Network
|
A25-54
|
A18-49
|
A18-34
|
Total viewers
| |
Tucker Carlson Tonight
|
FOX News
|
0.64
|
0.41
|
0.19
|
4.20
|
Hannity
|
FOX News
|
0.62
|
0.38
|
0.19
|
4.17
|
The Ingraham Angle
|
FOX News
|
0.56
|
0.33
|
0.16
|
3.63
|
Cuomo Prime Time
|
CNN
|
0.53
|
0.35
|
0.18
|
2.17
|
Anderson Cooper 360
|
CNN
|
0.51
|
0.34
|
0.18
|
2.08
|
CNN Tonight
|
CNN
|
0.49
|
0.34
|
0.18
|
1.84
|
Rachel Maddow Show
|
MSNBC
|
0.40
|
0.26
|
0.09
|
3.13
|
Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell
|
MSNBC
|
0.30*
|
0.19
|
0.08*
|
2.38
|
All In with Chris Hayes
|
MSNBC
|
0.27*
|
0.16
|
0.07*
|
1.96
|
*There are four instances of unreleased ratings in A25-54 and A18-34 for All In, and one instance for Last Word
There are two major ongoing news stories that dominated the prime time cable news shows in June. The beginning of the month saw nationwide protests sparked by the death of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer. All three networks carried live coverage of protests in some major cities, which occurred primarily at the beginning of the month. Ratings were on the rise as there continued to be coverage, and CNN soon took the lead in all major demographics, including the coveted A25-54 demo. For a brief moment, cable news programs were not only dominating the cable ratings, they were also outperforming many offerings on broadcast TV. When the protest coverage subsided, ratings started to look more normal. FOX News re-gained its lead, with all three of their prime time shows above those on CNN and MSNBC on average for the month of June.
The protests occurred around the time that the country was beginning to reopen on a larger scale. Due to a variety of factors, confirmed cases of COVID-19 soared by the middle of June and extended through the end of it. CNN and MSNBC diverted their attention back to COVID-19, while FOX News remained primarily on the topic of race relations. Generally, ratings for all three networks came back down to earth. This is understandable, as without live coverage of major events, the ratings will naturally go down.
The most notable example is Don Lemon’s CNN Tonight. While it would routinely be one of the highest-rated shows, if not the highest-rated one, when there was live protest coverage. Despite this, throughout the month, it ended up being the lowest-rated CNN show in the key A25-54 demographic and the least-watched show amongst all three networks. It, alongside other CNN programs on occasion, tended to fall behind Rachel Maddow Show at certain points in the latter part of the month. This is also a testament to Maddow’s strength, proving itself to be MSNBC’s most valuable show in the ratings.
What do you think of these ratings? Leave a comment to let us know!