New data has revealed that CNN has hit its lowest total day demo rating – a key category for cable news networks – in the outlet’s history.
Among the coveted 24 to 54 viewer demographic – referred to as ‘demo viewers’ – CNN’s daily audience dropped by one percent from last year. Last year, CNN’s day total demo number was 94,000.
This year, it is reportedly 92,000, Mediaite reported based on to data from Nielsen Media Research.
The media outlet only accounted for 11 percent if cable news viewers during prime time last month after the election.
Since Donald Trump’s presidential win, CNN’s prime time viewership has slumped by 52 percent, according to Mediaite.
After the election, the prime time demo audience has shrunken to an average of 77,000.
For average day viewership, the left-leaning outlet averaged 488,000 viewers, which was a three percent increase from last year.
Among demo viewers CNN scored better than MSNBC but worse than Fox, according to Mediaite.
But press release from CNN regarding their viewership this year highlighted the outlet’s accomplishments.
The statement reads: ‘For the August 2024 Democratic National Convention, CNN ranked #1 in all of TV among the key 25-54 demo.
‘On television, CNN ranked again as a top 5 network in all of cable in Total Day among [people aged two and over] for the 5th consecutive year and and in the top 10 among [the 25 to 54 demographic]’
Fox has more than 55 percent of the total cable audience during prime time and 49 percent of the day viewers for the entire year. In November, their viewership spiked to 62 percent of the entire news industry, according to Mediaite.
Post-election, Fox’s audience reportedly accounted for 72 percent of prime time news watchers in the weeks after the election.
According to an insider at Puck, CNN chairman and CEO Mark Thompson hosted an all-hands meeting after the election to set the agenda for the second Trump era.
Thompson reminded staff that there are ‘a lot of other stories out in the U.S. and around the world’ and ‘it was clear that audiences were sick of the way the media covers politics’ according to Puck.
Fox News Media CEO Suzanne Scott shared a statement about her outlet’s success: ‘I am extremely proud of our entire team for proving once again why we are the nation’s most-watched network as we outpaced the competition in covering the stories that mattered most to everyday Americans.’
Fox’s show The Five scored more than 4 million viewers for the final quarter of the year for the third year straight.
Despite a hectic news cycle, CNN’s top shows – Anderson Cooper 360, The Source with Kaitlan Collins and CNN News Night with Abby Phillip – only averaged 367,000 viewers last week, according to Fox News.
CNN’s parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, recently announced an extreme new operating structure as the news network’s ratings freefall.
Under their bold new model, Warner Bros. Discovery will split into ‘two distinct operating divisions,’ according to a Thursday press release.
One of the divisions – the Global Linear Networks – will be focused on its television business. The second, called Streaming & Studios, will be driven toward streaming platforms and setting up ‘strategic opportunities’ for the future.
The media company described the Global Linear Network as ‘a premier linear television business that operates some of the most renowned networks with compelling news, sports, scripted and unscripted programming’.
Its entertainment-based counterpart will be ‘a globally scaled streaming platform and storied film and entertainment studios with a portfolio of the world’s most beloved intellectual property’.
Warner Bros. Discovery President and CEO, David Zaslav said: ‘Since the combination that created Warner Bros. Discovery, we have transformed our business and improved our financial position while providing world class entertainment to global audiences.
‘We continue to prioritize ensuring our Global Linear Networks business is well positioned to continue to drive free cash flow, while our Streaming & Studios business focuses on driving growth by telling the world’s most compelling stories.’
This new plan will be implemented by mid-2025, the company revealed. Right now, the company is split into sections: networks, studios and direct-to-consumer streaming.
After the announcement, which said the company will ‘execute its strategy and drive future shareholder value creation,’ shares were up by about 15 percent in early trading on December 12, CNBC reported.