CNN's primetime (8-11p) average viewership hit a 10 year low of just 486,000 in August*, as its ratings woes continued. CNN's Total Day (24hr) viewership average of 381,000 was its 12th lowest month since August, 2000.
Five of CNN's ten lowest months for primetime (8-11p) average viewership since August, 2000 have come during 2010 and the year is only 8 months old.
| Primetime (8-11p) | P 2+ |
| Period | AA (000) |
| 07/26/10-08/29/10 | 486 |
| 04/30/01-05/27/01 | 505 |
| 09/04/00-10/01/00 | 515 |
| 06/28/10-07/25/10 | 529 |
| 02/01/10-02/28/10 | 534 |
| 03/29/10-04/25/10 | 568 |
| 05/28/01-07/01/01 | 588 |
| 04/26/10-05/30/10 | 595 |
| 04/02/01-04/29/01 | 598 |
| 04/25/05-05/29/05 | 610 |
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The pain of the ratings declines was shared throughout primetime, as CNN's individual primetime hours each had 34-50% year over year declines in both average viewership and the advertiser targeted adults 25-54 demo.
Larry King lost half his average audience from August, 2009 to August, 2010. No surprise he's on the way out.
Average Viewership
| P2+ | |||||
| AUG '10 | AUG'09 | AA (000) | |||
| Time | Show | Show | AUG'10 | AUG'09 | %Diff |
| M-F 8P-9P | RICK'S LIST | CAMPELL BROWN | 452 | 761 | -41% |
| M-F 9P-10P | Larry King Live | Larry King Live | 545 | 1,086 | -50% |
| M-F 10P-11P | Anderson Cooper 360 | Anderson Cooper 360 | 559 | 866 | -35% |
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Adults 25-54
| A25-54 | |||||
| AUG '10 | AUG'09 | AA (000) | |||
| Time | Show | Show | AUG'10 | AUG'09 | %Diff |
| M-F 8P-9P | RICK'S LIST | CAMPELL BROWN | 127 | 213 | -40% |
| M-F 9P-10P | Larry King Live | Larry King Live | 149 | 294 | -49% |
| M-F 10P-11P | Anderson Cooper 360 | Anderson Cooper 360 | 172 | 260 | -34% |
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*which for TV ratings purposes was 7/26-8/29/10.
CNN is as fun as watching paint dry. They are going to have to change format. I vote for a strong right of center host and program – maybe Dana Perino, Carl Rove, Dick Morris or someone of that ilk. To give people a reason to watch, otherwise just keep painting and rearranging the deck chairs until the mast/crows nest is fully underwater.
Maybe they can target Libertarians. FOX News caters to the right, MSNBC to the left.
anyone know how msnbc is doing these days?
They managed to do even with last Auguest. I saw it on NewsBistro. FoxNews is down about 20%.
“They managed to do even with last Auguest. I saw it on NewsBistro. ”
Not in primetime or total day average viewership they didn’t. Both were down substantially from August 2009.
“They managed to do even with last Auguest. I saw it on NewsBistro. ”
Not in primetime or total day average viewership they didn’t. Both were down substantially from August 2009.
I yearn for the classic CNN days … Crossfire was the best political show on television and has not been topped (although Buckley’s Firing Line gives it a run!). Bernard Shaw … first class host. Larry King … when he mattered.
I yearn for the classic CNN days … Crossfire was the best political show on television and has not been topped (although Buckley’s Firing Line gives it a run!). Bernard Shaw … first class host. Larry King … when he mattered.
If ratings get any worse they might have to close there doors. Whoever is running the network over there needs to be replace.
There really are not any real news networks anymore. They call themselves news networks but what they really are opinion networks with several opinion shows and talks shows with news headlines jammed between them. Even Headlines news is mostly a womens talkshow network. Any time I ever turn on HLN there is no news it is women gabbing. If you want news you have to go online, TV “news networks” are a joke.
There really are not any real news networks anymore. They call themselves news networks but what they really are opinion networks with several opinion shows and talks shows with news headlines jammed between them. Even Headlines news is mostly a womens talkshow network. Any time I ever turn on HLN there is no news it is women gabbing. If you want news you have to go online, TV “news networks” are a joke.
I know they are your competitor, but since you seem to be that different on numbers, I would post a link.
http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/ratings/august_10_ratings_msnbc_holds_steady_from_year_ago_172336.asp
BorisF, my bad entirely, I thought you were referring to CNN, not MSNBC.
So I am not the only one who does not read posts before replying
I say bring back Ted Turner to run the network and focus hard on news. We don’t need any more wacked-out crappy right-wing opinion makers on any network, let alone CNN, and I don’t want it to be like a lite version of MSNBC either (even though I watch many of the MSNBC primetime shows). Just be the most trusted name in news, not “unfair and unbalanced” or just “the place for politics.” Will it bring CNN back to the top of the news heap? Probably not instantly, but I’m sure enough people will want to get their news fix without the rantings of BillO and Glenn Beck or even Keith Olbermann that it will eventually rise back to the network it once was.
How could they be down with such an action-packed, vibrant, balanced and intelligent programming slate?
(That was EXTREME sarcasm, if anyone was wondering.)
To bad once a great news network, now just limping along, they sight, so hyped up on their high tech crap, came back and bit them on the ass. When I first got cable I so excited to have 24 hrs news, back in the day like the Space Shuttle Challenger and Columbia disaster and other disasters turned to CNN, there were only 25 channels, now there 500 hundred channels and the internet, rely to much on blogs and twitter has ruined news. As someone said just straight forward news, don’t need to hear about Lindsay Lohan Paris Hilton crap.
To bad once a great news network, now just limping along, they sight, so hyped up on their high tech crap, came back and bit them on the ass. When I first got cable I so excited to have 24 hrs news, back in the day like the Space Shuttle Challenger and Columbia disaster and other disasters turned to CNN, there were only 25 channels, now there 500 hundred channels and the internet, rely to much on blogs and twitter has ruined news. As someone said just straight forward news, don’t need to hear about Lindsay Lohan Paris Hilton crap.
I’d like a 2-hour block of World News. 9-9:30 North & South America, 9:30-10 Europe, 10-10:30 Africa and the Middle East, 10:30-11 Asia & Australia. No opinionated blowhards – just present the news of the world.
I agree! With all that is going on in the world today you cannot find a REAL news program. It would be great to have a Sunday show somewhat like the newsreal that they showed before the movies started when I was a lid. No opinions just news facts.