NEWSNATION: RUSH HOUR:
181
6p SPECIAL RPT W/BRET BAIER:
2428		 SITUATION ROOM:
703		 BEAT W/ARI MELBER:
1397		 SPICER & CO:
232		 NEWSNATION: RUSH HOUR:
82
7p JESSE WATTERS PRIMETIME:
2605		 ATTACK ON DEMOCRACY:
1299		 JANUARY 6TH HEARINGS:
2436		 GREG KELLY REPORTS:
284		 ON BALANCE W/ VITTERT:
41
8p TUCKER CARLSON TONIGHT:
3324		 — JANUARY 6TH HEARINGS:
4187		 JAN. 6TH HEARING LIVE!:
137		 NEWSNATION SPECIAL REPORT:
61
9p HANNITY:
2801		 — JANUARY 6TH HEARINGS:
4420		 — —
10p INGRAHAM ANGLE, THE:
2641		 — JANUARY 6TH HEARINGS:
3233		 ROB SCHMITT TONIGHT:
140		 —
11p FOX NEWS AT NIGHT:
1631		 DON LEMON TONIGHT:
1073		 11TH HOUR W/ S. RUHLE:
1781		 GREG KELLY REPORTS:
149		 NN PRIME: SPECIAL REPORT:
38

25-54 Demo (thousands)

ET FNC CNN MSNBC NEWSMAX NEWSNATION
6a FOX AND FRIENDS:
243		 NEW DAY:
56		 MORNING JOE:
92		 DICK MORRIS DEMOCRACY:
2		 ELEMENTARY:
1
7a FOX AND FRIENDS:
285		 NEW DAY:
69		 — WAKE UP AMERICA:
12		 MORNING IN AMERICA:
4
8a FOX AND FRIENDS:
248		 NEW DAY:
98		 — — —
9a AMERICAS NEWSROOM:
240		 CNN NEWSROOM:
105		 MORNING JOE:
91		 NATIONAL REPORT:
19		 —
10a AMERICAS NEWSROOM:
231		 CNN NEWSROOM:
99		 JOSE DIAZ-BALART REPORTS:
66		 — IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT:
18
11a FAULKNER FOCUS, THE:
253		 AT THIS HOUR:
120		 MSNBC REPORTS- LIVE:
58		 — IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT:
23
12p OUTNUMBERED:
285		 INSIDE POLITICS:
135		 ANDREA MITCHELL REPORTS:
66		 JOHN BACHMAN NOW:
25		 IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT:
53
1p AMERICA REPORTS:
251		 CNN NEWSROOM:
114		 CHRIS JANSING REPORTS:
60		 — BLUE BLOODS:
28
2p AMERICA REPORTS:
238		 CNN NEWSROOM:
105		 KATY TUR REPORTS:
65		 AMERICAN AGENDA:
21		 BLUE BLOODS:
25
3p STORY, THE:
176		 CNN NEWSROOM:
124		 HALLIE JACKSON REPORTS:
91		 — BLUE BLOODS:
29
4p YOUR WORLD W/NEIL CAVUTO:
196		 LEAD WITH JAKE TAPPER:
135		 DEADLINE:WHITE HOUSE:
117		 ERIC BOLLING THE BALANCE:
29		 BLUE BLOODS:
28
5p FIVE, THE:
385		 LEAD WITH JAKE TAPPER:
126		 — CHRIS SALCEDO SHOW, THE:
19		 NEWSNATION: RUSH HOUR:
32
6p SPECIAL RPT W/BRET BAIER:
307		 SITUATION ROOM:
152		 BEAT W/ARI MELBER:
125		 SPICER & CO:
16		 NEWSNATION: RUSH HOUR:
11
7p JESSE WATTERS PRIMETIME:
366		 ATTACK ON DEMOCRACY:
285		 JANUARY 6TH HEARINGS:
270		 GREG KELLY REPORTS:
18		 ON BALANCE W/ VITTERT:
9
8p TUCKER CARLSON TONIGHT:
586		 — JANUARY 6TH HEARINGS:
576		 JAN. 6TH HEARING LIVE!:
20		 NEWSNATION SPECIAL REPORT:
18
9p HANNITY:
506		 — JANUARY 6TH HEARINGS:
656		 — —
10p INGRAHAM ANGLE, THE:
518		 — JANUARY 6TH HEARINGS:
487		 ROB SCHMITT TONIGHT:
16		 —
11p FOX NEWS AT NIGHT:
347		 DON LEMON TONIGHT:
382		 11TH HOUR W/ S. RUHLE:
262		 GREG KELLY REPORTS:
26		 NN PRIME: SPECIAL REPORT:
11

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

Total viewers:

CNN: 892,000

Fox News: 1.81 million

MSNBC: 1.38

25-54 Demo:

CNN: 227,000

Fox News: 295,000

MSNBC: 180,000

For more ratings information and analysis go to ShowBuzz Daily.

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