Primetime rankings for CNN have fallen 61% this month — the steepest dip in viewership amongst the massive three cable news giants, in keeping with the newest figures released by Nielsen.
The drop in rankings is a nasty omen for CNN, which has struggled to right the ship since parent company Warner Bros. Discovery tasked Chris Licht with the job of turning the news channel around greater than a yr ago.
Despite the poor rankings, Licht has the support of his boss, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav, who gave a pep check with network managers urging them to avoid politically oriented commentary and partisanship.
“Rankings be damned,” he said. “Let’s give attention to who we’re. That is our mission. That is our legacy. And that is our journey together.”
A CNN spokesperson told The Post: “CNN is a top-five cable network in total day, has the youngest audience in cable news, reaches essentially the most viewers in cable news within the demo, and is the #1 digital news platform on this planet.”
CNN’s primetime rankings are down a whopping 61% in March, in keeping with the newest Nielsen rankings.ERIK S LESSER/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
“The impact of CNN’s journalism and the reach of the brand can’t be measured by a single metric,” the spokesperson told The Post.
A source near the situation noted that viewership for all cable networks are down attributable to the accelerating trend of subscribers cutting the cord and choosing cheaper streaming services equivalent to Netflix and Hulu.
CNN and other cable networks are also hamstrung by a comparatively slow news cycle, which explains why they’ve struggled to duplicate the identical audience interest from a yr ago, when Russia invaded Ukraine.
CNN’s Anderson Cooper is pictured above. The network touts the proven fact that his show, “AC360,” has repeatedly bested MSNBC’s Chris Hayes within the 8 p.m. hour.Getty Images for CNN
CNN saw strong rankings under the leadership of Licht’s predecessor, Jeff Zucker, and Zaslav said he recognized that a more partisan approach could bring more viewers and money, but that “it’s not what I got here here to do,” in keeping with a transcript of Zaslav’s speech.
He said he hoped the network would find a way to work out what’s working and what isn’t. He urged the managers to not worry about outside noise.
Fox News averaged 2.09 million viewers in prime time in March, with MSNBC at 1.14 million and CNN at 473,000, in keeping with Nielsen figures cited by the Associated Press.
In the important thing 25-54 age demographic for advertisers, CNN is seeing a few of its lowest numbers in a long time.
The poor rankings have also plagued other parts of CNN’s broadcasting schedule.
“CNN This Morning,” the morning show that features co-hosts Don Lemon, Kaitlan Collins, and Poppy Harlow, averaged just 359,000 total viewers within the last quarter, in keeping with figures cited by Mediaite.
It was the fortieth most watched show on cable news.
Chris Licht was hired to show CNN’s fortunes around after the departure of his predecessor, Jeff Zucker.WireImage
By comparison, MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” averaged 846,000 total viewers while Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends” broadcast emerged on top with a mean of 1.21 million viewers.
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“CNN This Morning” has been generating headlines for the turmoil and tension between the co-hosts that bubbled to the surface.
Lemon was forced to apologize and undergo sensitivity training after he said on the air last month that Nikki Haley, the 51-year-old GOP presidential candidate, was “not in her prime.”
Weeks earlier, Lemon reportedly chewed out Collins in full view of colleagues because he was upset she was purportedly interrupting him during their broadcast.
The network’s total day viewers fell by 27% within the last quarter.
Adding insult to injury, CNN has seen a 40% drop within the variety of day viewers within the advertiser-coveted 25-54 age demographic.
Fox News, which shares a standard owner with The Post, remained essentially the most watched cable news channel within the country within the last quarter.
CNN’s morning show “CNN This Morning” has been stricken by tension between co-hosts Kaitlan Collins (far left), Don Lemon (center), and Poppy Harlow.Stephen Lovekin/Shutterstock
The network saw more modest declines in total day viewership in addition to viewers within the 25-54 demo.
MSNBC, the Comcast-owned cable outfit, fell by 1% in total day viewers and 9% within the 25-54 demo.
While MSNBC has beaten CNN within the variety of total viewers, CNN leads its rival within the 25-54 demo.
CNN’s primetime offerings have also bested those of MSNBC. Erin Burnett’s “Outfront” has consistently beaten Joe Reid of MSNBC’s “The ReidOut” within the 7 p.m. Eastern time hour.
Within the 8 p.m. hour, Anderson Cooper of “AC360” has repeatedly outperformed Chris Hayes, the host of MSNBC’s “All In.”
Licht is reportedly trying to shake up primetime by adding blockbuster names, including CBS morning star Gayle King and basketball loudmouth Charles Barkley.
CNN can also be set to roll out “CNN News Central,” its mid-day news offering that’s designed to duplicate the texture of election night.
Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav has given Licht a vote of confidence.AP
The show debuts on Monday, with John Berman, Kate Bolduan, and Sara Sidner hosting the primary three-hour block from the studios in Latest York City.
Brianna Keilar, Boris Sanchez, and Jim Sciutto will helm the noon-to-3 p.m. slot from Washington, DC.
The Post has sought comment from MSNBC and Fox News.
With Post wires
