CNN’s ratings rose faster during the presidential debates than President Biden’s approval rating fell.
The struggling network’s prime-time ratings plummeted 92% the day after the June 27 debate between former President Donald Trump and current President, according to Nielsen data.
Among the advertiser-coveted 25-54 age group, viewership plummeted by an astonishing 96 percent, the data showed.
CNN, which announced cuts and a major reorganization on Wednesday, had exclusive broadcast rights to the first debate, where Biden’s dismal performance had led to calls for him to resign from many in the party, who questioned the 81-year-old Democrat’s cognitive ability.
The debate, moderated by CNN hosts Dana Bash and Jake Tapper, was simulcast on other networks and drew an estimated 50 million viewers, with CNN drawing 8.7 million.
But by the next day, viewers looking for political news quickly switched channels, and CNN had fallen to last place behind rivals Fox News and MSNBC.
For the week of June 28 to July 7, CNN’s prime-time viewership fell 93% to 500,000 total viewers and 97% to 83,000 among its core demographics, according to Nielsen.
Meanwhile, Fox News drew 2.3 million total primetime viewers and 270,000 in the demo that week — more than double the 1 million for the left-leaning MSNBC, which drew 88,000 in the demo.
The ratings slump comes as CNN CEO Mark Thompson announced a five-point plan on Wednesday that includes 100 job cuts, his first major moves since taking over as CEO last fall.
Thompson, a former New York Times and BBC executive, plans to consolidate CNN’s news operations and strengthen its digital business.
