The January ratings are in, and CNN is really happy with themselves.
Like, really happy with themselves.
While Fox News remains atop the ratings in just about every category for the kick off to 2015, CNN is doing all it can to stake its claim as the most improved news network among the cable news triumvirate, alongside MSNBC.
In its press release, the Turner network proclaimed that they have “all the ratings momentum,” bragging that they have overtaken MSNBC in all categories, while narrowing the gap with Fox News, even though FNC (along with sister station Fox Business Network) was taken out of Dish Network for most of the month.
Meanwhile, for all of CNN’s grandstanding, they did see an overall improvement over their numbers from last January, even though they still lag well behind Fox across the board.
Overall, CNN’s total day programming in both total viewers and the demo for January increased by 63 percent (516k) and 71 percent (168k), respectively. The Turner network also saw a vast uptick in primetime numbers, jumping 53 percent (595k) in total viewers and 73 percent in the highly coveted demo (215k), according to Nielsen.
Amid the Dish Network negotiations, which saw FNC and Fox Business Network taken off the cable provider’s airwaves, Fox News experienced double-digit losses in total day viewers in both total viewers and the key 25-54 demo, while dropping in total viewers during primetime. However, despite the Dish blackout, FNC did see increased viewership among the key demo, while remaining third in all of cable television behind only ESPN and the USA Network.
Overall, the Dish situation saw Fox blacked out for three weeks, which accounted for 75 percent of the ratings period with Nielsen.
Meanwhile, MSNBC continues to see its ratings sink, experiencing 20 percent or higher decreases in viewership among both total viewers and the 25-54 demo in total day and primetime figures.
Unsurprisingly, MSNBC’s downtrodden ratings come during a month riddled with breaking news. This includes the attack on the Charlie Hebdo offices in Paris, the New England Patriots “Deflate-gate” situation and coverage of Air Asia Flight QZ8501, which went missing toward the end of 2014 and carried on through the beginning of the new year.
MSNBC chief Phil Griffin admitted in June, 2013 that the “Lean Forward” network is “not the place” for breaking news.