The most notable news event of the week ending June 12th took place in prime time on Thursday, June 9th: the congressional hearings about the January 6th, 2021 insurrection at the Capitol.
Among the hearing’s highlights on its opening night was some of the evidence presented by the investigation committee’s vice chair Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney: Trump had “placed no call to any element of the US government to instruct that the Capitol be defended”; and, relayed that Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.) and “multiple other Republican congressmen… sought Presidential Pardons for their roles in attempting to overturn the 2020 election.”
Rep. Cheney, one of the few Republicans to counter Trump’s election claims, had warned: “I say this to my Republican colleagues who are defending the indefensible: There will come a day when Donald Trump is gone, but your dishonor will remain.”
In addition, during a clip montage recapping the events of January 6th and what led up to them, Donald’s daughter Ivanka Trump was seen in sworn video testimony admitting she was swayed by then-Attorney General Bill Barr’s dismissal of her father’s fraud claims.
Live at the hearing, Capitol Police Officer Caroline Edwards testified she “was slipping in people’s blood” has described the entire scene as “carnage” and “chaos.”
On this “night unlike any other in American history” (as tweeted by former CBS News anchor Dan Rather), an estimated 19.7 million across seven networks tuned in to these hearings. ABC was the most-watched network in coverage, with a little over 5.21 million total viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research. Based on adults 25-54, ABC also led with approximately 1.1 million viewers.
Cable news outlet MSNBC was runner-up, drawing an average of 4.3 million from 8–10 PM — +600,000 more than its broadcast network partner NBC.
CBS (3.49 million) ranked fourth. While CNN (2.74 million) was in fifth place in the total audience, it was in a virtual tie for third with CBS among the key 25-54 demographic with 747,000 viewers of the specified age range (NBC was in second, with about 850,000).
CNN’s demo figure led all the cable news outlets in prime time, topping MSNBC (616,000 from 8–10 PM) and usual nightly leader Fox News Channel (546,000 from 8–10 PM).
On the lesser-viewed news outlets for hearings coverage, CNBC averaged 177,000 viewers, and NewsNation drew 61,000 viewers.
FNC did not televise the first night of the Capitol attack hearings, for as their 8 PM host Tucker Carlson described them as “propaganda.” Instead, the June 9th edition of “Tucker Carlson Tonight” had aired commercial-free for its entire hour in an effort to disincentivize its audience from flipping to those hearings. “Carlson” (3.32 million total viewers) and “Hannity” (2.8 million) both drew audiences on par with their respective weeknight performances.
Cable news averages for June 6-12, 2022:
Total Day (June 6-12 @ 6 a.m.-5:59 a.m.)
- Fox News Channel: 1.451 million viewers; 225,000 adults 25-54
- MSNBC: 0.754 million viewers; 83,000 adults 25-54
- CNN: 0.499 million viewers; 113,000 adults 25-54
- HLN: 0.172 million viewers; 48,000 adults 25-54
- CNBC: 0.132 million viewers; 32,000 adults 25-54
- Fox Business Network: 0.118 million viewers; 15,000 adults 25-54
- The Weather Channel: 0.107 million viewers; 20,000 adults 25-54
- Newsmax: 0.106 million viewers; 15,000 adults 25-54
Prime Time (June 6-11 @ 8-11 p.m.; June 12 @ 7-11 p.m.)
- Fox News Channel: 2.268 million viewers; 359,000 adults 25-54
- MSNBC: 1.444 million viewers; 161,000 adults 25-54
- CNN: 0.851 million viewers; 217,000 adults 25-54
- HLN: 0.211 million viewers; 54,000 adults 25-54
- CNBC: 0.190 million viewers; 63,000 adults 25-54
- The Weather Channel: 0.142 million viewers; 19,000 adults 25-54
- Newsmax: 0.129 million viewers; 20,000 adults 25-54
- Fox Business Network: 0.057 million viewers; 10,000 adults 25-54
- NewsNation: 0.045 million viewers; 9,000 adults 25-54
Top 10 most-watched cable news programs (and the top programs of other outlets with their respective associated ranks) in total viewers:
1. January 6th Hearings “Night One Hearings” (MSNBC, Thu. 6/9/2022 9:00 PM, 60 min.) 4.420 million viewers
2. January 6th Hearings “Night One Hearings” (MSNBC, Thu. 6/9/2022 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 4.187 million viewers
3. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Mon. 6/6/2022 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 3.447 million viewers
4. The Five (FOXNC, Wed. 6/8/2022 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 3.404 million viewers
5. The Five (FOXNC, Tue. 6/7/2022 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 3.345 million viewers
6. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Thu. 6/9/2022 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 3.324 million viewers
7. January 6th Hearings “Night One Analysis” (MSNBC, Thu. 6/9/2022 10:00 PM, 60 min.) 3.233 million viewers
8. The Five (FOXNC, Mon. 6/6/2022 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 3.151 million viewers
9. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Wed. 6/8/2022 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 3.145 million viewers
10. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Fri. 6/10/2022 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 3.135 million viewers
16. Attack On Democracy “Jan 6th Hearings” (CNN, Thu. 6/9/2022 8:02 PM, 113 min.) 2.739 million viewers
189. Real Time With Bill Maher “Episode 603” (HBO, Fri. 6/10/2022 10:00 PM, 56 min.) 0.754 million viewers
363. Last Week Tonight (HBO, Sun. 6/12/2022 11:00 PM, 35 min.) 0.423 million viewers
384. The Daily Show (CMDY, Thu. 6/9/2022 11:00 PM, 31 min.) 0.379 million viewers
391. Very Scary People “The Back To School Killer: Pt2” (HLN, Sun. 6/12/2022 10:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.368 million viewers
420. Full Frontal with Samantha Bee “Episode 7216” (TBS, Thu. 6/9/2022 10:00 PM, 30 min.) 0.319 million viewers
415. Kudlow (FBN, Tue. 6/7/2022 4:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.326 million viewers
481. Shark Tank (CNBC, Tue. 6/7/2022 10:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.268 million viewers
541. The Earth Unlocked” (106) What Lies Beneath” (TWC, Sun. 6/12/2022 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.234 million viewers
670. Newsnation: Rush Hour (NWSN, Thu. 6/9/2022 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.181 million viewers
Top 10 cable news programs (and the top programs of other outlets with their respective associated ranks) among adults 25-54
1. Attack On Democracy “Jan 6th Hearings” (CNN, Thu. 6/9/2022 8:02 PM, 113 min.) 0.747 million adults 25-54
2. Attack On Democracy “January 6th Hearings Post Analysis” (CNN, Thu. 6/9/2022 9:55 PM, 65 min.) 0.709 million adults 25-54
3. January 6th Hearings “Night One Hearings” (MSNBC, Thu. 6/9/2022 9:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.656 million adults 25-54
4. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Thu. 6/9/2022 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.586 million adults 25-54
5. January 6th Hearings “Night One Hearings” (MSNBC, Thu. 6/9/2022 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.576 million adults 25-54
6. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Mon. 6/6/2022 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.542 million adults 25-54
7. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Tue. 6/7/2022 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.526 million adults 25-54
8. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Wed. 6/8/2022 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.525 million adults 25-54
9. The Ingraham Angle (FOXNC, Thu. 6/9/2022 10:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.518 million adults 25-54
10. Hannity (FOXNC, Thu. 6/9/2022 9:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.506 million adults 25-54
114. The Daily Show (CMDY, Mon. 6/6/2022 11:00 PM, 31 min.) 0.186 million adults 25-54
182. Forensic Files II “Buried Secrets” (HLN, late Fri. 6/10/2022 2:00 AM, 30 min.) 0.136 million adults 25-54
204. Real Time With Bill Maher “603” (HBOM, Fri. 6/10/2022 10:00 PM, 56 min.) 0.127 million adults 25-54
215. Last Week Tonight (HBO, Sun. 6/12/2022 11:00 PM, 35 min.) 0.125 million adults 25-54
248. Shark Tank (CNBC, Tue. 6/7/2022 10:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.112 million adults 25-54
263. Full Frontal with Samantha Bee “Episode 7216” (TBS, Thu. 6/9/2022 10:00 PM, 30 min.) 0.108 million adults 25-54
596. Kudlow (FBN, Fri. 6/10/2022 4:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.045 million adults 25-54
510. Weather Gone Viral “(607) Music City Tornado” (TWC, Mon. 6/6/2022 11:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.056 million adults 25-54
725. Newsnation: Rush Hour (NWSN, Wed. 6/8/2022 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.033 million adults 25-54
Source: Live+Same Day data, Nielsen Media Research
