May Ratings: CNN Hits New Low, MSNBC Down Double Digits
You may recall that, previously, we’d reported that April marked CNN’s lowest-rated month in total viewers in over a decade. Now, May has CNN experiencing its lowest primetime numbers among total viewers in over two decades.
RELATED: CNN Experiences Lowest-Rated Month In Over A Decade
Deadline.com breaks down the numbers, paying particular attention to Piers Morgan and Erin Burnett, relative newcomers to the network’s primetime lineup:
Only May 2000, with 104,000 viewers in the demo, did worse. Piers Morgan Tonight received the lowest total viewer and 25-54 demo numbers that CNN has had in the 9 PM time slot in two decades. The interview show got only 417,000 total viewers and 117,000 among the 25-54 demographic. At 7 PM, Erin Burnett, another relative CNN newcomer, had the lowest 25-54 demo numbers in 20 years in the time slot for the network and the second lowest after June 2001, in two decades in terms of total viewership. Burnett’s show attracted just 89,000 viewers in the 25-54 demo from April 30 to May 27.
MSNBC, meanwhile, has experienced a double digit drop this May. The network saw 674,000 total primetime viewers, with 216,000 viewers in the coveted age 25-54 demographic.
But, as TVNewser points out, two new (as of this year) weekend opinion shows experienced a growth in viewership:
One bright spot for MSNBC was its weekend opinion shows “Up with Chris Hayes” and “Melissa Harris-Perry,” both of which have premiered in the past year. On Saturdays in May, “Up” grew +13% in Total Viewers and “Melissa Harris-Perry” grew +8% in Total Viewers compared to May 2011. On Sundays, “Up” was up +15% and “Melissa Harris Perry” was up +9% in Total Viewers.
MSNBC continues to be the #2 most-watched cable news network, right behind Fox News.
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