CNN and MSNBC, both of which profited greatly from their coverage of former President Donald Trump during his four-year term in office, has seen their ratings tank following the end of his presidency. In the key demographic of viewers aged 25-54, CNN ratings dropped by 44 percent for all three primetime viewing hours.
The first week of the Biden administration saw the AT&T-owned CNN drop in ratings as audiences that had previously been all agog for political news departed the channel from Jan. 25-29, Variety reports.
New media outlets that saw favor with the Trump administration, such as OANN and Newsmax, have taken some of the viewership from the older outlets. Fox News also saw a decline, although that has begun to even out since their initial viewership drop after Biden took office.
The drop was not unexpected, however, as many industry observers were aware of the impact that the Trump presidency had on news ratings. As Trump brought his reality tv sensibility to the White House, the ratings followed as pundits clung to his every word and action.
Without Trump in office, these analysts, pundits, and decriers of anything Trump said or did are left with a president of whom they substantially approve, meaning that they are loath to critique him. This despite Biden's rather authoritarian implementation of over 40 executive orders in 10 days, his troop deployment to Syria, or the new militarization of Washington, DC.
However, these left-leaning networks may have some hope for a ratings boost as Trump and the antics of those who oppose him again take the spotlight with the coming impeachment hearing in the Senate. The trial is set to start on Feb. 8.
Between now and then, CNN's "Cuomo Prime Time" and MSNBC's "The Rachel Maddow Show" will continue to vie for an audience that has perhaps moved, in part, over to Fox News' "Tucker Carlson Tonight," which saw a slight uptick in viewers. This during the same week that Cuomo's viewership dropped off by more than half.
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