Cable News TV Ratings Jump During Trump Trial

During Donald Trump’s criminal trial in New York, all three cable news networks experienced a surge in ratings. Let’s break down the details:

Daytime Ratings:

• Fox News continued its ratings dominance, with an average of 1.46 million total viewers during the period from April 15 to May 16. This was a 14% increase year-over-year. In the key demographic (25-54 age range), Fox News had 169,000 viewers.
• MSNBC came in second, notching 1.06 million average viewers, which was a 21% uptick year-over-year. They had 111,000 viewers in the 25-54 demographic.
• CNN secured third place with 563,000 total viewers, showing a significant 27% increase compared to the prior year. In the 25-54 demographic, CNN had 98,000 viewers1.

Primetime Ratings:

• Fox News maintained its lead in primetime, scoring 2.34 million total viewers, a 28% increase year-over-year. They also had 244,000 viewers in the 25-54 age range.
• MSNBC followed with 1.59 million total viewers, an 11% increase from the previous year. In the key demographic, they had 154,000 viewers.
• CNN secured 634,000 total viewers during primetime, marking a 12% uptick year-over-year. Their 25-54 demo viewership stood at 119,0001.

Daytime Surge and Courtroom Coverage: The more crucial ratings story emerged during daytime programming, especially when the court was in session for Trump’s criminal hush-money charges. Both CNN and MSNBC saw monumental ratings gains year-over-year during this time.

While CNN lagged behind MSNBC in total viewership, it consistently topped the 25-54 demographic. CNN’s primetime lineup struggled during a specific week, but they compensated by providing relevant updates from inside the courtroom during daytime coverage1.

In summary, the historic criminal case against the former president captivated cable news viewers, leading to significant year-over-year gains for all three networks during the trial.