In the wake of Donald Trump’s victory in the 2024 presidential election, a seismic shift in cable news viewership has been observed, with MSNBC and CNN losing significant portions of their audience while Fox News experiences a notable surge.
According to recent Nielsen ratings, MSNBC has seen its total day viewership plummet by 38% since the election, averaging just 521,000 viewers compared to its pre-election numbers. CNN has fared slightly better but still suffered a 27% decline, bringing its daily viewership down to 367,000. In stark contrast, Fox News has enjoyed a 41% increase in its total day viewership, now averaging 2.001 million viewers per a report from The Wrap.
The primetime slots have been particularly harsh on MSNBC and CNN. MSNBC’s viewership in primetime dropped by 48%, averaging 691,000 viewers, while CNN’s primetime audience decreased by 35%, averaging 470,000. Meanwhile, Fox News saw its primetime audience grow by 34%, now averaging 3.157 million viewers.
In terms of the key demographic of adults aged 25-54, the impact has been even more pronounced for MSNBC and CNN. MSNBC’s primetime ratings in this demo fell by 53%, with a 41% drop in total day, and CNN’s demo viewership decreased by 35% in primetime and 26% overall. Conversely, Fox News has seen a 46% increase in its primetime demo viewership and a 49% rise in its total day demo viewership.
Currently, Fox News commands 73% of the cable news audience in primetime, with MSNBC holding 16% and CNN at 11%. In the key demographic, Fox News captures 71% of the audience, with CNN at 17% and MSNBC at 11%.
The decline in viewership for MSNBC has been highlighted by the performance of “Morning Joe,” which saw its ratings further diminish after hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski disclosed their meeting with President-elect Trump. The episode aired on Wednesday post-disclosure marked the show’s lowest ratings since 2021, with only 51,000 viewers in the key demographic and a total of 647,000 viewers, down significantly from its third-quarter averages.
The trend of declining viewership for “Morning Joe” continued daily after the announcement, with viewership dropping from 770,000 on Monday to 680,000 on Tuesday, and further to 647,000 on Wednesday.
This dramatic shift in cable news consumption post-election underscores a significant realignment in viewer preferences, reflecting perhaps both the polarization of political media consumption and the impact of election outcomes on network popularity.