Cable News Ratings, January 27 & 28: Jesse Watters Settles into Third Place, Edges Out Sean Hannity

On both Thursday and Friday, the new Fox News program Jesse Watters Prime Time landed in third place in the cable ratings in terms of overall viewers, knocking Sean Hannity out of the top three.
Jesse Watters trailed Tucker Carlson Tonight and The Five — where he does co-hosting duty. Tucker topped the charts both Thursday and Friday in terms of total overall viewers and in the key 25-54 age demographics.
The Five scored second place in total viewers.
On Thursday, Watters raked in 3.10 million total viewers and 526,000 in the demo. Watters actually beat The Five in the demo, which brought in 511,000 viewers.
On Friday, Watters numbers dipped a bit, as viewers tuned out in general, to 2.65 million total viewers and 347,000 in the demo. While Tucker still managed to cross the half-million mark in the demo, Watters’ showing landed him in fourth place: behind Tucker, The Five, and Sean Hannity.
Here is a full breakdown of Thursday’s cable news ratings by show (scroll down for Friday’s ratings):
Total Viewers (thousands)
| ET | FNC | CNN | MSNBC | NEWSMAX | NEWSNATION |
| 6a | FOX AND FRIENDS: 975 |
NEW DAY: 302 |
MORNING JOE: 746 |
DICK MORRIS DEMOCRACY: 18 |
ELEMENTARY: 55 |
| 7a | FOX AND FRIENDS: 1372 |
NEW DAY: 333 |
— | WAKE UP AMERICA: 85 |
MORNING IN AMERICA: 31 |
| 8a | FOX AND FRIENDS: 1636 |
NEW DAY: 423 |
— | — | — |
| 9a | AMERICAS NEWSROOM: 1683 |
CNN NEWSROOM: 531 |
STEPHANIE RUHLE REPORTS: 667 |
NATIONAL REPORT: 177 |
— |
| 10a | AMERICAS NEWSROOM: 1714 |
CNN NEWSROOM: 593 |
JOSE DIAZ-BALART REPORTS: 565 |
— | IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT: 95 |
| 11a | FAULKNER FOCUS, THE: 1730 |
AT THIS HOUR: 563 |
CRAIG MELVIN REPORTS: 549 |
— | IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT: 134 |
| 12p | OUTNUMBERED: 1765 |
INSIDE POLITICS: 566 |
ANDREA MITCHELL REPORTS: 607 |
JOHN BACHMAN NOW: 154 |
IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT: 205 |
| 1p | AMERICA REPORTS: 1640 |
CNN NEWSROOM: 697 |
MTP DAILY: 657 |
— | BLUE BLOODS: 177 |
| 2p | AMERICA REPORTS: 1646 |
CNN NEWSROOM: 646 |
KATY TUR REPORTS: 623 |
AMERICAN AGENDA: 213 |
BLUE BLOODS: 242 |
| 3p | STORY, THE: 1519 |
CNN NEWSROOM: 551 |
HALLIE JACKSON REPORTS: 739 |
— | BLUE BLOODS: 341 |
| 4p | YOUR WORLD W/NEIL CAVUTO: 1609 |
LEAD WITH JAKE TAPPER: 606 |
DEADLINE:WHITE HOUSE: 1137 |
ERIC BOLLING THE BALANCE: 248 |
BLUE BLOODS: 400 |
| 5p | FIVE, THE: 3533 |
LEAD WITH JAKE TAPPER: 607 |
— | CHRIS SALCEDO SHOW, THE: 227 |
NEWSNATION: RUSH HOUR: 177 |
| 6p | SPECIAL RPT W/BRET BAIER: 2698 |
SITUATION ROOM: 520 |
BEAT W/ARI MELBER: 1258 |
SPICER & CO: 257 |
DONLON REPORT, THE: 77 |
| 7p | JESSE WATTERS PRIMETIME: 3107 |
ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT: 638 |
REIDOUT: 1170 |
GREG KELLY REPORTS: 334 |
ON BALANCE W/ VITTERT: 55 |
| 8p | TUCKER CARLSON TONIGHT: 3556 |
ANDERSON COOPER 360: 782 |
ALL IN W/ CHRIS HAYES: 1477 |
STINCHFIELD: 218 |
DAN ABRAMS LIVE: 85 |
| 9p | HANNITY: 2990 |
DEMOCRACY IN PERIL: 611 |
RACHEL MADDOW SHOW: 2398 |
CORTES & PELLEGRINO: 112 |
NEWSNATION PRIME: 49 |
| 10p | INGRAHAM ANGLE, THE: 2272 |
DON LEMON TONIGHT: 524 |
LAST WORD W/ L. ODONNELL: 1436 |
ROB SCHMITT TONIGHT: 161 |
BANFIELD: 30 |
| 11p | GUTFELD!: 1984 |
DON LEMON TONIGHT: 346 |
11TH HOUR: 778 |
GREG KELLY REPORTS: 103 |
ON BALANCE W/ VITTERT: 26 |
25-54 Demo (thousands)
| ET | FNC | CNN | MSNBC | NEWSMAX | NEWSNATION |
| 6a | FOX AND FRIENDS: 200 |
NEW DAY: 36 |
MORNING JOE: 97 |
DICK MORRIS DEMOCRACY: 1 |
ELEMENTARY: 6 |
| 7a | FOX AND FRIENDS: 257 |
NEW DAY: 51 |
— | WAKE UP AMERICA: 14 |
MORNING IN AMERICA: 3 |
| 8a | FOX AND FRIENDS: 263 |
NEW DAY: 94 |
— | — | — |
| 9a | AMERICAS NEWSROOM: 261 |
CNN NEWSROOM: 111 |
STEPHANIE RUHLE REPORTS: 55 |
NATIONAL REPORT: 18 |
— |
| 10a | AMERICAS NEWSROOM: 274 |
CNN NEWSROOM: 92 |
JOSE DIAZ-BALART REPORTS: 31 |
— | IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT: 19 |
| 11a | FAULKNER FOCUS, THE: 275 |
AT THIS HOUR: 97 |
CRAIG MELVIN REPORTS: 50 |
— | IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT: 21 |
| 12p | OUTNUMBERED: 286 |
INSIDE POLITICS: 121 |
ANDREA MITCHELL REPORTS: 61 |
JOHN BACHMAN NOW: 31 |
IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT: 27 |
| 1p | AMERICA REPORTS: 254 |
CNN NEWSROOM: 156 |
MTP DAILY: 70 |
— | BLUE BLOODS: 23 |
| 2p | AMERICA REPORTS: 258 |
CNN NEWSROOM: 156 |
KATY TUR REPORTS: 85 |
AMERICAN AGENDA: 54 |
BLUE BLOODS: 34 |
| 3p | STORY, THE: 241 |
CNN NEWSROOM: 172 |
HALLIE JACKSON REPORTS: 94 |
— | BLUE BLOODS: 61 |
| 4p | YOUR WORLD W/NEIL CAVUTO: 272 |
LEAD WITH JAKE TAPPER: 166 |
DEADLINE:WHITE HOUSE: 113 |
ERIC BOLLING THE BALANCE: 40 |
BLUE BLOODS: 58 |
| 5p | FIVE, THE: 511 |
LEAD WITH JAKE TAPPER: 127 |
— | CHRIS SALCEDO SHOW, THE: 28 |
NEWSNATION: RUSH HOUR: 28 |
| 6p | SPECIAL RPT W/BRET BAIER: 422 |
SITUATION ROOM: 112 |
BEAT W/ARI MELBER: 109 |
SPICER & CO: 38 |
DONLON REPORT, THE: 17 |
| 7p | JESSE WATTERS PRIMETIME: 526 |
ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT: 146 |
REIDOUT: 157 |
GREG KELLY REPORTS: 48 |
ON BALANCE W/ VITTERT: 13 |
| 8p | TUCKER CARLSON TONIGHT: 577 |
ANDERSON COOPER 360: 195 |
ALL IN W/ CHRIS HAYES: 160 |
STINCHFIELD: 28 |
DAN ABRAMS LIVE: 15 |
| 9p | HANNITY: 509 |
DEMOCRACY IN PERIL: 156 |
RACHEL MADDOW SHOW: 275 |
CORTES & PELLEGRINO: 21 |
NEWSNATION PRIME: 9 |
| 10p | INGRAHAM ANGLE, THE: 392 |
DON LEMON TONIGHT: 113 |
LAST WORD W/ L. ODONNELL: 162 |
ROB SCHMITT TONIGHT: 21 |
BANFIELD: 3 |
| 11p | GUTFELD!: 335 |
DON LEMON TONIGHT: 93 |
11TH HOUR: 104 |
GREG KELLY REPORTS: 15 |
ON BALANCE W/ VITTERT: 6 |
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: 501,000
Fox: 1.89 million
MSNBC: 892,000
25-54 Demo:
CNN: 113,000
Fox News: 316,000
MSNBC: 103,000
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: 639,000
Fox News: 2.93 million
MSNBC: 1.77 million
25-54 Demo:
CNN: 155,000
Fox News: 493,000
MSNBC: 199,000
For more ratings information and analysis go to ShowBuzz Daily.
Here is a full breakdown of Friday’s cable news ratings by show:
Total Viewers (thousands)
| ET | FNC | CNN | MSNBC | NEWSMAX | NEWSNATION |
| 6a | FOX AND FRIENDS: 930 |
NEW DAY: 232 |
MORNING JOE: 723 |
CONVERSATIONS WITH NANCY: 2 |
ELEMENTARY: 42 |
| 7a | FOX AND FRIENDS: 1408 |
NEW DAY: 317 |
— | WAKE UP AMERICA: 60 |
MORNING IN AMERICA: 16 |
| 8a | FOX AND FRIENDS: 1807 |
NEW DAY: 483 |
— | — | — |
| 9a | AMERICAS NEWSROOM: 1869 |
CNN NEWSROOM: 571 |
STEPHANIE RUHLE REPORTS: 692 |
NATIONAL REPORT: 130 |
— |
| 10a | AMERICAS NEWSROOM: 1565 |
CNN NEWSROOM: 626 |
JOSE DIAZ-BALART REPORTS: 618 |
— | IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT: 70 |
| 11a | FAULKNER FOCUS, THE: 1501 |
AT THIS HOUR: 577 |
CRAIG MELVIN REPORTS: 587 |
— | IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT: 96 |
| 12p | OUTNUMBERED: 1681 |
INSIDE POLITICS: 539 |
ANDREA MITCHELL REPORTS: 561 |
JOHN BACHMAN NOW: 160 |
IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT: 172 |
| 1p | AMERICA REPORTS: 1484 |
CNN NEWSROOM: 555 |
MSNBC PRESS CONFERENCE: 638 |
— | BLUE BLOODS: 182 |
| 2p | AMERICA REPORTS: 1357 |
CNN NEWSROOM: 591 |
KATY TUR REPORTS: 682 |
AMERICAN AGENDA: 156 |
BLUE BLOODS: 253 |
| 3p | STORY, THE: 1308 |
CNN NEWSROOM: 594 |
HALLIE JACKSON REPORTS: 706 |
— | BLUE BLOODS: 330 |
| 4p | YOUR WORLD W/NEIL CAVUTO: 1349 |
LEAD WITH JAKE TAPPER: 627 |
DEADLINE:WHITE HOUSE: 1136 |
ERIC BOLLING THE BALANCE: 245 |
BLUE BLOODS: 362 |
| 5p | FIVE, THE: 3080 |
LEAD WITH JAKE TAPPER: 665 |
— | CHRIS SALCEDO SHOW, THE: 215 |
NEWSNATION: RUSH HOUR: 136 |
| 6p | SPECIAL RPT W/BRET BAIER: 2446 |
SITUATION ROOM: 558 |
BEAT W/ARI MELBER: 1156 |
SPICER & CO: 290 |
DONLON REPORT, THE: 50 |
| 7p | JESSE WATTERS PRIMETIME: 2654 |
ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT: 682 |
REIDOUT: 1144 |
GREG KELLY REPORTS: 342 |
ON BALANCE W/ VITTERT: 36 |
| 8p | TUCKER CARLSON TONIGHT: 3229 |
ANDERSON COOPER 360: 740 |
ALL IN W/ CHRIS HAYES: 1239 |
STINCHFIELD: 256 |
DAN ABRAMS LIVE: 44 |
| 9p | HANNITY: 2559 |
DEMOCRACY IN PERIL: 594 |
RACHEL MADDOW SHOW: 1535 |
CORTES & PELLEGRINO: 134 |
NEWSNATION PRIME: 24 |
| 10p | INGRAHAM ANGLE, THE: 1891 |
DON LEMON TONIGHT: 471 |
LAST WORD W/ L. ODONNELL: 923 |
ROB SCHMITT TONIGHT: 124 |
BANFIELD: 18 |
| 11p | GUTFELD!: 2026 |
DON LEMON TONIGHT: 296 |
11TH HOUR: 631 |
GREG KELLY REPORTS: 104 |
ON BALANCE W/ VITTERT: 16 |
25-54 Demo (thousands)
| ET | FNC | CNN | MSNBC | NEWSMAX | NEWSNATION |
| 6a | FOX AND FRIENDS: 213 |
NEW DAY: 44 |
MORNING JOE: 85 |
CONVERSATIONS WITH NANCY: 2 |
ELEMENTARY: 5 |
| 7a | FOX AND FRIENDS: 270 |
NEW DAY: 72 |
— | WAKE UP AMERICA: 8 |
MORNING IN AMERICA: 6 |
| 8a | FOX AND FRIENDS: 282 |
NEW DAY: 88 |
— | — | — |
| 9a | AMERICAS NEWSROOM: 311 |
CNN NEWSROOM: 131 |
STEPHANIE RUHLE REPORTS: 78 |
NATIONAL REPORT: 7 |
— |
| 10a | AMERICAS NEWSROOM: 240 |
CNN NEWSROOM: 153 |
JOSE DIAZ-BALART REPORTS: 64 |
— | IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT: 9 |
| 11a | FAULKNER FOCUS, THE: 198 |
AT THIS HOUR: 122 |
CRAIG MELVIN REPORTS: 63 |
— | IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT: 12 |
| 12p | OUTNUMBERED: 236 |
INSIDE POLITICS: 94 |
ANDREA MITCHELL REPORTS: 59 |
JOHN BACHMAN NOW: 15 |
IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT: 29 |
| 1p | AMERICA REPORTS: 206 |
CNN NEWSROOM: 78 |
MSNBC PRESS CONFERENCE: 68 |
— | BLUE BLOODS: 16 |
| 2p | AMERICA REPORTS: 194 |
CNN NEWSROOM: 103 |
KATY TUR REPORTS: 58 |
AMERICAN AGENDA: 16 |
BLUE BLOODS: 32 |
| 3p | STORY, THE: 203 |
CNN NEWSROOM: 91 |
HALLIE JACKSON REPORTS: 49 |
— | BLUE BLOODS: 38 |
| 4p | YOUR WORLD W/NEIL CAVUTO: 198 |
LEAD WITH JAKE TAPPER: 102 |
DEADLINE:WHITE HOUSE: 86 |
ERIC BOLLING THE BALANCE: 14 |
BLUE BLOODS: 43 |
| 5p | FIVE, THE: 397 |
LEAD WITH JAKE TAPPER: 112 |
— | CHRIS SALCEDO SHOW, THE: 23 |
NEWSNATION: RUSH HOUR: 23 |
| 6p | SPECIAL RPT W/BRET BAIER: 343 |
SITUATION ROOM: 108 |
BEAT W/ARI MELBER: 100 |
SPICER & CO: 36 |
DONLON REPORT, THE: 7 |
| 7p | JESSE WATTERS PRIMETIME: 347 |
ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT: 135 |
REIDOUT: 153 |
GREG KELLY REPORTS: 48 |
ON BALANCE W/ VITTERT: 4 |
| 8p | TUCKER CARLSON TONIGHT: 523 |
ANDERSON COOPER 360: 134 |
ALL IN W/ CHRIS HAYES: 138 |
STINCHFIELD: 49 |
DAN ABRAMS LIVE: 3 |
| 9p | HANNITY: 424 |
DEMOCRACY IN PERIL: 122 |
RACHEL MADDOW SHOW: 145 |
CORTES & PELLEGRINO: 28 |
NEWSNATION PRIME: 1 |
| 10p | INGRAHAM ANGLE, THE: 327 |
DON LEMON TONIGHT: 95 |
LAST WORD W/ L. ODONNELL: 82 |
ROB SCHMITT TONIGHT: 22 |
BANFIELD: 2 |
| 11p | GUTFELD!: 322 |
DON LEMON TONIGHT: 65 |
11TH HOUR: 61 |
GREG KELLY REPORTS: 10 |
ON BALANCE W/ VITTERT: 1 |
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: 498,000
Fox: 1.73 million
MSNBC: 793,000
25-54 Demo:
CNN: 96,000
Fox News: 273,000
MSNBC: 80,000
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: 602,000
Fox News: 2.56 million
MSNBC: 1.23 million
25-54 Demo:
CNN: 117,000
Fox News: 424,000
MSNBC: 122,000
For more ratings information and analysis go to ShowBuzz Daily.