Viewers have made clear shifts in their television news preferences following the recent election, with significant ramifications for major networks. A startling 53% drop was observed at MSNBC, which may indicate viewers are seeking out alternative perspectives. Meanwhile, Fox News has seen its ratings soar by 21%, with its prime-time audience averaging around 3.3 million viewers post-election.
Rachel Maddow, the network's leading anchor, opened her show with evident frustration, detailing President-elect Donald J. Trump's cabinet picks alongside his provocative policies. Despite her deep analysis of these developments, her show drew about 1.3 million viewers—a stark decrease from its average of 2.3 million, making it the least-watched episode among viewers under 54 years of age since April 2022.
Post-election viewership patterns have created quite the buzz. According to Nielsen, since Election Day, MSNBC has dipped to just 550,000 viewers on average, which is 39% lower than what they recorded just the month before. The situation stands in stark relief to Fox News, which saw its overall daytime audience spike by 38% due to its enthusiastic coverage of Trump's policies and picks from its own ranks, including key figures such as Tom Homan and Pete Hegseth.
This drastic rating shift is not completely new territory for these networks. Viewership for MSNBC fell after the 2016 election, and Fox News also saw declines following the 2020 election, particularly after prematurely declaring Arizona for then-candidate Joe Biden. The aftermath triggers viewer fatigue, as Martin Kaplan of the Norman Lear Center aptly described it as something akin to post-traumatic stress—a sense of not wanting to return to the explosive political conversations immediately.
For CNN, the results have not been rosy either. The network reported 413,000 viewers since last Wednesday—a 22% drop from its October averages and a staggering 43% fall during prime time. Yet the digital viewership brought about by their special election coverage was noted to have attracted millions, giving them hope amid dwindling numbers.
Despite recent declines, MSNBC had just celebrated its best-ever election night audience with 6 million viewers, surpassing CNN's 5.1 million—a historic first since its inception. It is indicative of the fluctuative nature of these networks, which continue to navigate viewer engagement with their programming, especially as January approaches and Trump officially sets foot back on the political stage.
It’s also notable to mention how many viewers appeared to migrate from MSNBC to Fox News during this political shake-up. Viewers seemed to prefer the more celebratory tone at Fox News as Trump began naming appointments like Hegseth to senior roles. Host Laura Ingraham even remarked live on air how much they would miss Hegseth at Fox, but viewed it as positively impacting the country—an embodiment of the tone and mood Fox has adopted surrounding Trump's appointments.
Historically, the trend after elections shows networks losing viewership as audiences confront the reality of election results, and MSNBC is currently at the heart of these discussions. The coming months remain uncertain, with speculation whether viewers will return to the 'resistance' style reporting they gravitated toward during Trump’s first term. The enormity of the shifts post-election will echo as both networks assess their strategies and programming as they look to recapture or maintain their viewer bases.
The audience dynamics of major news networks are undeniably shifting, influenced by the current political climate and the stark differences between MSNBC and Fox News. The dramatic changes not only reflect immediate responses to election outcomes but also hint at the broader impacts on viewer engagement and network strategies as they navigate the potentially tumultuous waters of Trump's new term.
