Several notable news events occurred during the week ending August 15, most prominent of which was the breaking news from midday on Tuesday, Aug. 10 when New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced his resignation (he’d officially step down on Aug. 24). Fox News Channel led among cable news channels, posting 1.3 million total viewers and 227,000 in the 25-54 demo from 11:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. ET, according to Nielsen Media Research. CNN was the runner-up cable news network in coverage (at 907,000 total viewers, 185,000 in the demo), while MSNBC (802,000 viewers / 95,000 adults 25-54 from 11:53 a.m.-12:15 p.m. ET) trailed both outlets.
Later that day (also on Aug. 10), President Biden held a press conference on the Senate’s passage of the trillion-dollar infrastructure bill that is meant to spark the economy in the post-coronavirus lockdowns era. Biden also commented that while he agreed with Andrew Cuomo’s decision to step down, Cuomo did a “heckuva job” as Governor of the state of New York. Within the 3-4 p.m. hour, it was the same cable news ranking order as the prior Cuomo news coverage: Fox News (which regularly airs “The Story”) averaged 1.209 million viewers and 248,000 within the 25-54 demo; CNN did 1.038 million viewers (the cable outlet’s top mark in total viewers for the week) and 202,000 adults 25-54. MSNBC (834,000 viewers / 126,000 adults 25-54 from 3:06-3:41 p.m. ET) placed third.
“Money Court”, CNBC’s new unscripted series starring “Shark Tank” entrepreneur Kevin O’Leary, had a modest debut on Wednesday, Aug. 11, premiering to 244,000 viewers during the 10-11 p.m. ET hour. This built slightly from its “Shark Tank” rerun lead-in (223,000 viewers at 9-10 p.m. ET) and was above the network’s prime time average for the week (188,000 viewers). The program was often promoted during CNBC’s coverage of the Summer Olympics from Tokyo in the two weeks prior.
Over on ABC, the broadcast network aired a 30-minute special report on the crisis in Afghanistan (as Taliban forces now rule that country) on Sunday, Aug. 15. It delivered 3.465 million viewers — the top mark for any telecast within the 9-9:30 p.m. time slot that evening.
Here are the cable news averages for August 9-15, 2021 — Fox News Channel extended their streak to 26 weeks being cable’s top network in total viewers based on total day data.
Total Day (August 9-15 @ 6 a.m.-5:59 a.m.)
- Fox News Channel: 1.251 million viewers; 211,000 adults 25-54
- MSNBC: 0.766 million viewers; 100,000 adults 25-54
- CNN: 0.596 million viewers; 128,000 adults 25-54
- HLN: 0.208 million viewers; 64,000 adults 25-54
- CNBC: 0.136 million viewers; 32,000 adults 25-54
- Newsmax: 0.123 million viewers; 18,000 adults 25-54
Prime Time (August 9-14 @ 8-11 p.m.; August 15 @ 7-11 p.m.)
- Fox News Channel: 2.205 million viewers; 339,000 adults 25-54
- MSNBC: 1.328 million viewers; 178,000 adults 25-54
- CNN: 0.779 million viewers; 184,000 adults 25-54
- HLN: 0.252 million viewers; 72,000 adults 25-54
- CNBC: 0.188 million viewers; 80,000 adults 25-54
- Newsmax: 0.155 million viewers; 23,000 adults 25-54
Top 10 most-watched cable news programs (and the top MSNBC and CNN programs with their respective associated ranks) in total viewers:
1. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Mon. 8/9/2021 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 3.124 million viewers
2. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Tue. 8/10/2021 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 3.099 million viewers
3. The Five (FOXNC, Mon. 8/9/2021 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 2.929 million viewers
4. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Thu. 8/12/2021 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 2.912 million viewers
5. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Wed. 8/11/2021 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 2.857 million viewers
6. Hannity (FOXNC, Tue. 8/10/2021 9:00 PM, 60 min.) 2.768 million viewers
7. The Five (FOXNC, Tue. 8/10/2021 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 2.767 million viewers
8. Hannity (FOXNC, Wed. 8/11/2021 9:00 PM, 60 min.) 2.725 million viewers
9. The Five (FOXNC, Wed. 8/11/2021 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 2.674 million viewers
10. Hannity (FOXNC, Thu. 8/12/2021 9:00 PM, 60 min.) 2.643 million viewers
12. Rachel Maddow Show (MSNBC, Mon. 8/9/2021 9:00 PM, 60 min.) 2.574 million viewers
146. CNN Newsroom (CNN, Tue. 8/10/2021 3:00 PM, 60 min.) 1.038 million viewers
Top 10 cable news programs (and the top MSNBC, CNN and HLN programs with their respective associated ranks) among adults 25-54:
1. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Tue. 8/10/2021 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.551 million adults 25-54
2. The Five (FOXNC, Mon. 8/9/2021 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.485 million adults 25-54
3. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Thu. 8/12/2021 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.480 million adults 25-54
4. Hannity (FOXNC, Tue. 8/10/2021 9:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.452 million adults 25-54
5. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Wed. 8/11/2021 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.449 million adults 25-54
6. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Mon. 8/9/2021 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.445 million adults 25-54
7. Hannity (FOXNC, Thu. 8/12/2021 9:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.432 million adults 25-54
8. Hannity (FOXNC, Wed. 8/11/2021 9:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.426 million adults 25-54
9. The Ingraham Angle (FOXNC, Thu. 8/12/2021 10:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.399 million adults 25-54
10. The Five (FOXNC, Tue. 8/10/2021 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.391 million adults 25-54
16. Rachel Maddow Show (MSNBC, Wed. 8/11/2021 9:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.364 million adults 25-54
61. Don Lemon Tonight (CNN, Wed. 8/11/2021 10:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.233 million adults 25-54
152. Forensic Files “Double Trouble” (HLN, Wed. 8/11/2021 11:30 PM, 30 min.) 0.177 million adults 25-54
Source: Live+Same Day data, Nielsen Media Research
