Week of October 14 Cable Information Rankings: Information Packages No Match for Sports activities

These are TVNewser’s basic cable network rankings and cable news reporting for the week of October 14, 2024.

Fox News’ Bret BaierInterview with the vice-president Kamala Harris was no match for an active sports week that included the NFL, college football and baseball playoffs. Sports-heavy networks like TBS, ESPN and FS1 all saw viewership increases last week, with TBS becoming the most-watched cable network in both total viewers and the coveted adult advertiser demo from 25 to 54 years old.

Looking at news networks alone, the vice president’s interview gave Fox News a win because it was the only network to post week-to-week gains in both categories measured in prime time and during all day. Meanwhile, CNN was the only network to see widespread declines during both time slots.

NETWORKS:

Nielsen live and same-day data for the week of October 14 saw FNC average 2.619 million total viewers and 331,000 A25-54 viewers in primetime. The network increased its total audience by +5% and +10% in the A25-54 demo compared to the previous week.

Fox News averaged 1.630 million total viewers and 209,000 A25-54 viewers in total daily viewership, for weekly gains of +4% in both measured categories.

Among all basic cable networks, Fox News maintained second place behind ESPN in total primetime viewers and remained in fourth place in the primetime demo. During the total day, it continued to dominate total viewers and moved from second to fourth place in the demo.

MSNBC’s primetime programming averaged 1.277 million total viewers and 134,000 A25-54 viewers, representing gains of +3% in both categories from the previous week.

During the total day, MSNBC averaged 881,000 total viewers and 90,000 A25-54 viewers. It is up +1% in the first category, but down -4% in the second.

Among all basic cable networks, MSNBC fell from fourth to fifth in total primetime viewers and climbed from 10th to eighth in the demo. During the total day, it was the #2 network in total viewers and the #5 position in the demo.

CNN averaged 622,000 total viewers and 117,000 A25-54 viewers in prime time. This translates to weekly declines of -19% and -28%, respectively.

For the entire day, the channel attracted 481,000 total viewers and 86,000 viewers in the demo, for respective declines of -14% and -20% in these measured categories.

In basic cable ratings, CNN slipped from sixth to seventh in total primetime viewers and from No. 9 to No. 11 in the primetime demo. During the total day, the network fell from fourth to sixth in total viewers and remained sixth in the demo.

When we look at the performance of these networks at the same time a year ago (the week of October 16):

In prime time, Fox News saw a +19% increase in total viewership and a +32% increase in the A25-54 demo. Over the entire day, the network recorded respective gains of +19% and +17% in these measured categories. MSNBC was down -1% in total viewers, but up +8% in the primetime demo. For the day as a whole, the network was down -4% in total viewers and -11% in the demo. CNN’s primetime audience declined -9% in total viewers and -36% in the demo. For the day as a whole, CNN was down -24% and -38% in these categories, respectively.

PROGRAMMING:

Fox News held 12 of the 15 spots for the week’s most-watched cable news shows in total viewers, with The Five (3.645 million viewers at 5 p.m. ET) remaining in first place. MSNBC filled the remaining spots, with Deadline: White House with Nicole Wallace (1.715 million viewers at 5 p.m. ET).

In the demo, Jesse Watters Primetime (477,000 viewers at 8 p.m. ET) remained the top show, with Fox News winning 14 of the top 15 shows. And the average of MSNBC’s All in With Chris Hayes and inside with Jen Psaki (209,000 viewers at 8 p.m. ET) landing on average in 11th place.

Week of October 14, cable news audiences, Monday through Sunday (Nielsen Live+SD data):

PRIMETIME Fox News MSNBC CNN • Total Viewers: 2,619,000 1,277,000 622,000 • A25-54: 331,000 134,000 117,000 DAY TOTAL Fox News MSNBC CNN • Total viewers: 1,630,000 881,000 481,000 • A25-54: 209,000 90,000 86,000

Cable Rating Week 10/14/24 by Advertising week on Scribd