News ratings down after election, MSNBC sees 54% fall, CNN down 36%
It’s been a busy news cycle following the 2024 presidential election, a time of year when news organizations typically bank on high viewership due to public interest in election results and reactions. However, some networks are seeing their post-election audience quickly dissipate.
According to Nielsen ratings, MSNBC had a strong election night, drawing 6 million viewers. But in the days following the election, its viewership dropped significantly, falling to less than 1 million.
The network lost more than half of its audience compared to its October viewership, marking the lowest-rated non-holiday night of the year on Friday, Nov. 8.
MSNBC experienced a similar loss in viewership following the 2016 election after Donald Trump’s victory. However, the network rebounded, going on to have its four most-watched years in history from 2017 to 2020, as many news outlets capitalized on Trump-heavy coverage, generating record revenue.
CNN also saw a significant decline in viewership after last week’s election. The network attracted 5.1 million viewers during its election coverage, but in the days following the election, CNN’s viewership dropped to 611,000, a 36% decline compared to its October average of 953,000.
Fox News saw a different trend. While MSNBC and CNN were losing viewers, Fox News gained.
On election night, Fox attracted more than 10 million viewers, and in the days that followed, the network’s total viewership averaged over 4 million, a 34% increase from its October average. This was also a 58% jump compared to its year-to-date viewership for 2024.
While this trend reflects left-leaning cable networks losing viewers after Trump’s victory and right-leaning outlets gaining, there is one left-leaning talk show that defied the trend. “The View” saw a boost in viewership following Trump’s win, posting its best week of ratings in more than three years.
The ABC daytime talk show averaged 3 million viewers during the week of Nov. 5, making it the top-rated daytime talk show. The day after the election, “The View” had its most-watched episode in over a decade, drawing 4.5 million viewers, its highest since Barbara Walters’ farewell episode in 2014.
A total of 42 million people watched the election unfold across 18 TV networks, according to Nielsen. However, the viewership was down compared to the 2020 election, when 57 million tuned in, marking a 25% decrease in viewership this cycle.
Some in the media suggest that the decline in viewership on such a major news night can be attributed to a lack of trust in traditional media.
“The path of traditional media’s institutional collapse is really two intertwining stories: a breakdown of its business model exacerbated by a breakdown of influence, the extent of which became clear this campaign cycle,” Carlo Versano of Newsweek said. “Behind it all lies a growing sense among Americans that the media cannot be trusted to tell them the news they believe is fair.”
Vice President Kamala Harris concedes the election to former President Donald Trump. And President Joe Biden speaks to Trump to invite him to a meeting at the White House. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024.
Harris concedes presidential election to Trump
Donald Trump is once again president-elect, with more media outlets calling the election on Wednesday, Nov. 6. The former (and future) president not only won the Electoral College but the popular vote as well.
As of early Thursday morning, Nov. 7, Decision Desk HQ had Trump standing at 312 electoral votes, surpassing the 270 needed to win. His opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris earned 226. Trump also led in the popular vote at close to 73 million, with Harris getting just over 68 million.
We heard from Trump celebrating his victory in the wee hours of Wednesday morning. Harris chose not to speak at that time.
Instead, the vice president waited until the afternoon to address a crowd of supporters at Howard University, where she conceded the election.
“The outcome of this election is not what we wanted, not what we fought for, not what we voted for,” she said, “but hear me when I say, hear me when I say, the light of America’s promise will always burn bright as long as we never give up and as long as we keep fighting.”
Harris said she spoke with Trump on the phone to congratulate him. She also told her supporters it is important to accept the election results and engage in a peaceful transfer of power, calling it “a fundamental principle of American democracy.”
“At the same time, in our nation, we owe loyalty not to a president or a party, but to the Constitution of the United States, and loyalty to our conscience and to our god,” she said. “My allegiance to all three is why I am here to say, while I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign.”
Harris also told the crowd, they might “feel dark times are ahead” but she hopes that’s not the case and added that “sometimes the fight takes a while.”
Harris, as the sitting vice president, will be the one overseeing Congress’ ceremonial certification of the election in January.
Meanwhile, there is speculation Trump could soon begin announcing appointments to key positions in his cabinet, in just a matter of days. Some prospective nominees reportedly canceled their flights out of south Florida Wednesday after election night celebrations, in order to remain close to Trump.
Biden congratulates Trump on win, invites him to White House
President Joe Biden also reached out to President-elect Trump over the phone on Wednesday. During that call, he invited Trump to a meeting at the White House and offered his congratulations.
The White House released a statement saying, “President Biden expressed his commitment to ensuring a smooth transition and emphasized the importance of working to bring the country together.”
A Trump campaign spokesperson confirmed the call, and that Biden invited the president-elect to the White House to “ensure a smooth transition between the current administration and the incoming administration.” The Trump campaign said the White House meeting would take place shortly and Trump very much appreciated the call from Biden.
Biden also spoke to Vice President Harris on the phone Wednesday. He released a statement following her concession speech saying in part, “Under extraordinary circumstances, she stepped up and led a historic campaign that embodied what’s possible when guided by a strong moral compass and a clear vision for a nation.”
President Biden added that selecting Harris as his vice president was “the best decision” he made.
The president is expected to address the nation Thursday on the election and the transition of power.
This morning at 11 AM ET, I’ll address the nation to discuss the election results and the transition.
Special counsel, DOJ reportedly in talks to end Trump prosecutions
Now that former President Trump is once again president-elect, Special Counsel Jack Smith is reportedly in talks with Department of Justice leadership to figure out how to end the criminal cases against Trump. That’s what sources familiar with the matter have told several media outlets.
The DOJ has had a longstanding policy against prosecuting a sitting president and Justice Department regulations say a special counsel must consult DOJ leaders — possibly even Attorney General Merrick Garland — on major decisions in an investigation.
Last year, Smith charged Trump with plotting to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election and illegally keeping classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. Those latter charges were dismissed by a judge earlier this year, but Smith has appealed that ruling. Trump has pleaded not guilty in both cases.
Biden admin rushing billions in assistance to Ukraine: Reports
The Biden administration plans to rush billions of dollars in aid to Ukraine before President Biden leaves office in January, according to multiple reports. The goal is to make sure Ukraine’s government is in a good place when President-elect Trump takes office.
Trump has been critical of the scale of the U.S. military and financial support for Ukraine in its war with Vladimir Putin and Russia.
I had an excellent call with President @realDonaldTrump and congratulated him on his historic landslide victory—his tremendous campaign made this result possible. I praised his family and team for their great work.
We agreed to maintain close dialogue and advance our…
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) November 6, 2024
In April, the Republican-controlled House approved more aid for Ukraine, including an allocation for weapons. However, more than $6 billion in aid that has been set aside for Ukraine has not made it there yet.
Trump has vowed to end the war between Russia and Ukraine quickly but has not specified how.
Cuba’s power grid collapses after Hurricane Rafael makes landfall
Hurricane Rafael weakened after making landfall in Cuba as a powerful Category 3 storm, but not before causing the island’s electrical grid to collapse.
While the storm is expected to stay in the southern part of the Gulf of Mexico, heavy rain will be seen in Florida and neighboring parts of the southeast. One to three inches of rain are expected for parts of the Florida Keys.
Rafael is the fifth major hurricane of the year in the Atlantic and the strongest to hit this late in the year since 2020.
Fox News wins election ratings, overall viewership falls from 2020
Fox News once again led the pack, getting the most viewers on election night. During primetime hours between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. ET, 9.8 million viewers tuned into Fox News. However, that is down from the nearly 14 million viewers who watched in 2020.
On the broadcast side, ABC News came in No. 1 in primetime with 5.6 million viewers.
Overall, Nielsen said across 18 cable and broadcast networks, 42 .3 million people tuned into coverage. That’s down more than 25% from 2020, when election coverage drew nearly 57 million viewers.
*Corrections to Wednesday’s “Unbiased Updates”: We would like to correct that North Carolina did not ‘flip’ blue as the current governor, Roy Cooper, is a Democrat.And, in our final story, history was made in three states on Election Day as two of the elections we mentioned took place in Delaware.
NFL sets record with most watched week 1, averaging 21 million viewers
The NFL had an opening week that surpassed last year’s, with a large increase of viewership across the board. Around 21 million viewers watched the games, a 12% increase from 2023.
Nielsen says 123 million people tuned in to at least part of a game, the highest total since 2019. NBC’s game featuring the Chiefs and the Ravens led the way, drawing 29.2 million viewers, making it the second most watched regular season game since 2006.
Fox also had a big week, with Tom Brady’s debut as an analyst pulling nearly 24 million viewers for the Cowboys-Browns game, and CBS had its strongest week since 1998.
There were some regional rules in play too, cities like New York, Chicago and Atlanta couldn’t air games opposite their home teams. Peacock’s Friday night Eagles-Packers game drew 14 million viewers, the second most watched live event in its history.
Even with some blackouts, Monday night football on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN+ still averaged 20.4 million viewers.
It’s ‘Augtober’ and pumpkin spice is making an early comeback
Happy “Augtober!” In case you don’t know what that is — it means the beginning of pumpkin spice season. Despite still dealing with August’s sweltering summer temperatures, more and more businesses are starting to roll out their fall favorites like it’s October.
For example, Krispy Kreme has already started selling its pumpkin spice lattes and donuts. And while Starbucks — the OG of pumpkin spice lattes — hasn’t added them back to its menu yet, it tends to do it around the last week of August, historically.
Dunkin’ has also been dropping its fall menu earlier in August each year. Last year, America was running on its pumpkin spice by Aug. 16.
For something a little more substantial, customers will have to wait a little longer. IHOP drops its pumpkin spiced menu on Sept. 1.
Nielsen data shows Americans spend more than $500 million on pumpkin spice products each year.
The popular season comes amid a particularly tense financial environment, as unemployment soars, high prices persist, and budget-conscious consumers pull away from fast food. It remains to be seen if getting a jump on the fall season will lead to higher overall profits or just spread them out more thinly over time.
Broadcast, cable television viewing drops to historic low in July
According to Nielsen data, broadcast and cable television made up less than half of TV viewing for the first time in July 2023. The two forms of linear television combined for just 49.6% of viewership. The TV viewing breakdown looked like this:
Streaming: 38.7%
Cable: 29.6%
Broadcast: 20%
Other: 11.6%
The share of broadcast and cable television viewing dropped 3.6% and 2.9% respectively in July. Year-over-year, broadcast viewership has fallen 5.4%, with cable TV dropping 12.5%.
The 38.7% of television viewership that streaming brought in was a record high, rising 25.3% year over year. YouTube and Netflix alone had nearly as many viewers as broadcast television. Some of the notable streamers for July include:
YouTube: 9.2%
Netflix: 8.5%
Hulu: 3.6%
Amazon Prime Video: 3.4%
Disney+: 2%
“An array of new original programs arrived on streaming platforms in July, including The Witcher and The Lincoln Lawyer on Netflix, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan on Prime Video and The Bear on Hulu, but acquired content was the stand-out for the month,” Nielsen said. “Suits, streaming on Netflix and Peacock, and Bluey on Disney+ were the most watched programs in July, accounting for 23 billion viewing minutes.”
The Nielsen numbers came as streaming services appear to be changing its strategy from collecting subscribers to shoring up profits with high prices. Disney recently announced that it’s hiking Disney+ prices for the second time in less than a year, increasing the monthly cost of its ad-free plan $3 to $13.99.
Hulu, which Disney holds a majority stake in, will also increase the monthly cost of its ad-free subscription by $3 to $17.99. Max, Paramount+ and Peacock have also made similar announcements in 2023.
Biden to tour damage from Hawaii wildfires: The Rundown Aug. 16, 2023
President Joe Biden commented on the deadly wildfires in Hawaii, and new data showed how television viewers are changing the industry. These stories and more highlight The Rundown for Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2023.
Biden speaks on deadly Hawaii wildfires
President Biden has offered his first remarks on the Hawaii wildfires after facing criticism for not commenting on the tragedy. Biden reassured the island of Maui that federal resources were on the ground and there to stay for as long as it takes. Biden also promised a visit with the first lady to the devastated areas “as soon as we can,” saying they don’t want to get in the way of recovery efforts.
The death toll has climbed to 106, with most remains unable to be identified. Residents got their first opportunity to go back to their homes in nearly unrecognizable communities.
For those with no house to go home to, hundreds of hotel rooms have opened up in the area for survivors, along with thousands of Airbnb locations. The search for dozens of missing people on the island was expected to continue on Wednesday, Aug. 16.
Mark Meadows seeks to move Georgia case to federal level
Attorneys for Meadows said they are also pushing to dismiss the charges against him, saying nothing he’s accused of in the indictment is criminal. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has ordered Meadows, former President Trump and the other 17 defendants to turn themselves in by Aug. 25.
North Korea claims U.S. soldier was racially discriminated against
For the first time, North Korea offered public remarks on the U.S. soldier who darted into North Korean territory in July of 2023. A spokesperson for the North said Travis King was seeking refuge from the U.S. Army after being racially discriminated against and receiving “inhumane mistreatment.”
The spokesperson said King, who was facing discipline on assault allegations in South Korea, had the intent of staying in North Korea when he decided to cross into the country.
It is common for North Korea to highlight racism in the United States to deflect criticism of its own human rights record. The comments on King came just a day before the U.N. Security Council was set to discuss human rights issues in North Korea.
Gas prices on the rise as Labor Day approaches
As Labor Day weekend approaches, gas prices have been on the rise and are at their highest point they’ve been all year. According to AAA, the national average price for regular gasoline sits at $3.87 per gallon as of Aug. 16, up from $3.56 from this time last month.
$3.87 is the highest the national average has been since October of 2022. The average price of gas in California and Washington was over $5 per gallon on Aug. 16.
Experts have said oil supply cuts abroad are impacting the price of gas at home. The national average is still lower than it was at this time in 2022, when the average was $3.94 per gallon.
Broadcast television, cable viewership falls to record lows in July
Broadcast television and cable viewership has continued to fall, hitting record lows in July. For the first time ever, the two forms of linear television made up less than half of all TV viewership.
Nielsen, who tracks television ratings, said broadcast viewing for the month of July was just 20% of all TV viewership. Streaming services like YouTube, Netflix and Amazon Prime Video reached a record high of 38.7% of TV viewership.
Nielsen also disclosed the most watched programs. They include the drama “Suits” on Netflix and Peacock, as well as the children’s series “Bluey” streaming on Disney+.
New images from the latest beta testing showed the button back where users are familiar with seeing it, in the bottom center of the screen. However, the button was among other options, which would be a change from the standalone position it currently has.
Apple has not commented on where the button will end up.