As Quake Hits Overnight, Cable News Viewers Turn To CNN, Fox, And Away From MSNBC

Early Nielsen ratings data shows cable news viewers tuned in overnight to watch developments from the earthquake in Japan–and the tsunami threat for Hawaii and the U.S. West Coast. Late night numbers were significantly higher than normal, with Fox News winning early, then CNN taking the lead after 2 a.m. ET.

CNN, with vast resources overseas–including a bureau in Tokyo–has been a reliable and powerful force in huge international stories, but Fox News has become increasingly competitive on breaking news, earning notice for its decision to play the quake story heavily Friday morning, compared to MSNBC’s decision to largely continue with the politics-and-conversation style format of Morning Joe.

At 2 a.m., CNN led with 976,000 viewers (449,000 viewers 25-54), compared to Fox’s 722,000 (308,000 25-54). MSNBC, by contrast, was not in the game, with 394,000 total viewers and just 160,000 in the demo.

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