Week of December 2: Cable News Ratings: It’s Feast, Not Famine, for Post-Thanksgiving Media

These are TVNewser’s basic cable network rankings and cable news reporting for the week of December 2, 2024.

News from Hunter Bidenforgiveness, plus UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting Brian Thompson and the subsequent manhunt for the killer, was enough to lift cable news networks out of the holiday doldrums.

All three cable news networks posted double-digit gains across the board in prime time and throughout the day.

Viewers continued to tune in to Fox News, particularly for political coverage, as it garnered a 71% share of primetime cable news and boasted 99 of the top 100 newscasts by cable of the week.

NETWORKS:

Nielsen live and same-day data for the week of December 2 saw FNC average 2.493 million total viewers and 280,000 viewers among adults 25-54 in primetime. The network is up +24% in the first category and +18% in the second compared to the previous week.

For the day as a whole, FNC Fox News recorded 1.693 million total viewers and 208,000 A25-54 viewers for gains of +25% and +28%, respectively.

Among all basic cable networks, Fox News finished in first place in total primetime viewers and landed in second place in the primetime demo. During the total day, it remained the leader in total viewers and maintained its second place in the demo.

MSNBC’s primetime programming averaged 632,000 total viewers and 56,000 viewers in the A25-54 demo for weekly gains of +36% and +51%, respectively.

Over the entire day, the channel welcomed 459,000 total viewers and 40,000 A25-54 viewers, which translates into respective gains of +33% and +38% compared to the previous week.

In the basic cable ratings, MSNBC moved to fifth place in total primetime viewers and fell from 43rd to 29th in the demo. During the total day, the channel climbed to fourth in total viewers and moved from 38th to 26th in the demo, tied with MTV.

CNN averaged 367,000 primetime viewers and 67,000 primetime A25-54 viewers, for respective gains of +24% and +31% in these measured categories.

During the total day, the network saw 322,000 total viewers and 52,000 viewers in the demo, translating to weekly gains of +20% and +27%, respectively. CNN continued to finish in second place ahead of MSNBC in the primetime and all-day demo.

Compared to all cable networks, CNN rose to 17th place in total primetime viewers and landed in 26th place in the primetime demo. During the total day, CNN fell from eighth to fifth place in total viewers and from 24th to 15th place in the demo, tied with HGTV.

When we look at the performance of these networks during the same period a year ago (the week of December 4):

In prime time, Fox News saw a +36% increase in total viewership and a +44% increase in the demo. Over the total day, the network also recorded gains of +42% in the first category and +56% in the second. MSNBC was down 48% in both total viewers and primetime demo. Over the course of the total day, the network was down -41% and -47% in these measured categories, respectively. CNN’s primetime fortunes fell -22% in total viewers and -33% in demo. During the total day, CNN saw a -25% decline in total viewers and a -35% decline in the demo.

PROGRAMMING:

Fox News took 14 of the 15 spots for most-watched cable news shows of the week, with The Five (4.113 million viewers at 5 p.m. ET). MSNBC Deadline: The White House with Nicole Wallace (952,000 viewers at 5 p.m. ET) took last place.

The Five (431,000 viewers at 5 p.m. ET) was also the #1 show among A25-54 viewers. Fox News occupied the top 15 spots in the ranking of most-watched demo shows.

Prime time

Fox News MSNBC CNN • Total number of viewers: 2,493,000 632,000 367,000 • A25-54: 280,000 56,000 67,000

Total day

Fox News MSNBC CNN • Total number of viewers: 1,693,000 459,000 322,000 • A25-54: 208,000 40,000 52,000

Cable Rating Week 12-2-24 by Advertising week on Scribd