The viewership spike for cable news shows no signs of slowing down.
Fox News,
CNN, and
MSNBC all saw double-digit ratings growth across the board for the second quarter of 2017, according to Nielsen data.
Driven by surges for “The Rachel Maddow Show” and “Last Word With Lawrence O’Donnell,” MSNBC is up a whopping 86% in total viewers in primetime compared to second-quarter 2016. CNN saw a 39% leap in adults 25-54 in total day. Fox News’ “Tucker Carlson Tonight” and MSNBC’s “Rachel Maddow” split the crown for most-watched cable news program in primetime, with Carlson winning in total viewers and Maddow taking the demo.
In total day, Fox News led with 1.47 million total viewers, up 27% from the same period last year. Of those, 314,000 fell in the adults 25-54 demographic, up 46% from last year. MSNBC was second in total viewers with 886,000, up 73%. MSNBC was third in total day in the demo, however, with 206,000 for an increase of 57%. CNN was third in total viewers with 788,000 for an increase of 25%, but second in the demo with 262,000 (up 39%).