MSNBC’s scores have been in free fall since Election Day — together with for its star anchor, Rachel Maddow — with the left-leaning community’s viewers shriveling by almost half as staffers panic contained in the halls of 30 Rock.
Maddow — who reportedly has agreed to take a $5 million-a-year pay lower with a brand new, five-year contract price $25 million a 12 months — has seen her scores tumble, stoking fears that her outsize compensation heightens the chance of layoffs among the many rank and file.
Regardless of one exec reportedly gushing that the 51-year-old anchor is “ratings Viagra,” since Nov. 5 the “Rachel Maddow Show” noticed its viewers plummet 41% to 1.4 million whole viewers. Within the demo, Maddow misplaced 50% of her viewers, bringing in simply 118,000, Nielsen stated on Wednesday.
This previous Monday, Maddow’s program attracted simply 1.3 million whole viewers — 13% beneath the earlier week and a paltry 84,000 in the important thing 25-54 demographic — her smallest viewers of the 12 months and worst efficiency within the demo since 2015.
That’s a part of an almost 50% drop throughout MSNBC the place staff are nonetheless reeling from final week’s announcement that the community could be spun off subsequent 12 months by dad or mum Comcast, together with its different cable channels— with a high govt even suggesting the MSNBC could also be compelled to vary its title.
The shock spinoff information and plummeting scores prompted Joe Scarborough, co-host of “Morning Joe,” to joke nervously on air: “We could all be fired a year from now.”
Nielsen estimated {that a} whopping 37% of the “Morning Joe” viewers has evaporated after he and co-host Mika Brzezinski revealed that they met with President-elect Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago to reset their contentious relationship– turning off a lot of their liberal viewers.
Since Election Day, MSNBC as a complete reeled in a mean of simply 497,000 total-day viewers, a 47% drop, with a paltry 49,000 within the advertising-coveted demographic of adults aged 25-54, in keeping with knowledge from Nielsen.
MSNBC declined to touch upon the scores carnage. A community supply informed The Put up: “A post-election dip in viewership was always projected and internal thinking is that it will pick up in the New Year, post-inauguration.”
CNN has additionally seen double-digit losses, falling 33% and reeling in simply 357,000 total-day viewers and 65,000 in the important thing demo. CNN has misplaced 39% of its whole primetime viewership, drawing simply 453,000 viewers.
Against this, Fox Information stated its scores jumped 32% to just about 1.9 million and viewership within the demo rose 35% to 248,000, cementing its dominance because the most-watched cable information community throughout and since President-elect Donald Trump’s victory.
Whereas Fox Information noticed its primetime scores soar to three.2 million, an 86% year-over-year improve in whole viewers, MSNBC — additionally house to Lawrence O’Donnell and Chris Hayes — noticed its whole viewers collapse 52% to 644,000.
Elsewhere, MSNBC’s different marquee exhibits, together with Pleasure Reid’s “The ReidOut” and “11th Hour with Stephanie Ruhle,” hit historic lows in the important thing demo.
Fox, which is house to Sean Hannity, Greg Gutfeld and Harris Faulkner, noticed record-breaking progress, grabbing 62% of the cable information viewers in total-day scores for November.
Rankings fluctuations are regular after presidential elections, with one MSNBC insider noting that the dips are on par with 2016 post-Trump win in addition to over the summer time following Biden’s poor debate efficiency.
The individual added that MSNBC’s drop has begun to degree off. Nonetheless, the numbers are nonetheless down from pre-Trump ranges, which a community supply stated has precipitated main “anxiety” inside.
Other than its scores woes, MSNBC faces an unsure future, which can embrace layoffs and a restructuring.
As a part of the spinoff, Comcast stated it could retain NBC properties, NBC Information, NBC Sports activities and others. The announcement sparked panic amongst MSNBC staff over how that will affect the reporting and staffing of the left-leaning community, which depends closely on NBC Information.
