Cable News Records Strong August

Although cable TV networks continue to reap overall benefits from this political election season, the big news cable leader got a bit of mixed news in August.

Fox News Channel -- still the overwhelming cable TV leader in terms of viewership -- was down 13% in total viewers in prime time to a Nielsen 2.08 million, also losing 29% in key 25- to-54-year-old TV news viewers.

A year ago in early August, Fox News aired the first Republican presidential debate, which pulled in a surprisingly strong 24 million viewers.

At the same time, MSNBC and CNN made major gains in the month, with MSNBC gaining 76% to 1.13 million prime-time viewers, and an 86% improvement in 25-54 viewers to 264,000. MSNBC topped CNN for the month in total average prime-time viewers.

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CNN was also sharply higher -- gaining 47% to 844,000 as well as improving 53% in 25-54 viewers to 272,000.

Fox did make a 6% gain in total day viewers to 1.3 million, but was flat with 25-54 viewers to 237,000.

As with prime time, CNN and MSNBC made sharp gains in total day viewers, with CNN rising 56% to 680,000 viewers and MSNBC gaining 73% to 652,000 viewers

Turner’s HLN news channel was down 7% in prime-time viewers to 298,000, and 9% lower in total day viewers to 259,000.

2 comments about "Cable News Records Strong August".
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  1. Mike Wilsonn from SunTecIndia, August 31, 2016 at 2:56 a.m.

    Interesting!!

  2. Ed Papazian from Media Dynamics Inc, August 31, 2016 at 11:24 a.m.

    One suspects that Fox's ardent Republican viewers---many of them, at least---realize that Trump has made the Presidential race look like the Keystone Cops of ancient movie fame and many are cutting back somewhat on their daily dose of "the Truth".

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