Rachel Maddow Most-Watched in Cable News Friday, Boosting MSNBC to First; Harris Faulkner Beats Competition in Total Viewers
MSNBC, boosted by Rachel Maddow, was the most-watched cable news network overall on Friday, although Fox News had three of the five most-watched shows among total viewers, and CNN had four of the five most-watched shows among viewers in the key demographic of viewers age 25-54, according to Nielsen data.
In total day viewers, MSNBC averaged 1.84 million overall, and 260,000 in the demo. Fox was second, with 1.51 million total viewers, and 242,000 in the demo. CNN had 1.47 million total viewers, the fewest overall, but won in the demo, with 356,000.
MSNBC also had the most viewers in prime time, 2.57 million, but the fewest in the demo, with 344,000. Fox was second in both total viewers, 2.4 million, and in the demo, 393,000. CNN had 1.98 million total viewers, and the most in the demo, 485,000.
MSNBC won in both total and demo viewers in the early morning, with Morning Joe getting 1.53 million total viewers, and 270,000 in the demo. Fox and Friends was second in total viewers, 1.08 million, and 196,000 in the demo. CNN’s New Day averaged 818,000 total viewers, and 205,000 in the demo.
The Rachel Maddow Show had 3.33 million total viewers Friday, and 478,000 in the demo. Tucker Carlson Tonight was second in total viewers, with 2.64 million, and 408,000 in the demo. The Five was the third most-watched show of the day, with 2.56 million total viewers and 302,000 in the demo. Fox News had three of the five most-watched shows overall Friday (Carlson, The Five, and Hannity), and MSNBC had both the most-watched and the fifth most-watched (Maddow and the 4 p.m. hour of Deadline: White House).
In the demo, CNN had four of the five most-watched shows. Anderson Cooper 360 topped the list with 527,000 viewers in the demo (2.12 million total). Next was Cuomo Prime Time, with 506,000 in the demo, and 2.21 million total. Maddow was third, followed by the second hour of The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer, with 449,000 in the demo and 1.74 million total, and Erin Burnett OutFront, with 436,000 in the demo and 1.94 million viewers total, was fifth.
Notably, Maddow was the only show that was top five with both total viewers and in the demo Friday.
The Faulkner Focus, which spent more than half the show discussing the House vote to strip Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) of her committee assignments, beat the competition in total viewers Friday, with 1.52 million viewers overall, and topped MSNBC in the demo, with 239,000. MSNBC Live averaged 1.46 million viewers overall for the hour, and 212,000 in the demo. CNN Newsroom had 1.43 million total viewers at 11 a.m., and won the demo, with 334,000.
