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| newsmaxtv.com |
During the Trump Presidency, especially in 2020, viewers took note of the constant anti-Trump rhetoric coming from their prime time opinion show hosts. As such, they (especially 9 pm host Chris Cuomo) have been a target for President Trump on Twitter, who often makes claims about their low ratings to varying levels of truth. Trump is also clearly displeased with MSNBC’s coverage of his tenure, nicknaming them ‘MSDNC’ as a nod to their widely-known bias to the political left.
President Trump now has a mixed relationship with FOX News. He frequently gives phone interviews on Hannity—a show airing in the same time slot as Cuomo Prime Time—and brags about his high ratings. However, almost any time FOX News would release a string of general election polls, Trump would go on a Twitter rage about the polls being rigged. He has often accused the network of not being biased toward him enough, despite their noted conservative bias.
On July 5, 2020, President Trump tweeted this:
.@FoxNews weekend afternoons is the worst! Getting into @CNN and MSDNC territory. Watch @OANN & @newsmax instead. Much better!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 5, 2020
This is a major endorsement for Newsmax, especially their TV division.
According to the website Cable Rankings, Newsmax TV received an average of 22,000 viewers the week before that tweet. The week following the tweet, Newsmax TV was up to an average of 24,000 viewers; a small increase, but an increase nonetheless. Newsmax TV’s ratings would continue to rise through the end of August, garnering 41,000 viewers in the week ended August 30, 2020. The network ranked 94th of all cable networks in the first week of July, and 83rd in the last week of August. In primetime, Newsmax TV rose from 99th place to 82nd place.
Newsmax TV does not have the same household reach that major cable networks such as FOX News, CNN, and MSNBC have. As compiled by Wikipedia, Newsmax TV currently only has six affiliate stations, none of which are based in cities with a population of half a million people. Newsmax TV had previously lost affiliates in many major cities, giving them an uphill battle toward success.
In October 2020, President Trump retweeted Newsmax twice and advertised them broadcasting his rallies. For a conservative network like Newsmax TV, there is no better endorsement than President Trump; he has an active base and, despite losing his re-election effort, received more votes than anyone in American history sans his opponent. In the week ending October 25, 2020, Newsmax TV averaged 68,000 daily viewers (ranked 73rd on cable) and 129,000 viewers in prime time (ranked 66th).
Newsmax TV’s highest-rated program, Greg Kelly Reports, averaged 120,000 viewers in October 2020, giving it a rank of 63 on cable. Compare this to the 43,000 viewers it averaged in July, and you will notice the growth.
According to Cable Rankings, Greg Kelly Reports is up 110% in total viewers from September 2020 to October 2020. Stinchfield is up 104%, National Report is up 97%, American Agenda is up 91%, John Bachman Now is up 84%, Spicer & Co is up 82%, The Chris Salcedo Show is up 65%, and The Howie Carr Show is up 54%.
Although other media outlets have confidently called the election for former Vice President Joe Biden, Newsmax TV does not to refer to him as President-elect due to President Trump’s many court challenges and claims of fraud. It remains to be seen if that message is bringing in more viewers, but one thing is for sure: if you’re a conservative who is fed up with FOX News and keep up with President Trump on Twitter, you’re probably discovering Newsmax TV.
UPDATE 11/18:
According to Cable Rankings, Newsmax TV’s ratings skyrocketed in the week ended November 15. Their total daily audience was up nearly 384% to 329,000 viewers, and their prime time audience was up over 219% to 412,000 viewers. This makes Newsmax TV the #20 cable network daily and #26 in prime time.
UPDATE 11/24
According to Cable Ranks, Newsmax TV’s ratings increased yet again in the week ended November 22. They received 346,000 daytime viewers and 432,000 prime time viewers.
Additionally, according to CNN and Variety, Newsmax TV’s show Greg Kelly Reports has been averaging over a million views a night in its 7pm time slot, as FOX News’ The Story continues to see noticeable declines in the same hour. In fact, FOX News as a whole had its lowest daily audience since the week ending July 26, and ended its long streak as the most-watched cable network (CNN took the honors).
On November 15, President Trump tweeted this:
This is why @FoxNews daytime and weekend daytime have lost their ratings. They are abysmal having @alfredenewman1 (Mayor Pete of Indiana’s most unsuccessful city, by far!) on more than Republicans. Many great alternatives are forming & exist. Try @OANN & @newsmax, among others! https://t.co/ewHE8GBRNy
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 15, 2020
With yet another Trump endorsement, another ratings boost for Newsmax TV is in the realm of possibility. What do you think? Will it happen? Leave your thoughts below!