It’s a near-impossible task to succeed when following a popular longtime host of a well-known show. That was the big unknown once Jon Stewart left Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” in 2015 after a 16-year stint. The reins were given to Trevor Noah, a South African comedian then relatively unknown in America and briefly appeared as a “Daily Show” correspondent in 2015.
The decision to go to Noah turned out to be a success. “The Daily Show” still remained a notable presence on cable, while the network’s other late-night attempts as lead-outs — like Larry Wilmore’s “Nightly Show” and David Spade’s “Lights Out” — quickly came and went. As a result, “The Daily Show” expanded its Monday thru Wednesday episode lengths to 45 minutes.
But back on Sep. 28, the show’s near future went into flux when Noah made the surprise announcement that he’d depart. It was also reported that even Comedy Central executives were surprised by the news. The first 30 minutes of that night’s edition drew 429,000 total viewers including 174,000 within the key 25-54 demographic, according to Nielsen Media Research; its latter 15 minutes: 306,000 viewers, 130,000 adults 25-54. It was the top marks of the show for that week (Sep. 26-29).
For Monday thru Thursday nights from Oct. 31-Nov. 17 and Nov. 28-Dec. 1, “The Daily Show” for 11-11:30 p.m. averaged 417,000 viewers and 149,000 adults 25-54; the 11:30-11:45 p.m. segment, usually the interview portion, averaged 288,000 viewers and 112,000 adults 25-54. As noted in the cable averages below, demo figures for “The Daily Show” compare favorably to almost all of the cable news (except for the dominant Fox News Channel).
The top marks for the interview portion within that aforementioned period occurred on Nov. 28 which featured actor Will Smith as he promoted his new film drama “Emancipation.” It was Smith’s first late-night interview since he had slapped the face of comedian Chris Rock on stage at the Oscars back in March. It delivered 362,000 viewers and 162,000 adults 25-54.
Noah’s final week on “The Daily Show” achieved above-average viewership for the first half-hour; normal figures for its latter 15 minutes. They were:
Monday, Dec. 5, 11:00-11:30 p.m.: 450,000 viewers
Monday, Dec. 5, 11:30-11:45 p.m. (Sociology professor Tressie McMillan Cottom discusses Twitter): 307,000 viewers
Tuesday, Dec. 6, 11:00-11:30 p.m.: 437,000 viewers
Tuesday, Dec. 6, 11:30-11:45 p.m. (Michael Strahan & Sheryl Lee Ralph): 244,000 viewers
Wednesday, Dec. 7, 11:00-11:30 p.m.: 436,000 viewers
Wednesday, Dec. 7, 11:30-11:45 p.m. (Roger Federer): 333,000 viewers
Thursday, Dec. 8, 11:00-11:30 p.m. (finale; guest Neal Brennan): 443,000 viewers
Of course, these numbers pale in comparison to Jon Stewart’s exit (3.47 million on Aug. 6, 2015) and Noah’s hosting debut (3.42 million combined from multiple Viacom-owned cable networks on Sep. 28, 2015). The caveats include that Stewart departed on a night highly watched on cable television overall thanks to the first Republican presidential candidate debate of the 2016 election (with Donald Trump). And there are significantly fewer cable subscribers now than back then. According to industry observer Anthony Crupi (link: https://twitter.com/crupicrupicrupi/status/1598701463701790721), by Sep. 2015, 98.2 million U.S. households were subscribed to cable television; by Sep. 2022, there were 62.2 million. That’s a 37 percent decline with a continued downward trend in the coming years. It is an even steeper decline when only factoring young adult consumers who more likely favor streaming and online content over linear television.
Cable news averages for November 28-December 4, 2022:
Total Day (Nov. 28-Dec. 4 @ 6 a.m.-5:59 a.m.)
- Fox News Channel: 1.331 million viewers; 171,000 adults 25-54
- MSNBC: 0.751 million viewers; 81,000 adults 25-54
- CNN: 0.495 million viewers; 101,000 adults 25-54
- HLN: 0.151 million viewers; 40,000 adults 25-54
- Fox Business Network: 0.119 million viewers; 15,000 adults 25-54
- CNBC: 0.115 million viewers; 27,000 adults 25-54
- The Weather Channel: 0.102 million viewers; 18,000 adults 25-54
- Newsmax: 0.101 million viewers; 12,000 adults 25-54
Prime Time (Nov. 28-Dec. 3 @ 8-11 p.m.; Dec. 4 @ 7-11 p.m.)
- Fox News Channel: 1.957 million viewers; 237,000 adults 25-54
- MSNBC: 1.204 million viewers; 120,000 adults 25-54
- CNN: 0.556 million viewers; 133,000 adults 25-54
- HLN: 0.154 million viewers; 38,000 adults 25-54
- CNBC: 0.153 million viewers; 50,000 adults 25-54
- Newsmax: 0.123 million viewers; 14,000 adults 25-54
- The Weather Channel: 0.114 million viewers; 20,000 adults 25-54
- NewsNation: 0.101 million viewers; 16,000 adults 25-54
- Fox Business Network: 0.055 million viewers; 7,000 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. The Five (FOXNC, Tue. 11/29/2022 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 3.448 million viewers
2. The Five (FOXNC, Mon. 11/28/2022 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 3.442 million viewers
3. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Mon. 11/28/2022 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 3.166 million viewers
4. The Five (FOXNC, Wed. 11/30/2022 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 3.000 million viewers
5. The Five (FOXNC, Thu. 12/1/2022 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 2.984 million viewers
6. Jesse Watters Primetime (FOXNC, Mon. 11/28/2022 7:00 PM, 60 min.) 2.931 million viewers
7. The Five (FOXNC, Fri. 12/2/2022 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 2.854 million viewers
8. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Fri. 12/2/2022 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 2.841 million viewers
9. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Tue. 11/29/2022 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 2.831 million viewers
10. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Wed. 11/30/2022 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 2.678 million viewers
23. Rachel Maddow Show (MSNBC, Mon. 11/28/2022 9:00 PM, 60 min.) 2.292 million viewers
138. The Lead with Jake Tapper (CNN, Tue. 11/29/2022 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 1.020 million viewers
441. The Daily Show (CMDY, Thu. 12/1/2022 11:00 PM, 30 min.) 0.436 million viewers
480. Varney & Company (FBN, Wed. 11/30/2022 10:00 AM, 60 min.) 0.387 million viewers
551. Forensic Files “Touch Of Evil” (HLN, Sat. 12/3/2022 1:00 AM, 30 min.) 0.308 million viewers
569. Shark Tank “Shark Tank 1311” (CNBC, Wed. 11/30/2022 9:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.286 million viewers
606. America’s Morning Headquarters (TWC, Wed. 11/30/2022 9:00 AM, 60 min.) 0.247 million viewers
766. Cuomo (NWSN, Wed. 11/30/2022 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.183 million viewers
Top 10 cable news programs (and the top programs of other outlets with their respective associated ranks) among adults 25-54:
1. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Mon. 11/28/2022 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.463 million adults 25-54
2. The Five (FOXNC, Mon. 11/28/2022 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.429 million adults 25-54
3. The Five (FOXNC, Tue. 11/29/2022 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.411 million adults 25-54
4. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Tue. 11/29/2022 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.379 million adults 25-54
5. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Wed. 11/30/2022 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.364 million adults 25-54
6. Hannity (FOXNC, Mon. 11/28/2022 9:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.354 million adults 25-54
7. Jesse Watters Primetime (FOXNC, Mon. 11/28/2022 7:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.351 million adults 25-54
8. Special Report with Bret Baier (FOXNC, Mon. 11/28/2022 6:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.342 million adults 25-54
9. Gutfeld! (FOXNC, Wed. 11/30/2022 11:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.340 million adults 25-54
10. Special Report with Bret Baier (FOXNC, Tue. 11/29/2022 6:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.336 million adults 25-54
25. Rachel Maddow Show (MSNBC, Mon. 11/28/2022 9:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.257 million adults 25-54
39. Erin Burnett Outfront (CNN, Tue. 11/29/2022 7:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.225 million adults 25-54
70. The Daily Show (CMDY, Mon. 11/28/2022 11:00 PM, 30 min.) 0.186 million adults 25-54
345. Forensic Files “Threes A Crowd” (HLN, Sun. 12/4/2022 6:00 AM, 30 min.) 0.100 million adults 25-54
377. Shark Tank “Shark Tank 1011” (CNBC, Tue. 11/29/2022 9:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.093 million adults 25-54
543. Cavuto Coast To Coast (FBN, Wed. 11/30/2022 1:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.065 million adults 25-54
678. America’s Morning Headquarters (TWC, Wed. 11/30/2022 9:00 AM, 60 min.) 0.047 million adults 25-54
747. Cuomo (NWSN, Wed. 11/30/2022 2:00 AM, 60 min.) 0.040 million adults 25-54
Source: Live+Same Day data, Nielsen Media Research
