CNN’s primetime ratings fell by 44% in the first week since former President Donald Trump left office, according to an analysis of viewership data.
The program hit the hardest was “Cuomo Prime Time,” hosted by Chris Cuomo.
The show’s audience of 25-54 year olds fell by more than half, Variety reported.
MSNBC’s primetime ratings also fell, with its network audience decreasing by 20% during the 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. slots and by 11% during the 9 p.m. slot.
CNN’s ratings tanked in part because the network’s viewership increased significantly in the wake of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
But there’s no question that Trump was good for CNN’s viewership, and without him, many viewers are flipping the channel.
“While it’s too early to conclude any longer-term direction for news ratings after just one week, the downturn could be interpreted as an indicator of what many industry observers had anticipated: With Biden in the White House, networks that have spent the last four years railing consistently against Trump have lost the main attraction that energized their audience bases, making it difficult to hold onto the elevated viewing levels,” Variety’s analysis explained.
The only program that did not see a decline in viewership during Trump’s first week out of office was Fox News’s “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” which actually gained viewers.
Overall, though, Fox News lost viewers as well, prompting the company to make several changes to its programming lineup in recent weeks.
Fox News eventually returned to the top in prime-time ratings by the end of the Biden administration’s first week.
It averaged 2.56 million viewers, while MSNBC pulled in 2.23 million and CNN, 1.79 million.
Variety predicted CNN and MSNBC could experience another bump in viewership during Trump’s second impeachment trial, which is set to take place later this month.
