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Virgin Galactic’s Space Odyssey Helps Cable Ratings Take Off

Doug Pucci

Published

2 years ago

on

Getty Images

One of the notable news stories of the past week was when Virgin Galactic launched founder Richard Branson, chief astronaut instructor Beth Moses, lead operations engineer Colin Bennett and government affairs vice president Sirisha Bandla into space in a suborbital spaceflight aboard the aerospace company’s VSS Unity spacecraft on the morning of Sunday, July 11. 

The one-hour space trip launched from Spaceport America in New Mexico at 10:51 a.m. ET and had traveled more than 50 miles above Earth, which the U.S. government considers to mark the boundary of outer space.

Branson proclaimed, “To the next generation of dreamers: If we can do this, just imagine what you can do.”

For coverage of the event, Fox News Channel edged just past CNN in total viewers during the 11 a.m.-noon hour, 1.479 million to 1.444 million (CNN’s most-watched hour of the week), according to Nielsen Media Research; it was vice versa between the two networks based on the key adults 25-54 demographic: CNN 275,000, Fox News 227,000. MSNBC trailed both cable news outlets with 1.116 million total viewers and 189,000 adults 25-54 — yet, this delivery was well above the network’s usual weekend figures.

Later on July 11, CNN debuted the first two episodes of its eight-part documentary series “History of the Sitcom”. Their initial telecasts topped all of cable news within the 9-11 p.m. time slot:

9-10 p.m.

  • History Of The Sitcom “Part 1: A Family Matter” (CNN) 1.399 million viewers
  • The Next Revolution (FOXNC) 1.279 million viewers
  • The Week with Joshua Johnson (MSNBC) 0.470 million viewers

At 10 p.m., part two of “History Of The Sitcom”, entitled “Sex & The Sitcom”, drew 1.257 million viewers. It aired opposite re-airings of Fox News’ “Sunday Night In America” (947,000) and MSNBC’s “American Voices” (405,000).

Also on July 11: HLN’s crime docuseries “Forensic Files II” premiered its second season with back-to-back original episodes. The 10-11 p.m. hour averaged 176,000 adults 25-54, besting the entire Sunday prime times of each Fox News Channel (150,000) and MSNBC (approximately 60,000).

Here are the cable news averages for July 5-11, 2021 — cable’s best mark for the week in total viewers based on total day was by Fox News Channel; the 21st consecutive week FNC has accomplished this feat.

Total Day (July 5-11 @ 6 a.m.-5:59 a.m.)

  • Fox News Channel: 1.175 million viewers; 193,000 adults 25-54 
  • MSNBC: 0.752 million viewers; 100,000 adults 25-54
  • CNN: 0.598 million viewers; 125,000 adults 25-54

Prime Time (July 5-10 @ 8-11 p.m.; July 11 @ 7-11 p.m.)

  • Fox News Channel: 2.046 million viewers; 309,000 adults 25-54
  • MSNBC: 1.266 million viewers; 156,000 adults 25-54
  • CNN: 0.833 million viewers; 184,000 adults 25-54

Top 10 most-watched cable news programs (and the top CNN program with their respective associated rank) in total viewers:

1. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Thu. 7/8/2021 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 3.229 million viewers

2. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Tue. 7/6/2021 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 3.153 million viewers

3. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Wed. 7/7/2021 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 3.083 million viewers

4. Hannity (FOXNC, Thu. 7/8/2021 9:00 PM, 60 min.) 2.770 million viewers

5. Hannity (FOXNC, Wed. 7/7/2021 9:00 PM, 60 min.) 2.767 million viewers

6. The Five (FOXNC, Thu. 7/8/2021 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 2.622 million viewers

7. Hannity (FOXNC, Tue. 7/6/2021 9:00 PM, 60 min.) 2.564 million viewers

8. The Five (FOXNC, Wed. 7/7/2021 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 2.528 million viewers

9. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Fri. 7/9/2021 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 2.508 million viewers

10. The Five (FOXNC, Tue. 7/6/2021 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 2.473 million viewers

11. Rachel Maddow Show (MSNBC, Wed. 7/7/2021 9:00 PM, 60 min.) 2.371 million viewers

47. Reliable Sources (CNN, Sun. 7/11/2021 11:00 AM, 60 min.) 1.444 million viewers

54. History Of The Sitcom “A Family Matter” (CNN, Sun. 7/11/2021 9:00 PM, 60 min.) 1.399 million viewers

Top 10 cable news programs (and the top CNN and HLN programs with their respective associated ranks) among adults 25-54:

1. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Wed. 7/7/2021 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.550 million adults 25-54

2. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Thu. 7/8/2021 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.518 million adults 25-54

3. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Tue. 7/6/2021 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.511 million adults 25-54

4. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Fri. 7/9/2021 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.492 million adults 25-54

5. Hannity (FOXNC, Wed. 7/7/2021 9:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.418 million adults 25-54

6. Hannity (FOXNC, Thu. 7/8/2021 9:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.416 million adults 25-54

7. The Five (FOXNC, Thu. 7/8/2021 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.389 million adults 25-54

8. Hannity (FOXNC, Fri. 7/9/2021 9:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.353 million adults 25-54

9. Rachel Maddow Show (MSNBC, Wed. 7/7/2021 9:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.349 million adults 25-54

10. The Five (FOXNC, Wed. 7/7/2021 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.347 million adults 25-54

29. Anderson Cooper 360 (CNN, Tue. 7/6/2021 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.284 million adults 25-54

124. Forensic Files II “The Obsession” (HLN, Sun. 7/11/2021 10:00 PM, 30 min.) 0.182 million adults 25-54

Source: Live+Same Day data, Nielsen Media Research

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News Media Reacts to Chuck Todd Announcing Meet The Press Exit

Todd has been the subject of much criticism from both sides of the political aisle.

Barrett News Media

Published

6 hours ago

on

June 5, 2023

By

To end Sunday’s show, NBC News Meet The Press moderator Chuck Todd announced he would exit the show in September after a nine-year run leading the program.

Todd has been the subject of much criticism from both sides of the political aisle. Many have claimed he is too soft on misinformation spread by Republicans, while conservatives have charged that he has shown a liberal bias during his tenure.

Many in the news media world shared their surprise that he was stepping aside, and lauded the decision to replace him with Kristen Welker, who has most recently served as a White House correspondent for NBC.

Welker herself called Todd a “mentor and friend”, and shared she was “humbled and grateful to take the baton and continue to build on the legacy” of the show that debuted in 1947.

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Chuck Todd Leaving Meet The Press in September

“I’ve loved so much of this job, helping to explain America to Washington and explain Washington to America.” 
Barrett News Media

Published

11 hours ago

on

June 4, 2023

By

Chuck Todd announced he would depart Meet The Press Sunday, ending a nine-year run anchoring the Sunday political affairs program.

To close Sunday’s program, Todd announced that he would leave the show in September, and will be replaced by Kristen Welker.

“It’s been an amazing nearly decadelong run. I am really proud of what this team and I have built over the last decade,” Todd said. “I’ve loved so much of this job, helping to explain America to Washington and explain Washington to America.” 

Todd has been the subject of criticism from both sides of the political aisle during his tenure but added he believes the show still holds an essential place in the media landscape.

“When I took over Meet the Press, it was a Sunday show that had a lot of people questioning whether it still could have a place in the modern media space,” Todd added. “Well, I think we’ve answered that question and then some.”

Welker will step into the role held by Todd since 2014. She becomes just the second woman to anchor the program after Martha Rountree was the show’s inaugural host more than 75 years ago.

“Meet the Press has sustained its historic role as the indispensable news program on Sunday mornings,” NBC News’ President of Editorial Rebecca Blumenstein and NBC News’ Senior Vice President of Politics Carrie Budoff Brown wrote in a memo to NBC News staffers.

“Through his penetrating interviews with many of the most important newsmakers, the show has played an essential role in politics and policy, routinely made front-page news, and framed the thinking in Washington and beyond.”

The announcement that Todd will step aside from hosting the program comes after scuttlebutt had mostly ceased about his future as the show’s moderator. Late last summer, The Daily Beast’s Confider reported Welker was in line to replace Todd should the ratings continue to decline.

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Fox News Average Viewers Dropped 32% in May

“ Newsmax saw an increase in viewership, gaining 70% to reach 298,000 prime-time viewers.”
Maddy Troy

Published

3 days ago

on

June 2, 2023

By

Fox News Channel experienced a significant decline in prime-time viewership in May, following Tucker Carlson’s departure. The channel’s average viewers dropped by 32% to 1.42 million, compared to April’s results of 2.07 million, according to Nielsen ratings.

Despite the decrease, Fox News Channel maintained its position as the cable news network with the highest ratings. MSNBC’s ratings came closer to Fox’s, trailing by just 260,000 viewers, with an average of 1.16 million total viewers. MSNBC lost 12% of its prime-time viewership compared to the previous month.

According to Media Post, CNN also experienced a decline in viewership, losing 16% in May compared to April, with an average of 416,000 viewers. It is worth noting that these results included a highly-rated Town Hall event featuring former President Trump.

On the other hand, Newsmax, a conservative news network, saw an increase in viewership, gaining 70% to reach 298,000 prime-time viewers.

Analysts suggest that Newsmax benefited from Tucker Carlson’s departure from Fox News at the end of April. Carlson had the highest viewership among all cable TV news programs in April, averaging 3.1 million viewers. Following Newsmax was Nexstar Media’s “NewsNation” with 94,000 prime-time viewers, which had an average of 101,000 viewers in April.

In terms of total day viewership, Fox News Channel remained the leader. However, all three major networks experienced a decline compared to the previous year, with Fox at 1.09 million, MSNBC at 736,000, and CNN at 416,000 viewers.

“The Five,” Fox’s roundtable program, was the highest-rated prime-time cable news show in May, attracting 2.63 million viewers.

In the overall rankings among all cable TV networks for the month, Fox News Channel secured the third position, trailing behind TNT and ESPN. TNT and ESPN claimed the top two spots in prime-time for cable TV networks, with 3.1 million and 2.5 million average viewers, respectively. This success was largely due to their coverage of high-profile NBA Playoff games.

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