The previous yr, 2024, was alleged to be a giant viewers uplift for main cable information networks: A presidential election, with confirmed rankings getter Donald Trump as one of many main gamers.
While Fox News, MSNBC and CNN did see an increase of their rankings, the latter two networks noticed a giant post-election drop off as politics weary viewers tuned out after Trump’s victory and Vice President Kamala Harris’ loss.
The query for 2025 is whether or not these common viewers come again after a little bit of a break from burnout, as some executives anticipate, or if their habits flip to different sources, like ideologically pleasant podcasts or digital streaming.
What’s extra, the approaching yr will probably see main adjustments at MSNBC and CNN, as the previous prepares to separate itself from the Comcast mothership, and the latter undergoes an overhaul to combine CNN.com and digital video.
Fox News topped primetime, averaging 2.38 million viewers, up 30% from a yr earlier. MSNBC averaged 1.22 million, up 1%, and CNN posted 685,000, up 18%. In the 25-54 demo, Fox News was up 40% to a mean of 294,000, adopted by CNN with 147,000, up 17%, and MSNBC with 133,000, up 9%.
In complete day, Fox News averaged 1.46 million, up 21%, adopted by MSNBC with 791,000, up 2%, and CNN with 481,000, which was flat. In the 25-54 demo, Fox News averaged 186,000, up 26%, adopted by CNN with 91,000, down 3%, and MSNBC with 84,000, down 2%.
Since the election, Fox News mentioned it has drawn 72% of the primetime cable information viewers, with MSNBC averaging 576,000 viewers, down 57% from the interval of 2024 as much as Election Day, and CNN averaging 378,000, down 49%.
For the yr, the very best rated cable information present was Fox News’ The Five, averaging 3.4 million viewers, adopted by Jesse Watters Primetime with 3.1 million, Hannity with 2.8 million, Gutfeld! with 2.54 million and The Ingraham Angle with 2.51 million. In the 25-54 demo, Gutfeld! topped with 355,000, adopted by Jesse Watters Primetime with 352,000, Hannity with 341,000, The Five with 331,000 and The Ingraham Angle with 278,000.
MSNBC touted its topping of CNN in complete viewers throughout main information occasions, together with the State of Union and Election Night. MSNBC mentioned that it averaged 34% extra viewers in 2024 than in 2016, regardless of 28% fewer pay TV households, and mentioned that it had its largest viewer benefit over CNN in community historical past. As for the post-election drop, MSNBC famous that its viewership fell by 42% after the 2016 election, and it then went on to have 4 of its most-watched years in community historical past. The community’s highest rated present in 2024 was The Rachel Maddow Show, averaging 2.5 million viewers and 240,000 within the 25-54 demo.
CNN’s internet hosting of the primary presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump was the fifth most watched present of the yr, drawing 52.7 million viewers, albeit it was simulcast throughout main networks. The community has been selling its energy on digital platforms, with 147 million month-to-month distinctive customers worldwide and 117 million within the U.S. CNN.com’s highest performing story of the yr was the unique video of Sean “Diddy” Combs bodily assaulting Cassie Ventura in a resort in 2016. The community’s most watched common sequence was Anderson Cooper 360, averaging 748,000.
The figures, by means of Dec. 29, are from Nielsen by way of Fox News, MSNBC and CNN.
MSNBC and CNN can take some solace in that Fox News additionally noticed a viewer drop following Donald Trump’s defeat in 2020, solely to see a rebound as Joe Biden took workplace. But the comparisons to 2023 are stark: In the previous month, MSNBC averaged 660,000 primetime viewers, in comparison with virtually 1.3 million in December 2023, as major season was heating up. CNN averaged 392,000, in comparison with 505,000 throughout the identical month a yr in the past. Fox News averaged 2.51 million, in comparison with 1.96 million in December, 2023.
In the 25-54 demo, MSNBC averaged 55,000 up to now month, in comparison with 114,000 in December, 2023, whereas CNN averaged 69,000, in comparison with 108,000. Fox News averaged 292,000, in comparison with 214,000 a yr earlier.