CNN Sheds Nearly 90% of 2021 Audience

Fox News Channel kicked off the new year as the No. 1 basic cable network from Jan. 3-9, 2022, as CNN saw staggering declines, shedding nearly 90% of its early 2021 audience in multiple categories. 

CNN averaged 2.7 million viewers from Jan. 4-10 last year as the network experienced a brief post-election spike but plummeted to only 548,000 average viewers last week, for a stunning year-over-year drop of 80% of its total audience. 

During the same time periods, Fox News averaged 1.4 million total viewers last week for only a 15% drop compared to the first full week of 2021, when a jam-packed news cycle that included the Capitol riot ensued. Fox News has now outdrawn CNN and MSNBC combined for 21 straight weeks. Fox also outdrew NFL-heavy ESPN’s 1.1 million viewers to finish as the most-watched basic cable option. 

CNN’s eye-popping decline is even worse among the advertiser-coveted demographic of adults age 25-54, as the liberal network shed 86% of its viewers and finished last week with only 113,000 average viewers in the critical category after averaging 822,000 a year ago. 

Among the demographic of people age 18-49, CNN shed nearly 90% of its 2021 audience by dropping from 624,000 younger viewers to a dismal 73,000. 

MSNBC also dropped significant viewers compared to the same week last year, losing 67% of its total audience, 80% among the key demo and 83% of younger people. MSNBC averaged only 88,000 viewers among the advertiser-coveted demo to finish behind even struggling CNN in the category. Fox News crushed both liberal options with 223,000 average viewers among the demo, and it retained at least 65% of viewers in all total day categories. 

CNN’s problem attracting eyeballs was prevalent during the primetime hours of 8-11 p.m., when it dropped from 4.2 million total viewers during the first week of 2021 to only 705,000 last week for a year-over-year drop of 83%. CNN also shed 89% of its primetime viewers among the key demo and a whopping 91% of viewers between the ages 18-49. 

MSNBC shed 66% of total primetime viewers, 81% among the key demo and 84% in the younger category, while Fox News retained at least 55% of primetime viewers in all categories. 

CNN averaged 5.3 million viewers on Jan. 6, 2021, but failed to crack 1.5 million during any hour of the day when the liberal network marked the anniversary of the riot with special programming. CNN averaged only 743,000 viewers on Jan. 6, 2022, for an 86% decline. CNN’s Jan. 6 coverage also shed 92% of its viewers among the key demo and 87% of primetime viewers.