Note: Due to the presidential address, the source data was a little wonky for our regular format so the address itself on CNN and MSNBC is not included in the table below. On CNN the address coverage ran with a duration of 11 minutes and averaged 727,000 viewers and 190,000 viewers adults 25-54. On MSNBC the address coverage was 18 minutes and averaged 930,000 viewers and 165,00 adults 25-54.
Live + Same Day Cable News Daily Ratings for May 1, 2012
| P2+ (000s) | 25-54 (000s) | 35-64 (000s) | ||
| Total Day | ||||
| FNC | 1,190 | 305 | 522 | |
| CNN | 327 | 100 | 135 | |
| MSNBC | 467 | 122 | 202 | |
| CNBC | 159 | 43 | 89 | |
| FBN | 61 | 10 | 24 | |
| HLN | 213 | 78 | 119 | |
| Primetime | P2+ (000s) | 25-54 (000s) | 35-64 (000s) | |
| FNC | 2,004 | 413 | 762 | |
| CNN | 496 | 167 | 238 | |
| MSNBC | 963 | 260 | 381 | |
| CNBC | 168 | 59 | 81 | |
| FBN | 42 | 8 | 20 | |
| HLN | 347 | 99 | 176 | |
| Net | Morning programs (6-9 AM) | P2+ (000s) | 25-54 (000s) | 35-64 (000s) |
| FNC | FOX & Friends | 1,157 | 336 | 567 |
| CNN | Early Start/Starting Point | 231 | 101 | 124 |
| MSNBC | Morning Joe | 378 | 150 | 215 |
| CNBC | Squawk Box | 129 | 40 | 82 |
| HLN | Morning Express w/ Meade | 225 | 105 | 139 |
| Net | 5PM | P2+ (000s) | 25-54 (000s) | 35-64 (000s) |
| FNC | FIVE, THE | 1,946 | 362 | 696 |
| CNN | Situation Room | 428 | 92 | 140 |
| MSNBC | HARDBALL WITH C. MATTHEWS | 692 | 124 | 249 |
| CNBC | FAST MONEY | 252 | 15 | 116 |
| HLN | HLN SPECIAL REPORT | 196 | 57 | 105 |
| Net | 6PM | P2+ (000s) | 25-54 (000s) | 35-64 (000s) |
| FNC | SPECIAL RPT W/BRET BAIER | 1,769 | 323 | 631 |
| CNN | CNN SPECIAL REPORT | 393 | 90 | 134 |
| MSNBC | POLITICS NATION | 714 | 137 | 248 |
| CNBC | Mad Money | 220 | 46 | 105 |
| HLN | Prime News | 190 | 59 | 105 |
| Net | 7PM | P2+ (000s) | 25-54 (000s) | 35-64 (000s) |
| FNC | The Fox Report W/S.SMITH | 1,494 | 329 | 624 |
| CNN | CNN SPECIAL REPORT | 517 | 115 | 208 |
| MSNBC | HARDBALL WITH C. MATTHEWS | 930 | 165 | 347 |
| CNBC | Kudlow Report | 170 | 41 | 66 |
| HLN | JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL | 342 | 109 | 200 |
| Net | 8PM | P2+ (000s) | 25-54 (000s) | 35-64 (000s) |
| FNC | THE OREILLY FACTOR | 2,472 | 486 | 898 |
| CNN | Anderson Cooper 360 | 557 | 169 | 267 |
| MSNBC | Ed Show | 965 | 179 | 347 |
| CNBC | CRIME INC: COUNTERFEIT | 107 | 41 | 33 |
| HLN | Nancy Grace | 494 | 121 | 246 |
| Net | 9PM | P2+ (000s) | 25-54 (000s) | 35-64 (000s) |
| FNC | Hannity | 1,902 | 411 | 743 |
| CNN | Piers Morgan Tonight | 450 | 138 | 209 |
| MSNBC | Rachel Maddow Show | 1,100 | 333 | 436 |
| CNBC | 60 Minutes ON CNBC | 155 | 52 | 89 |
| HLN | Dr. Drew | 304 | 93 | 162 |
| Net | 10PM | P2+ (000s) | 25-54 (000s) | 35-64 (000s) |
| FNC | ON THE RECORD W/GRETA | 1,620 | 344 | 643 |
| CNN | Anderson Cooper 360 | 480 | 194 | 240 |
| MSNBC | Last Word W/ L. ODONNELL | 821 | 265 | 357 |
| CNBC | 60 Minutes ON CNBC | 242 | 84 | 122 |
| HLN | Nancy Grace | 260 | 90 | 135 |
| Net | 11PM | P2+ (000s) | 25-54 (000s) | 35-64 (000s) |
| FNC | THE OREILLY FACTOR | 1,196 | 390 | 628 |
| CNN | ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT | 267 | 84 | 125 |
| MSNBC | Ed Show | 435 | 153 | 203 |
| CNBC | Mad Money | 89 | 51 | 57 |
| HLN | SHOWBIZ TONIGHT | 209 | 60 | 113 |
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For other days cable news ratings click here.
P2+ = viewers over the age of 2
(25-54) = Adults 25-54 viewing
(35-64) = Adults 35-64 viewing
Prime Time = 8-11pm
LIVE+SD: The number that watched a program either while it was broadcast OR watched via DVR on the same day [through 3AM the next day] the program was broadcast. For more information see Numbers 101.
Scratch = when a show's audience fails to meet minimum Nielsen reporting levels. For more information go here.
Nielsen Cable Network Coverage Estimates (as of July, 2011)
CNN/HLN: 101.12 million HHs
CNBC: 98.62 million HHs
FNC: 99.15 million HHs
MSNBC: 95.72 million HHs
Fox Business: 58.15 million HHs
Nielsen TV Ratings Data: ©2012 The Nielsen Company. All Rights Reserved.
” Tony, can tell your a lib. You turn one week’s change in viewership into a trend. We’ll see what Bill O does in the next few weeks and if he goes up I expect you to shout it from the mountain tops. ”
Not just one week’s change. Bill-O has been below 3M viewers for several weeks now.
@ Tony
Posted May 3, 2012 at 12:47 PM
” Tony, can tell your a lib. You turn one week’s change in viewership into a trend. We’ll see what Bill O does in the next few weeks and if he goes up I expect you to shout it from the mountain tops. ”
Not just one week’s change. Bill-O has been below 3M viewers for several weeks now.
He had over 3 million last week wed.
Cant wait for the presidential debates..will obama out personality mitt? will mitt cut through obamas bull and show him for what he is? will mitt give me a thrill that goes up my leg???….cant wait!!
Glad to see Shep Smith dropping like a rock on the 4PM PST timeslot. hopefully they drop that guy and replace with someone not so blatantly biased and miserable. He belongs at CNN, not quite extreme enough for MSNBC. I get sick of hearing him talk about how he’s a “true” journalist at fox, and the other foxnews hosts are all opinion shows. All he ever does is give his biased opinion on stories like the george zimmerman case, he gets all excited whenever there is a change in the weather…like a hurricane, tornado, or earthquake, and he seems mad all the time…haven’t seen the guy smile in years. If you’re that unhappy, go somewhere else! You have enough money from Murdoch, now go work someplace you might enjoy.
OOOOOOPSY
MSNBC Showed The Wrong Football Player When Reporting On The Tragic Death Of NFL Star Junior Seau
@ dana
Posted May 3, 2012 at 1:03 PM
Cant wait for the presidential debates..will obama out personality mitt? will mitt cut through obamas bull and show him for what he is? will mitt give me a thrill that goes up my leg???….cant wait!!
Obama will definatly “out personality” Mitt but if Mitt just sticks to the “but you said and promised and instead we got” strategy, he will have Obumbles stammering, stumbling, and twitching like an idiot! What I wish Mitt had is Newt’s quickness and built in encyclopedia of timelines and facts.
@muhamed: Gee. You’re the only Shep Smith hater that I’ve seen. I’m a conservative Republican who spent most of his adult career as a radio journalist, and I see nothing wrong with Shep’s presentation of the news. Smith is actually helping the “confused,” by reminding viewers that his Fox Report is a NEWS SHOW and NOT AN OPINION SHOW. For those of you comparing Fox News’ ratings fall to a few months ago, remember, WE HAD ALL THE GOP PRIMARIES THEN!
Brett Baier’s show at 6pm has a mix of hard news and opinion. THE FIVE IS a balanced program because you have a liberal Democrat on there, and Bob Beckel does not NEED another to help him out.
A few years ago, Shepard Smith was the #2 most trusted news anchor in a poll that found Tom Brokaw as the modern day-Cronkite…the most trusted news anchor although he retired a few years before that poll was conducted.
If Shep leaned either way, I wouldn’t watch him. Fox News has more viewers and they would only gain more if they convince those people who have been
brainwashed by the lamestream media that Fox is only full of Republican demogogues.
If you’re still watching Smith, let me throw some of your own words back in your face.
>>> If you’re that unhappy, go somewhere else! <<<
@ Ralph Hahn
Posted May 3, 2012 at 1:36 PM
@muhamed: Gee. You’re the only Shep Smith hater that I’ve seen.
Not to mention, If Shep does take an opinion he dont care if is right or left! He HAMMERED Ginrich yesterday after his speech!
@Coffee Steve: >>> I’m about the same size as my coffee cup <<<
Nothing personal, ol' chum. There was a line there that needed commenting on..and you just happened to be there. lol
@Ratboy:
I’ve switched allegiances to the GOP candidates about seven times and actually considered Newt. But, since he ended his campaign run Five Million Dollars in the hole, so much for expecting a Balanced Budget. PLus, I think that 20% of that figure was for private jets.
I wish that Huckabee ran again.
@ Ralph Hahn
Posted May 3, 2012 at 1:44 PM
@Ratboy:
I’ve switched allegiances to the GOP candidates about seven times
Yep, now we just need to rally round Romney, get him elected, and hope for a majority in both the house and Senate then……………..hope for the best! (I quit saying it cant get worse because 4 more years of this clown and we will all know what worse looks like!!)
I bet this has all of them over at FOX upset!!
Al Qaeda: Fox News Unfair to Us
Ann Coulter is fond of pointing out how, attitudinally, Fox News is different from the rest of the American media. Sure, the non-Fox media are dominated by people who lean leftward, but beyond that, how they approach the news that is beyond the daily partisan talking points is also fundamentally different from what moderates or conservatives would do.
This aspect of liberal bias is probably hardest for liberal journalists to detect because it requires a degree of perspective that most lack. Outside observers can see it and have no problem pointing it out. What’s interesting is that even members of Al Qaeda can see that Fox is different from the rest of the American press. That is not a good thing for the Non-Fox Media, however.
Among various media outlets and personalities, fired MSNBC anchor Keith Olbermann is singled out for praise in an internal Al Qaeda memo released to the public by U.S. intelligence agencies.
Read more: http://newsbusters.org/blogs/matthew-sheffield/2012/05/03/al-qaeda-fox-news-unfair-us#ixzz1tqHwVNwC
@ralph….you’re crazy my friend…not to mention your world must be pretty small if you’ve never met anyone that doesn’t like SS. I know many people that watch foxnews and they can’t stand Shep….additionally, I also know people that enjoy his show. Sorry, but the world does not revolve around you and your little TV set and you do not speak for everyone watching Shep or foxnews…you should try to get out a little more! Also, why don’t you try to explain his ratings…why have they fallen off? I used to watch Shep all the time, but then he got bitter and lame…like the whole george zimmerman fiasco, he still touts al sharptons talking points that have been shown to be false, but that doesn’t stop Shep from spouting them off every time the story comes up. Meghan Kelly is good, Cavuto is excellent, the 5 is awesome, brett baier is great, and the primetime line is fantastic….I just cannot for the life of me watch SS…and I do exactly that mi amigo, change the channel when SS comes on. Shep should stick to the weather and hurricanes hey, there’s a thought, he could go to the weather channel), and assaulting women over parking spaces…
Wednesday is open and they have FREE Beer!!!!!!!