MSNBC shows hemorrhage viewers following Trump victory

In Thursday’s ratings, Fox News scored 2.6 million viewers overall and 375,000 in the prized 25-54 age demographic, according to Nielsen data obtained by Mediaite. Meanwhile, MSNBC was watched by 596,000 total viewers and only 71,000 in the 25-54 demographic. CNN captured 419,000 total viewers on Thursday and 91,000 viewers in the demographic.

Fox News viewership was up by 60 percent from the previous year on that day, while MSNBC and CNN both declined by 23 and 40 percent respectively. The situation was even worse in prime time for both stations, as they lost 30 percent and 54 percent of the viewers they had on that day in 2023. MSNBC host Alex Wagner experienced the worst ratings in the history of her show. Chris Hayes was nipping at her heels, having his worst-rated show since May 2016.

Viewership for The Morning Joe’s first and second hour dropped 39.6 and 36.9 percent, respectively, Andrea Mitchell Reports dropped 39.7 percent, Ari Melber’s show dropped 49.6 percent, Joy Reid’s Reidout dropped 54.6 percent, The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell dropped 60.6 percent, and Stephanie Ruhle’s show dropped 67 percent between October 30, the Wednesday before the election, and Friday, November 8.

It was clear viewing skies for Fox News on election night as it attracted 10.3 million viewers every hour from 8 to 11 – the peak election night hours as polls closed across America. Fox has long dominated the cable news ratings.

MSNBC received averaged 6 million viewers on election night, beating CNN which only received 5.1 million. CNN, the groundbreaking station that founded the 24/7 news coverage in the early 1980s, has seen a dwindling election night audience. In 2020, almost 10 million people watched their coverage – twice what it was on Tuesday night, Mediaite noted.

MSNBC’s immediate reversal of audience share could indicate that left-wing viewers’ enthusiasm over a potential victory for Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris was crushed by President-elect Donald Trump’s stunning victory. Another wrinkle for cable news is the consistent growth of alternative media on YouTube and Rumble which has siphoned millions of viewers from the mainstream media. Since 2020, television viewership has plummeted by 25 percent, Mediaite noted.