Reliably liberal MSNBC viewers have ignored the anti-Trump network since Election Day, when its prime-time viewership dropped by a staggering 54%.
MSNBC averaged 1.1 million viewers in October, but after President-elect Donald Trump's historic landslide victory over Vice President Kamala Harris, MSNBC's ratings dropped last Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. The average number of viewers plummeted to 736,000. MSNBC's staggering 31% decline comes as Fox News Channel's viewership grew 61% over the same period.
MSNBC also saw its year-to-date total revenue cut by 26%, but things were even worse in prime time.
MSNBC in prime time from 8 to 11 p.m. ET averaged 1.8 million total viewers in October, while “Alex Wagner Tonight,” “All In with Chris Hayes” , “Lawrence O'Donnell's Last Words'' averaged just 808,000 viewers. Total viewership since election night. The 54% decline represents more than half of the networks' primetime viewers, with MSNBC also down 51% compared to its year-to-date total, while Fox News' primetime viewership is down compared to its 2024 average. has increased by 58%.
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MSNBC hosts Joy Reid, Alex Wagner, Chris Hayes, and Lawrence O'Donnell. (Getty)
MSNBC also experienced a 16% decline in all-day viewers and a 57% drop in primetime in the key demographic of adults 25-54, which advertisers covet most.
“Alex Wagner Tonight,” “Andrea Mitchell’s Report,” Chris Jansing’s Report, Nicole Wallace’s “Deadline: White House,” “Jose Diaz-Balart’s Report,” Joy Reid’s “ “The Leadout'' and “Last Words with Lawrence Ohr'' both had their smallest audiences of the year on Friday.
It also marked the lowest number of viewers for “Alex Wagner Tonight” since the show began in 2022, when MSNBC's Rachel Maddow cut her on-air appearances to just once a week.
“All in with Chris Hayes” was the lowest-rated episode on Thursday since May 10, 2016.
MSNBC did not respond to a request for comment.
A longtime television news executive who declined to be identified noted that while MSNBC viewers seemed to love to hate President Trump during his first administration, that doesn't seem to be the case now. .
“MSNBC shouldn't expect a 'Trump bump' this time around, as its low post-election nightly ratings have shown. Even liberals are skeptical of its condescending tone and its new standard-bearer. “We reject Joy Reid's divisive comments,” the longtime TV news outlet said. said the executive.
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MSNBC averaged 1.1 million viewers in October, but following President-elect Trump's historic victory, the average number of viewers plummeted to 736,000 on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday last week. (Screenshot/MSNBC)
MSNBC viewer Sharon Waxman, founder and CEO of Hollywood trade publication The Wrap, wrote that “the media got it wrong” and that they needed to step away from the noise.
“If you're like me, you haven't watched the news since last Tuesday, when Donald Trump won the election. Personally, I'd like to hear another piece of wisdom from Joy Reid and my friend Lawrence O'Donnell. I can't bear to listen to 'or the fine Rachel Maddow.' Waxman wrote.
“You can’t do that,” Waxman continued. “I'm not saying I'll never see or hear it again. But am I the only one here? When I hear more clap from the same clap device, my whole body recoils.”
MSNBC's Joy Reid blames white women for Harris' loss in North Carolina
MSNBC has been losing viewers since Election Day. (Screenshot/MSNBC)
MSNBC personalities did not take Harris' loss particularly well, as hosts and pundits repeatedly tried to place blame for President-elect Trump's landslide victory.
Stephanie Ruhl said Americans are betting on their country's future by choosing Trump as their next president. Claire McCaskill watched Harris' concession speech and cried during the broadcast. Joy Reid essentially blamed white women for Harris' loss in North Carolina, saying black women had “left out of the coalition to save America.” And Al Sharpton argued that voter misogyny and racism may have cost Harris the election.
MSNBC host Jonathan Capehard said that while a graphic that read “Finding Hope in Dark Times” appeared on MSNBC's screen, it was “blatantly hostile, blatantly racist, and foreign.” He said he was still “troubled” by how someone who ran a xenophobic, misogynistic and transphobic campaign was elected. ” Jen Psaki even said that Democrats relied too much on Republicans who are “never Trump” and that they should have done more to reach voters who have left the Democratic Party.
This rhetoric comes after MSNBC spent years touting Republicans who were “never Trump,” targeting hardcore Democrats and largely excluding non-liberals.
MSNBC recently touted its ratings victory, noting that the liberal network topped CNN for the first time in network history on presidential election night. But NewsBusters editor-in-chief Curtis Hock feels this was just an anomaly.
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“MSNBC thought it might have struck gold in the election night ratings, but Americans are just tuning in to watch the meltdown, and it's consistently intellectually stimulating television.” “I should have realized by now that I wasn't thinking that,” Houk told Fox News. digital.
“During CNN's downturn over the past few years, they were lagging behind reruns of 'The Golden Girls' and 'Peppa Pig,' so if MSNBC wants to stay anywhere near its happy position, it will have to do so for the time being. It's probably best not to look at the ratings,' '' Huck added. “Liberal viewers must be emotionally, psychologically and figuratively distraught. They're incredibly insecure.”
Houk doesn't believe MSNBC's hosts, who continue to point fingers and push far-left talking points, will win back progressive viewers anytime soon.
“The insidious excuses blaming everyone from working-class women to Hispanic men to conservative media appear to only serve as a temporary balm to this harsh outcome.” Chris Hayes and Alex Wagner have a brand of commitment to the only area the left needs to change.''The only thing left to do is move further left, so this is going to be a cliche that no one wants to hear from now on.'' '' said Houk.
MSNBC has had instances in the past where viewers jumped on news they didn't like. In 2019, special counsel Robert Mueller declared there was no collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia in 2016, despite years of far-left hosts promoting Russian collusion theories. , Rachel Maddow's ratings plummeted.
Liberal tears after Harris' defeat bring back memories of Clinton's 2016 defeat
MSNBC host Rachel Maddow famously promoted a later theory linking former President Trump to Russia. (Screenshot/MSNBC)
After years of MSNBC hosts and pundits claiming Trump was a threat to democracy, this time Trump swept every battleground state. Bobby Black of Outkick feels that “Trump's decisive victory showed that left-wing cable news networks have lost influence.”
“MSNBC exhausted all its resources to prevent Donald Trump from winning, ultimately ducking into a conspiracy to paint him as the second coming of Adolf Hitler, the most ruthless dictator in modern world history. It didn't work. . The lies, hysteria and slander have only made Trump even more popular.” Barack wrote.
All data provided by Nielsen Media Research.
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Fox News Digital's Nikolas Lanum and Yael Halon contributed to this report.
Fox News and OutKick share common ownership.
