MSNBC’s viewership has plummeted just weeks after launching a new primetime lineup to reverse declining ratings. Leaked Nielsen figures show a 41% drop in the primetime 25-54 demographic and a 34% decline in total day viewership for May compared to May 2024.
Jen Psaki, who replaced Rachel Maddow in the 9 p.m. ET slot from Tuesday to Friday starting May 5, has struggled to gain traction. Maddow, MSNBC’s long-time top host, expressed confidence in Psaki, Biden’s former press secretary, but Psaki’s The Briefing with Jen Psaki drew only 973,000 total viewers on May 22, missing the 1 million mark, compared to Fox News’ Hannity at 2.3 million in the same slot. In the 25-54 demo, Psaki’s show had 55,000 viewers, while Hannity attracted 210,000.
Maddow, who briefly hosted five nights a week to cover Trump’s first 100 days, now anchors only Mondays. Her show averaged 1.8 million viewers since the lineup change, down 24% from last year’s 2.4 million. Psaki’s viewership is down 46% from Maddow’s 1.82 million during the Trump coverage and 20% lower than Alex Wagner’s average in the same slot last year.
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| The Weeknight |
MSNBC’s new 7 p.m. show, The Weeknight, hosted by Symone Sanders Townsend, Michael Steele, and Alicia Menendez, replaced Joy Reid’s ReidOut, canceled in February due to poor ratings and Reid’s controversial social media posts. On May 22, The Weeknight drew 707,000 total viewers, with only 56,000 in the 25-54 demo. Its average of 770,000 viewers is 36% below the 1.2 million who watched MSNBC’s 7 p.m. slot a year ago.
CNN trails Fox News but outperforms MSNBC in the 25-54 demo across most shows, except for Abby Phillip’s 10 p.m. program. Fox News continues to dominate cable news ratings.