The flailing liberal networks fell short in the coveted 25-54 age demographic
NewsNation, an upstart, middle-of-the-road network, embarrassed CNN and MSNBC by beating the liberal legacy networks in the coveted 25-54 age demographic during its Saturday primetime lineup.
NewsNation averaged 44,000 viewers in the age group during the 8 p.m. hour when it ran its special report, The Killing of Charlie Kirk, according to Nielsen Media Research. CNN’s rerun of Real Time with Bill Maher fell short at 38,000 viewers, while MSNBC’s The Weekend: Primetime only reached 32,000. During its report, NewsNation confirmed that Kirk was not wearing a bulletproof vest when he was assassinated and that facial recognition put his alleged killer on the FBI’s radar.
But the networks lost to NewsNation even outside of the network’s special. During the 7 p.m. hour, NewsNation Prime with Natasha Zouves earned 34,000 average viewers in the 25-54 age group, beating CNN Newsroom by about 5,000, according to Nielsen Media Research. For the 10 p.m. time slot, CNN trailed by 10,000 viewers, and MSNBC’s 11th Hour with Stephanie Ruhle fell short by 11,000 in the following hour.
MSNBC’s loss is just the latest blow for the network. Later this year, it’s being spun off from Comcast, its parent company, and is being rebranded as My Source News Opinion World (MS NOW), stripping it of its iconic peacock logo. And just last week, MSNBC fired Matthew Dowd after Dowd blamed Kirk for his own death.
CNN has faced its own struggles, not only with ratings but with its reporting, as well. In January, a jury found that the network defamed a Navy veteran by airing coverage that portrayed him as an “illegal profiteer” who operated in a “black market” when he worked to evacuate Afghans during the chaotic U.S. withdrawal. CNN was forced to pay $5 million in economic and emotional damages, plus an undisclosed amount for punitive damages.
NewsNation, meanwhile, scored the victory while still in its infancy. It was rebranded from WGN America in March 2021 with the mission of ”delivering fact-based, unbiased news” and “objective journalism.” Anchor Elizabeth Vargas cohosted the December 2023 Republican primary presidential debate alongside the Washington Free Beacon’s Eliana Johnson.
