CableTV Ratings: MSNBC Wins 25-54 Weekday Prime

MSNBC was back on top in weekday prime (M-F 8-11pm) for the month of July, beating FOX News and CNN among A25-54 and A18-49 according to Nielsen.

USAToday Graphic

According to a MSNBC press release, this is the 2nd time the network has topped both FOX News and CNN in A25-54 for the month (after May 2017) and the 3rd straight month in A18-49. MSNBC was in the Top 10 in A25-54 among all cable networks for the month, ranking #6 (vs. FOX News’ #7 and CNN’s #17).

In total viewers, MSNBC finished at #2 among all cable networks in weekday prime (ahead of HGTV, History and TBS, just behind FOX News).

MSNBC averaged 478,000 A25-54 viewers (vs. FOX News’ 461,000 and CNN’s 316,000); 328,000 A18-49 viewers (vs. FOX News’ 288,000 and CNN’s 247,000); and 2.13 million viewers (vs. CNN’s 961,000). MSNBC is the only news network to post growth over July 2016 in the key demographics: +10% in A25-54 (vs. FOX News’ -31% and CNN’s -54%), +2% in A18-49 (vs. FOX News’ -40% and CNN’s -57%) and +26% in total viewers (vs. FOX News’ -29% and CNN’s -54%).

“The Rachel Maddow Show” finished the month as the #1 show in the entire cable news schedule for three key demos: A25-54, A18-49 and total viewers. For the 9pm time period, “Maddow” was #1 for the 5th consecutive month in A18-49 and A25-54, and the 3rd straight month in total viewers.
“Morning Joe” at 6am continued to lead third-ranked CNN in both A25-54 and A18-49 (both for the 2nd straight month) and in total viewers for the 29th consecutive month. The program has now averaged over 1 million viewers for 3 straight months since May 2017.

However, Fox News ranked No. 1 across cable in total day viewers for the 13th straight month, per Nielsen. Additionally, FNC was No. 1 in the month of July in total prime time viewers, and has now defeated rivals CNN and MSNBC in total prime time viewers for 187 straight months.

July 2017: Cable News Program Ranker (Total Viewers) by TVNewser on Scribd

Basic Cable Ranker: Week of July 10, 2017 (Adults 25-54) by TVNewser on Scribd