CNN is expected to have the smallest monthly audience since June 2014 by the end of February.
The network is on track to drop significantly in the key 25-54 demographic at the end of the month, Fox News reported. Its main programs—”Anderson Cooper 360,” “The Lead with Jake Tapper,” and Wolf Blitzer’s “Situation Room”—are on pace to have the smallest average audience in that demographic since 2014.
The network’s new show, “CNN This Morning,” averaged 361,000 total viewers in the first 24 days of February, a 16% drop from the 430,000 average viewership its previous program, “CNN New Day,” acquired in February of last year, the outlet reported. The new morning program is co-anchored by Don Lemon, former Daily Caller reporter Kaitlan Collins and Poppy Harlow.
“The Situation Room” and “The Lead with Jake Tapper” are both on track to lose 40% of their demo audiences from the same month last year, according to the outlet. Anchor Anderson Cooper’s show is expected to average 137,000 demo viewers, a 38% decline from February 2022.
NEW YORK, NY – MAY 18: (L-R) Journalists Jake Tapper, Wolf Blitzer, and Anderson Cooper attend the Turner Upfront 2016 at Nick & Stef’s Steakhouse on May 18, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images)
Tapper hosted a town hall on the catastrophic train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, last week in the 9-11 p.m. timeslot, which averaged its least-viewed 446,000 and 101,000 among the key demographic, the outlet reported. It dropped 46% of CNN’s total viewership in 2022 in the same time slot. (RELATED: CNN President Chris Licht Condemns Don Lemon’s ‘Upsetting’ Remarks About Nikki Haley)
CNN’s ratings also sank to its lowest levels in history in 2022 with an average of slightly over 120,000 in the 25-54 demo while its profitability sank to less than $1 billion for the first time since 2016 due to a rise in digital subscriptions.
The network’s president, Chris Licht, took over the network in May of last year after the resignation of its former top executive, Jeff Zucker, over his coverup of an affair with a fellow CNN staffer. Licht canceled several of its most notable programs, including former anchor Brian Stelter’s “Reliable Sources,” in an effort to politically balance its coverage.
The drop in ratings and profitability led to mass layoffs at the beginning of December and up to $100 million in job cuts.
“CNN This Morning” noticed a 18.2% boost in ratings upon Lemon’s return to the show Wednesday after his comments about Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley came under great scrutiny. Lemon took a short leave of absence from the show after saying that the 51-year-old Haley is not in a woman’s “prime,” and was instructed to undergo formal training and publicly apologize for his comments.