The average age of cable news viewers continues to climb with no remedy in sight. MSNBC’s Chris Hayes is cognizant of that and believes social media plays a major role in reaching younger audiences.
During an interview with TVNewser reminiscing on his 10-year run as the host of the network’s primetime show All In, Hayes admitted that the industry is struggling to reach viewers under the age of 55. He shared that there are now several outlets to reach younger news consumers.
“It’s hard to change people’s consumption behavior at a macro level. To get someone to be like, ‘I have never watched linear cable news, and now I’m going to sit down at 8’, that’s a tough thing,” said Hayes. “You can move people over from the pool of people who already have that behavior and already have that habit, but then the question becomes ‘How do you reach those people who are not doing that?’
“The podcast is one way we’ve done that; obviously, Twitter is another where I feel like I have a voice and a platform there to different kinds of people. I’ve been thinking somewhat obsessively about how we expand on Instagram Reels and TikTok for the same reasons. I think you just have to find ways to meet people where they’re at.”
Hayes added that it’s the responsibility of everyone in the cable news industry to find avenues to reach news consumers.
“I think the key for everyone in this business is just to try to find new audiences and meet them where they’re at,” Hayes continued. “The podcast (Why is This Happening?) is celebrating five years as well. It has had 50 million downloads, and a lot of people who listen to podcasts don’t watch the show. I meet them all the time. They tend to be younger, probably, than linear cable news.”
