When Elon Musk and Donald Trump Jr. mused this week about Musk buying MSNBC, they made reference to the network's poor ratings as of late. A week after the US election, the New York Times reported that MSNBC had seen a 39% decline in viewers from October. But that doesn't tell the full story. Nielsen data now shows MSNBC's total viewership was nearly cut in half following the election, falling 47%. The network averaged 497,000 total-day viewers and just 49,000 in the coveted 25-54 demographic. In prime time, the losses are worse, with viewership falling 52% to 644,000, with 63,000 in that demographic, per the Independent.
MSNBC's biggest star isn't immune. The Rachel Maddow Show drew 1.3 million total viewers, including just 84,000 in the key demographic, on Monday. That marks "Maddow's lowest overall viewership of the year and the worst performance in the demo since 2015," the Independent reports, noting "an 11pm repeat of History's Ancient Aliens pulled in 5,000 more demo viewers than Maddow." MSNBC's Morning Joe has seen viewership drop 37% since its hosts met with President-elect Trump. It averaged 618,000 viewers and 49,000 in the 25-54 demo on Nov. 20 for a three-year low, per Fox News.
CNN is suffering, too, with total-day viewers down 33% since the election to 357,000, with 65,000 in the 25-54 demo. Viewership is down 39% in prime time. Meanwhile, Fox News has seen record-breaking growth. The network held 62% of the cable news audience this month—its highest share ever. It averaged 2 million total-day viewers with 282,000 in the 25-54 demo, "marking 67% growth year over year with viewers and 101% in the 25-54 demo," per a release. In prime time, it averaged 3.2 million viewers and 476,000 in the key demo for year-over-year increases of 86% and 147%, respectively, per Mediaite. (More MSNBC stories.)
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