Cable News Ratings Wednesday April 26: MSNBC Beats Fox News in Tucker Carlson’s Old Time Slot

By Mediaite StaffApr 27th, 2023, 4:39 pm
 

Chris Hayes

MSNBC’s Chris Hayes won the 8 p.m. hour on cable news Wednesday night. Hayes’s win comes on the heels of Monday’s firing of Tucker Carlson — who long reigned during the hour.

Hayes beat Carlson’s temporary replacement, Brian Kilmeade, with 1.38 million total viewers to 1.33 million viewers.

Kilmeade’s two recent programs have struggled to retain all of Carlson’s audience in prime time. Where Carlson averaged 3.25 million total viewers and 443,000 viewers in the key 25-54 age demographic last quarter, Kilmeade’s Wednesday night show brought in only 1.7 million viewers and 149,000 demo viewers – which landed the network behind both CNN and MSNBC in the demo.

Kilmeade did still manage to double Anderson Cooper, who landed in third place for the hour.

Hayes did not have the top rated show on MSNBC, however. That distinction went to Ari Melber, whose 6 p.m. program The Beat drew 1.56 million viewers overall and 175,000 in the demo, edging out Fox in the latter category.

Overall, Fox News won prime time in total viewers beating MSNBC with 1.49 million to 1.34 million total viewers. However, MSNBC won in the prime time demo, for the second time this week, with 153,000 viewers to Fox’s 146,000.

Notably, the hours before and after Carlson’s old show on Fox News were also significantly down in viewership. Notably, Rachel Campos-Duffy guest hosted for Jesse Watters at 7 p.m.

Here is a full breakdown of Wednesday’s cable news ratings by show:

Total Viewers (thousands)

ET FNC CNN MSNBC NEWSMAX NEWSNATION
6a FOX AND FRIENDS:
764		 CNN THIS MORNING:
273		 MORNING JOE:
899		 WISE GUYS WITH JOHN TABAC:
31		 EARLY MORNING:
20
7a FOX AND FRIENDS:
1009		 CNN THIS MORNING:
342		 — WAKE UP AMERICA:
164		 MORNING IN AMERICA:
38
8a FOX AND FRIENDS:
1259		 CNN THIS MORNING:
408		 — — —
9a AMERICAS NEWSROOM:
1337		 CNN NEWS CENTRAL:
505		 MORNING JOE:
979		 NATIONAL REPORT:
247		 —
10a AMERICAS NEWSROOM:
1327		 CNN NEWS CENTRAL:
460		 ANA CABRERA REPORTS:
737		 — NWSN LIVE W/ MARNI HUGHES:
45
11a FAULKNER FOCUS, THE:
1308		 CNN NEWS CENTRAL:
500		 JOSE DIAZ-BALART REPORTS:
632		 — —
12p OUTNUMBERED:
1328		 INSIDE POLITICS:
531		 ANDREA MITCHELL REPORTS:
680		 JOHN BACHMAN NOW:
189		 —
1p AMERICA REPORTS:
1167		 CNN NEWS CENTRAL:
500		 CHRIS JANSING REPORTS:
786		 — NEWSNATION NOW:
30
2p AMERICA REPORTS:
1110		 CNN NEWS CENTRAL:
487		 CHRIS JANSING REPORTS:
739 [2:19 PM-2:59 PM]		 AMERICAN AGENDA:
192		 —
3p STORY, THE:
1083		 CNN NEWS CENTRAL:
560		 KATY TUR REPORTS:
830		 — NEWSNATION NOW W/ BERLIE:
39
4p YOUR WORLD W/NEIL CAVUTO:
1133		 LEAD WITH JAKE TAPPER:
560		 DEADLINE:WHITE HOUSE:
1525		 CHRIS SALCEDO SHOW, THE:
249		 —
5p FIVE, THE:
2626		 SITUATION ROOM:
698		 — CARL HIGBIE FRONTLINE:
282		 HILL, THE:
28
6p SPECIAL RPT W/BRET BAIER:
1821		 SITUATION ROOM:
592		 BEAT W/ARI MELBER:
1567		 RECORD WITH GRETA VAN SUS:
295		 ELIZABETH VARGAS REPORTS:
38
7p JESSE WATTERS PRIMETIME:
1558		 ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT:
720		 REIDOUT:
1203		 ROB SCHMITT TONIGHT:
429		 ON BALANCE W/ VITTERT:
53
8p FOX NEWS TONIGHT:
1332		 ANDERSON COOPER 360:
643		 ALL IN W/ CHRIS HAYES:
1377		 ERIC BOLLING THE BALANCE:
510		 CUOMO:
154
9p HANNITY:
1704		 CNN PRIMETIME:
549		 ALEX WAGNER TONIGHT:
1326		 PRIME NEWS:
325		 DAN ABRAMS LIVE:
91
10p INGRAHAM ANGLE, THE:
1448		 CNN TONIGHT:
508		 LAST WORD W/ L. ODONNELL:
1327		 GREG KELLY REPORTS:
420		 BANFIELD:
112
11p GUTFELD!:
1586		 CNN TONIGHT:
346		 11TH HOUR W/ S. RUHLE:
921		 ROB SCHMITT TONIGHT:
191		 CUOMO:
79

25-54 Demo (thousands)

ET FNC CNN MSNBC NEWSMAX NEWSNATION
6a FOX AND FRIENDS:
142		 CNN THIS MORNING:
54		 MORNING JOE:
124		 WISE GUYS WITH JOHN TABAC:
7		 EARLY MORNING:
4
7a FOX AND FRIENDS:
177		 CNN THIS MORNING:
90		 — WAKE UP AMERICA:
25		 MORNING IN AMERICA:
9
8a FOX AND FRIENDS:
162		 CNN THIS MORNING:
70		 — — —
9a AMERICAS NEWSROOM:
170		 CNN NEWS CENTRAL:
75		 MORNING JOE:
106		 NATIONAL REPORT:
30		 —
10a AMERICAS NEWSROOM:
190		 CNN NEWS CENTRAL:
61		 ANA CABRERA REPORTS:
89		 — NWSN LIVE W/ MARNI HUGHES:
2
11a FAULKNER FOCUS, THE:
167		 CNN NEWS CENTRAL:
73		 JOSE DIAZ-BALART REPORTS:
75		 — —
12p OUTNUMBERED:
148		 INSIDE POLITICS:
77		 ANDREA MITCHELL REPORTS:
78		 JOHN BACHMAN NOW:
16		 —
1p AMERICA REPORTS:
119		 CNN NEWS CENTRAL:
82		 CHRIS JANSING REPORTS:
87		 — NEWSNATION NOW:
1
2p AMERICA REPORTS:
140		 CNN NEWS CENTRAL:
98		 CHRIS JANSING REPORTS:
105 [2:19 PM-2:59 PM]		 AMERICAN AGENDA:
17		 —
3p STORY, THE:
131		 CNN NEWS CENTRAL:
121		 KATY TUR REPORTS:
91		 — NEWSNATION NOW W/ BERLIE:
6
4p YOUR WORLD W/NEIL CAVUTO:
124		 LEAD WITH JAKE TAPPER:
111		 DEADLINE:WHITE HOUSE:
144		 CHRIS SALCEDO SHOW, THE:
25		 —
5p FIVE, THE:
229		 SITUATION ROOM:
131		 — CARL HIGBIE FRONTLINE:
35		 HILL, THE:
5
6p SPECIAL RPT W/BRET BAIER:
170		 SITUATION ROOM:
127		 BEAT W/ARI MELBER:
175		 RECORD WITH GRETA VAN SUS:
38		 ELIZABETH VARGAS REPORTS:
4
7p JESSE WATTERS PRIMETIME:
144		 ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT:
138		 REIDOUT:
141		 ROB SCHMITT TONIGHT:
40		 ON BALANCE W/ VITTERT:
8
8p FOX NEWS TONIGHT:
124		 ANDERSON COOPER 360:
139		 ALL IN W/ CHRIS HAYES:
167		 ERIC BOLLING THE BALANCE:
39		 CUOMO:
18
9p HANNITY:
159		 CNN PRIMETIME:
123		 ALEX WAGNER TONIGHT:
139		 PRIME NEWS:
40		 DAN ABRAMS LIVE:
8
10p INGRAHAM ANGLE, THE:
155		 CNN TONIGHT:
112		 LAST WORD W/ L. ODONNELL:
153		 GREG KELLY REPORTS:
52		 BANFIELD:
27
11p GUTFELD!:
202		 CNN TONIGHT:
101		 11TH HOUR W/ S. RUHLE:
152		 ROB SCHMITT TONIGHT:
29		 CUOMO:
13

As for the three cable news networks overall, here are the total day averages in total viewers and the 25-54 demo.

Total viewers:

CNN: 470,000

Fox News: 1.27 million

MSNBC: 965,000

25-54 Demo:

CNN: 93,000

Fox News: 147,000

MSNBC: 118,000

Here are the prime time averages — encompassing shows which air from 8-11 p.m. — in total viewers and the 25-54 demo.

Total viewers:

CNN: 566,000

Fox News: 1.49 million

MSNBC: 1.34 million

25-54 Demo:

CNN: 125,000

Fox News: 146,000

MSNBC: 153,000

For more ratings information and analysis go to ShowBuzz Daily.

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