CNN Struggles To Find Viewers

Long-struggling CNN had a historically small audience in February, particularly among the group of viewers needed to pay the bills. 

David Zaslav, CEO of parent company Warner Bros. Discovery, told investors last month that CNN’s turnaround might take some time. "It isn’t gonna happen overnight," he said. 

Zaslav was correct, as CNN finished February with alarmingly low viewership to indicate any improvement could come at a snail’s pace. The month featured an overabundance of news, ranging from the ongoing war in Ukraine and a Chinese balloon being shot down by the U.S. to President Biden’s State of the Union Address, but it didn’t help CNN build an audience. 

CNN’s troubles were most significant among the advertiser-coveted demographic of adults age 25-54. CNN had its lowest-rated month in the category since May 2012, and its third lowest-rated month since the beginning of 2001. 

"Anderson Cooper 360" and "The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer" had their lowest-rated months in the category since June 2014, while "The Lead with Jake Tapper" had its worst performance since July 2014. 

John King’s "Inside Politics" has its smallest demo audience since August 2005—the month Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans. 

CNN had its lowest-rated month in the key demographic since May 2012, and its third lowest-rated month since the beginning of 2001. 

"CNN Tonight" had its smallest audience ever in the critical category. The struggles put a spotlight on the glaring hole in CNN's primetime lineup, which has been without a permanent 9 p.m. ET host since Chris Cuomo was fired in 2021.

Fox News, TBS, USA, Food Network, HGTV, TLC, Bravo, A&E, Discovery, Comedy Central, History, FX, Investigation Discovery, AMC, Hallmark, MTV and FXX all had larger primetime audiences than CNN among the demo sought-after by advertisers. It was CNN’s worst primetime performance among the demo since December 2013, according to Fox News Digital.