MSNBC Edges Out CNN for Runner-Up in Friday Primetime Demo; Fox News Sweeps All Ratings Dayparts

Fox News swept the total day and primetime ratings on Friday, but in a surprise result, MSNBC edged out CNN in primetime in the coveted 25 – 54 age demographic.

According to Nielsen Media Research, Fox News won Friday between 8:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. with 563,000 viewers in the demo. MSNBC, however, pulled in 332,000 A 25 – 54 viewers, good enough to eke out a second-place finish over CNN’s 329,000. MSNBC’s performance was powered by The Rachel Maddow Show‘s 452,000 viewers in the demo at 9:00 p.m. (3.23 million overall), which was ranked fifth in all of cable news and far outdistanced the 304,000 viewers from its CNN rival, which was a second hour of Anderson Cooper 360 on Friday.

In all of primetime, Fox News surged to its win with thanks to 611,000 A25 – 54 viewers and 3.76 million total viewers at 8:00 p.m. The Ingraham Angle edged out its 9:00 p.m. Fox lead-in in the demo, with its 545,000 viewers beating Hannity‘s 533,000, although the latter scored 3.39 million in total viewers while Ingraham won its time-slot with 2.91 million overall.

Total day ratings went to Fox News as well. It placed first with 336,000 viewers in the demo, far above CNN’s 271,000 and MSNBC’s 219,000. In total viewers, though, all three networks fell below the two-million mark, with Fox in first with 1.97 million, MSNBC in second with 1.52 million, and CNN trailing behind with 1.13 million.