When New Year’s Eve lands on a Saturday, the least-watched night of the week, year-to-year audience declines for celebration coverage are the overall norm. But one network’s full coverage of New Year’s festivities on Dec 31, 2022 bucked the downward trend according to its key demographic of adults 25-54: CNN.
While the total linear audience of its “New Year’s Eve Live with Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen” from 8 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. ET remained relatively steady (drawing 2.08 million, a mere two percent off from Dec. 31, 2021; as an aside, its streaming simulcast posted 38,000 viewers which is CNN digital platform’s second-best NYE figure on record), it jumped up 8 percent in the key demo by delivering 806,000 within the 25-54 age range, according to Nielsen Media Research.
It ranked as cable’s top adults 25-54 performance of the week (ending Jan. 1) outside of ESPN’s football coverage (pro and college) and Paramount Network’s Yellowstone and its prequel series 1923.
CNN also boasted a younger median audience than most of their New Year’s competitors. Its median age of 51 years old bested the likes of CBS’s “New Year’s Live: Nashville’s Big Bash” (57 years), NBC’s “Miley’s New Year’s Eve Party” (52 years) and Fox News’ “All-American New Yesr’s 2023” (67 years) during the 11 p.m.-12:30 a.m. ET time period.
In addition, of that same 90-minute slot as the East Coast rang in 2023, CNN averaged 3 million total viewers (including 1.2 million adults 25-54) — down from the previous year’s 3.3 million but twice as much as FNC (1.5 million) and nearly matching what CNN drew back on NYE 2016. During that final hour of 2022, comedian Kevin Hart appeared on satellite from Las Vegas to advise CNN to let its hosts drink on the night; with this being the first NYE in the Warner Bros. Discovery era, all its hosts broke from recent years’ pattern to follow the no-alcohol edict.
Although it was a “dry” telecast, it did feature accidental utterances of foul language from its celebrity guests, the aforementioned Kevin Hart and Broadway legend Patti LuPone.
From 12:30 a.m. to 2 a.m. ET, CNN’s New Year’s Eve with Don Lemon drew 1.25 million total viewers including 499,000 in the 25-54 age range. While it represented declines of 14 percent (in viewers) and 19 percent (in demo) from last year, it was still enough to eke past FNC (1.1 million) in total audience but easily top FNC (240,000 adults 25-54) in the key news demo. And, like last year, Lemon’s New Year’s special was cable news’ runner-up telecast for the week among adults 25-54.
In the overnight on CNN, a rerun of New Year’s Live with Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen from 2:05-3:30 a.m. drew 608,000 viewers (with 225,000 adults 25-54); year over year, down 19 percent (and 11 percent, respectively), although last year’s encore began airing 30 minutes earlier (at 1:30 a.m. ET).
On Fox News, their one-hour 2022 retrospective Who Can Forget at 8 p.m. drew 1.35 million viewers (down 17 percent from Dec. 31, 2021), followed by a one-hour countdown special (958,000 viewers; roughly half of what Greg Gutfield’s Dec 31, 2021 New Year’s special had drawn). All-American New Year 2023 from 10 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. averaged 1.35 million total viewers and 234,000 adults 25-54 — down 27 percent and down 35 percent, respectively, from Dec. 31, 2021, but still way ahead of the sub-1 million total viewer mark from Dec. 31, 2020. (FNC’s live New Year’s Eve coverage was only established in recent years.)
Cable news averages for December 26, 2022-January 1, 2023:
Total Day (Dec. 26-Jan. 1 @ 6 a.m.-5:59 a.m.)
- Fox News Channel: 1.102 million viewers; 134,000 adults 25-54
- MSNBC: 0.632 million viewers; 67,000 adults 25-54
- CNN: 0.558 million viewers; 124,000 adults 25-54
- HLN: 0.208 million viewers; 40,000 adults 25-54
- CNBC: 0.117 million viewers; 29,000 adults 25-54
- The Weather Channel: 0.114 million viewers; 20,000 adults 25-54
- Fox Business Network: 0.088 million viewers; 8,000 adults 25-54
- Newsmax: 0.086 million viewers; 7,000 adults 25-54
Prime Time (Dec. 26-31 @ 8-11 p.m.; Jan. 1 @ 7-11 p.m.)
- Fox News Channel: 1.341 million viewers; 136,000 adults 25-54
- MSNBC: 0.831 million viewers; 79,000 adults 25-54
- CNN: 0.688 million viewers; 183,000 adults 25-54
- HLN: 0.303 million viewers; 59,000 adults 25-54
- CNBC: 0.188 million viewers; 61,000 adults 25-54
- The Weather Channel: 0.147 million viewers; 19,000 adults 25-54
- Newsmax: 0.101 million viewers; 5,000 adults 25-54
- NewsNation: 0.090 million viewers; 16,000 adults 25-54
- Fox Business Network: 0.056 million viewers; 8,000 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. 12/27/2022 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 2.955 million viewers
2. The Five (FOXNC, Fri. 12/30/2022 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 2.641 million viewers
3. The Five (FOXNC, Wed. 12/28/2022 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 2.627 million viewers
4. The Five (FOXNC, Mon. 12/26/2022 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 2.504 million viewers
5. The Five (FOXNC, Thu. 12/29/2022 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 2.330 million viewers
6. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Tue. 12/27/2022 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 2.244 million viewers
7. Special Report with Bret Baier (FOXNC, Tue. 12/27/2022 6:00 PM, 60 min.) 2.100 million viewers
8. Your World with Neil Cavuto (FOXNC, Fri. 12/30/2022 4:00 PM, 60 min.) 2.084 million viewers
9. New Years Eve Live with Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen (CNN, Sat. 12/31/2022 8:00 PM, 270 min.) 2.082 million viewers
10. Jesse Watters Primetime (FOXNC, Mon. 12/26/2022 7:00 PM, 60 min.) 2.067 million viewers
66. All In with Chris Hayes (MSNBC, Wed. 12/28/2022 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 1.274 million viewers
348. The West Wing (HLN, Sun. 1/1/2023 7:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.387 million viewers
402. Shark Tank “Shark Tank 916” (CNBC, Tue. 12/27/2022 9:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.314 million viewers
420. Varney & Company (FBN, Wed. 12/28/2022 10:00 AM, 60 min.) 0.302 million viewers
459. Highway Thru Hell “Ice Storm” (TWC, Sat. 12/31/2022 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.270 million viewers
601. Newsnation: Rush Hour (NWSN, Mon. 12/26/2022 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.189 million viewers
Top 10 cable news programs (and the top programs of other outlets with their respective associated ranks) among adults 25-54:
1. New Years Eve Live with Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen (CNN, Sat. 12/31/2022 8:00 PM, 270 min.) 0.806 million adults 25-54
2. New Years Eve Live (CNN, Sat. 12/31/2022 12:30 AM, 95 min.) 0.499 million adults 25-54
3. The Five (FOXNC, Tue. 12/27/2022 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.315 million adults 25-54
4. All American New Year’s (FOXNC, Sat. 12/31/2022 12:00 AM, 60 min.) 0.314 million adults 25-54
5. The Five (FOXNC, Fri. 12/30/2022 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.301 million adults 25-54
6. Your World with Neil Cavuto (FOXNC, Fri. 12/30/2022 4:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.296 million adults 25-54
7. Fox News Live (FOXNC, Mon. 12/26/2022 10:00 AM, 60 min.) 0.270 million adults 25-54
8. All American New Year’s (FOXNC, Sat. 12/31/2022 1:00 AM, 30 min.) 0.267 million adults 25-54
9. Tucker Carlson Tonight (FOXNC, Tue. 12/27/2022 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.257 million adults 25-54
10. The Five (FOXNC, Wed. 12/28/2022 5:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.256 million adults 25-54
80. MSNBC Reports- Live (MSNBC, Fri. 12/30/2022 3:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.156 million adults 25-54
185. Shark Tank “Shark Tank 916” (CNBC, Tue. 12/27/2022 9:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.113 million adults 25-54
258. The West Wing (HLN, Fri. 12/30/2022 12:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.087 million adults 25-54
417. Highway Thru Hell “Wreck. Recover. Repeat.” (TWC, Sat. 12/31/2022 4:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.054 million adults 25-54
534. Cuomo “Idaho Murder Suspect” (NWSN, Fri. 12/30/2022 8:00 PM, 60 min.) 0.040 million adults 25-54
589. Varney & Company (FBN, Wed. 12/28/2022 9:00 AM, 60 min.) 0.035 million adults 25-54
Source: Live+Same Day data, Nielsen Media Research
