In its final Election Night utilizing the MSNBC branding, the network earned a ratings win over competitors Fox News and CNN.
According to data from the Nielsen Fast Nationals metrics, MSNBC was the number one cable news network during Tuesday’s primetime coverage. The network earned just under 3 million total viewers in the window.
Fox News, meanwhile, was not far behind, averaging 2.8 million viewers in primetime for its election night coverage.
CNN was third with 1.7 million viewers, with MSNBC earning its widest margin over CNN since 2019 in election night coverage.
It was a different story in the Adults 25-54 demographic, however. CNN was the top network in that sector, securing 513,000 viewers. MSNBC was at 461,000 viewers, with Fox News averaging an audience of 423,000 in the key demo.
The data from the Nielsen Fast Nationals is subject to change, with a final result being released in the coming days.
The ratings win for MSNBC comes just over a week before it is set to transition to its new branding. On Friday, November 15th, the network will become MS NOW, an acronym standing for My Source for News, Opinion, and the World.
The viewership figures pale in comparison to the 2024 election night numbers, which featured the results of the Presidential election between President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. Fox News led all of television in 2024 with 10 million viewers watching its election night coverage in primetime. MSNBC averaged 5.5 million, with CNN earning 4.7 million viewers.
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