(Matthew Doarnberger, Headline USA) Ratings for both CNN and MSNBC have plummeted since election night according to recent numbers.
Viewership from Thursday indicated a decline of 40% for CNN and 23% for MSNBC, according to data obtained by Mediaite.
As bad as those numbers were, the primetime ratings for both networks were even worse.
CNN experienced a 30% decline while MSNBC’s ratings were down an unprecedented 54%.
Mediaite’s Alex Griffing details just how bad it was for MSNBC hosts who carry primetime slots.
“MSNBC host Alex Wagner had her lowest rating show ever in terms of total viewers, while Chris Hayes’s show brought in its worst numbers since May of 2016,” Griffing wrote.
Meanwhile, Fox News was able to bring in 2.6 million viewers on Thursday, a 60% increase year over year for the day.
On election night, the network was able to comfortably lead in viewership with over 10.3 million average viewers from 8 to 11 p.m.
Tuesday’s election produced a never-before-seen result when MSNBC was able to defeat CNN in the ratings during election night for the first time ever.
MSNBC’s viewership came in at 6 million compared to CNN only accumulating 5.1 million.
The CNN total declined by nearly half since the 2020 election when it brought in 9.6 million total viewers.
The steep drop-off of MSNBC ratings from election night to Thursday could be explained by the disappointment in the election results by the network’s left-leaning audience.
According to Griffing, Donald Trump’s defeat of Kamala Harris likely eliminated any desire those viewers had to continue to watch MSNBC’s coverage of the election fallout.
“MSNBC’s inability to keep its audience tuned in throughout the week signals a potential mood shift on the left as hope for a Kamala Harris victory has quickly soured into defeat and anxiety while awaiting Donald Trump’s return to power in January,” he said.
Overall television viewership was down across the board for election night as the Nielsen Ratings showed a drop-off of 25% across 18 major networks.
This included Fox News as they accumulated 14 million viewers four years ago.
