CNN Primetime Ratings Drop as Network Considers Adding Comedian to Lineup

CNN’s ratings continue to fall as network boss Chris Licht mulls adding a primetime comedian to viewership to compete with rivals Fox News and MSNBC.

The third-place cable news network on Monday saw its primetime ratings drop to another low, dropping to an average of 311,000 viewers overnight as it competed against the NFL playoff game that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers battled. with the Dallas Cowboys at 8:15 pm ET.

Despite the big game that aired on ABC and ESPN, Fox News still drew over 2 million primetime viewers, averaging 2.1 million viewers, thanks in part to Tucker Carlson Tonight’s 2.8 million viewers. MSNBC came in second in prime time with 1.2 million viewers on average thanks to “The Rachel Maddow Show” which drew nearly 1.7 million viewers at 9:00 pm.

In prime time, CNN’s “AC360” hosted by Anderson Cooper, which aired at 8:00 pm and 9:00 pm ET, averaged 345,500 viewers, while “CNN Tonight” at 10:00 pm drew 166,000. a pair of eyeballs. In a key advertiser demographic of viewers aged 25 to 54, CNN only reached 51,000 during prime time. MSNBC doubled that with 104,000 viewers and Fox with 267,000 viewers.

New CNN Chairman Licht is now focused on filling the all-important 9:00 p.m. CNN slot, which has been left without a dedicated anchor since Chris Cuomo was fired in late 2021 due to his role in advising his older brother, then-governor of New York. York Andrew Cuomo. , in a sexual harassment scandal.

Licht is reportedly considering adding a news-savvy comedian to prime time to boost ratings. Names such as Bill Maher, Arsenio Hall, Trevor Noah and Jon Stewart have been cited as examples, but it is not clear if any of these comedians have been approached.

Fox News has made its mark with Greg Gatfield’s late-night comedy show Gatfield!, hosted at 11:00 p.m., which often outperforms rivals such as Stephen Colbert on CBS and Jimmy Fallon on NBC.

Part of CNN’s dilemma has to do with the budget of parent company Warner Bros. Discovery, which needs to cut at least $3.5 billion by the end of 2023. CNN staff have already felt the impact of this mandate.

In less than a year in that position, Licht has cut hundreds of jobs and shuffled the network’s lineup to move CNN away from commentary and partisan opinions in favor of straight news.

CNN’s troubles are not new. His ratings have been in free fall since former President Donald Trump left office as rivals Fox News and MSNBC continue to expand their lead.

in 2022, CNN’s prime time audience dropped 33% to 730,000 viewers. Fox News was down 1% to 2.3 million viewers, while MSNBC’s prime time lineup was down 21% to 1.2 million viewers. In the 25-54 demographic, Fox News leads the way with 346,000 viewers, down 7%, followed by CNN’s 174,000 viewers, down 36%, and MSNBC’s 133,000 viewers, down 39%.

CNN declined to comment on its ratings or Licht’s prime time plans.