CNN’s over-the-top, wall-to-wall coverage of missing Malaysian Air Flight 370 managed to staunch the network’s grievous loss of viewers over the last few years — but it still couldn’t hold a candle to Fox News, who continued to dominate cable even as CNN briefly surged forward.
Nielsen Media Research indicates that from March 17 through March 21 — the height of Flight 370 hysteria — Fox News’ total day average was 1.2 million viewers. That’s nearly double CNN’s average of 660,000, though some have questioned the network’s unfounded speculation and during the search. (RELATED: The five most ridiculous aspects of CNN’s missing Malaysian flight coverage)
But CNN’s ratings still beat MSNBC, which earned a paltry 400,000 viewer average during the same time period. It’s part of a continuing upset between the two networks — although CNN consistently ranks well below the MSNBC in ratings, this is the second week where it beat its left-wing rival by a significant margin.
MSNBC has undoubtedly spent the least amount of airtime on the missing Malaysian flight, with some hosts harshly criticizing the other networks for dwelling on the tragedy.
All told, Fox News ranked fourth in total-day viewers last week, followed by CNN at a respectable 12th and MSNBC at a devastating 32nd place.
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