Fox News Continued To See Audience Growth In May While MSNBC And CNN Posted Double-Digit Declines Vs. 2024
The past month saw the debut of MSNBC's new nighttime lineup, with The Weeknight taking the 7 p.m. ET slot, Rachel Maddow returning to one night a week at 9 p.m. ET and Jen Psaki filling that time period Tuesday to Thursday.
More from Deadline
David Leavy To Depart As COO Of CNN, Will Return To Parent Warner Bros. Discovery
Hoda Kotb, In Return 'Today' Visit, Denies Rumors She Will Succeed Kelly Clarkson With Daytime Talk Show
Donald Trump Says He Plans To Pardon Reality Stars Todd And Julie Chrisley
But the new shows are not reversing the trendlines vs. 2024. While MSNBC has recovered some audience since a post-election fall off, the network, like CNN, has seen double-digit drops from a year ago. The caveat is that last year was a presidential election year, when networks typically see an increase in viewership.
In primetime, Fox News averaged 2.46 million viewers, up 23%, while MSNBC posted 877,000, down 24%, and CNN averaged 426,000, down 18%. In the 25-54 demo, Fox News averaged 262,000, up 32%, compared to CNN with 76,000, down 21%, and MSNBC with 73,000, down 34%.
In total day, Fox News averaged 1.56 million viewers, up 21%, compared to MSNBC with 545,000, down 33%, and CNN with 353,000, down 24%. In the 25-54 demo, Fox News averaged 180,000, up 22%, while CNN posted 59,000, down 27%, and MSNBC averaged 49,000, down 41%.
The Rachel Maddow Show was MSNBC's top rated show, averaging 1.89 million viewers, while The Briefing with Jen Psaki averaged 950,000, according to Nielsen figures of the four weeks through May 23. The latter is down from the previous occupant of the Tuesday-Friday time slot, Alex Wagner Tonight, which averaged 1.3 million viewers of its run from 2022 to 2025. Psaki's show did improve on its lead in, All In with Chris Hayes, which averaged 912,000.
The Weeknight, featuring hosts Symone Sanders Townsend, Michael Steele and Alicia Menendez, averaged 772,000 total viewers. In its final month in February, Joy Reid's ReidOut averaged 955,000.
Fox News' The Five was the most viewed cable news show of the month, drawing an average of 3.77 million viewers, followed by Jesse Watters Primetime with 3.23 million, Gutfeld! with 2.92 million, Special Report with 2.81 million and Hannity with 2.73 million. In the 25-54 demo, The Five averaged 368,000, followed by Jesse Watters Primetime with 363,000, Gutfeld! with 328,000, Hannity with 299,000 and The Ingraham Angle with 297,000.
The figures are from Nielsen via Fox News.
Best of Deadline
'The Morning Show' Season 4: Everything We Know So Far
2025 TV Series Renewals: Photo Gallery
2025 TV Cancellations: Photo Gallery
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Gavin Newsom is expertly trolling Fox News stars by mimicking Trump online — right down to the nicknames
Over the past week, Gavin Newsom's press office has been deliberately aping Donald Trump's over-the-top social media posting style in an obvious attempt to not only troll the president's most ardent defenders but also force them to come to grips with Trump's bullying and bombastic tone. The pitch-perfect parody, which comes as the California governor goes on the attack against Trump while clearly eying a run for president, has also resulted in a number of Fox News stars taking the bait – and seemingly making Newsom's point for him. 'DANA 'DING DONG' PERINO (NEVER HEARD OF HER UNTIL TODAY!) IS MELTING DOWN BECAUSE OF ME, GAVIN C. NEWSOM!' the governor's press office account tweeted on Tuesday. 'FOX HATES THAT I AM AMERICA'S MOST FAVORITE GOVERNOR ("RATINGS KING") SAVING AMERICA — WHILE TRUMP CAN'T EVEN CONQUER THE 'BIG' STAIRS ON AIR FORCE ONE ANYMORE!!! TRUMP HAS 'LOST HIS STEP' AND FOX IS LOSING IT BECAUSE WHEN I TYPE, AMERICA NOW WINS!!! THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER.' The all-caps screed, complete with a juvenile nickname and satirically signed 'GCN' to mimic Trump adding 'DJT' to his Truth Social posts, came after Fox News host Dana Perino groused Monday afternoon about Newsom's tweets while urging him to cut it out if he wanted to be taken seriously. 'You have to stop it with the Twitter thing,' Perino complained on The Five. 'I don't know where his wife is? If I were his wife I would say, 'You are making a fool of yourself, stop it!'' Noting that Newsom has presidential ambitions, she added: 'Do not let your staff tweet—and if you are doing it yourself, put the phone away and start over. He's got a big job as governor of California, but if he wants an even bigger job he has to be a little more serious.' Perino, however, wasn't the only one to fall into the trap set by Newsom and his social media team. Earlier this week, Tomi Lahren – a Fox News contributor who first shot to fame for her take-no-prisoners liberal-bashing monologues – objected to Newsom's press office mockingly referring to MAGA activist Scott Presler – who is openly gay – as GOP Rep. Nancy Mace. 'New lows unlocked by @GavinNewsom and his team of losers,' Lahren fumed on X, only for the governor's social team to throw back MAGA's favorite attack line back in her face. 'You sound woke,' the press office fired back. The governor's office used a similar tactic last week when Fox News host Raymond Arroyo expressed indignation that Newsom said Texas Gov. Greg Abbott — who is confined to a wheelchair — had 'rolled over' after Trump called for Texas to redraw its congressional maps. 'We asked for a statement, and Newsom's office gave us something flippant like, 'You're so woke, he'll get over it,'' Arroyo grumbled before airing the press office's comment, which read: 'No. But how woke of you to ask! I'm sorry Greg's feelings were hurt. Poor guy — we hope he recovers.' Meanwhile, Fox News anchor Trace Gallagher was also apoplectic about Newsom's new approach, which has ramped up as he's taken the fight to Trump and Republicans over their mid-decade redistricting efforts ahead of next year's midterm elections. 'I don't know what he's trying to do, but it comes across as childish and – you are the governor of the biggest state in the union – what are you doing?!' Gallagher complained on Friday night. 'BIRD-BRAIN TREY GALLAGHER (A SO-CALLED FOX 'NEWS' HOST THAT NOBODY HAS EVER HEARD OF) SAYS MY POSTS ARE 'CHILDISH' AND 'UNBECOMING' OF A LEADER — CAN YOU BELIEVE IT? MANY ARE SAYING FOX ("EDIT THE TAPES") NEWS SHOULD CANCEL HIS PATHETIC LITTLE 'BEDTIME SHOW' IMMEDIATELY,' Newsom's team tweeted in response the following day. 'THEY ARE CALLING IT THE MOST BORING PROGRAM IN CABLE HISTORY. TOTAL SNOOZE FEST! SAD!!! — GCN.' Gallgher followed suit on Monday night by criticizing Newsom's 'new Trumpian style' of posting, claiming his tweet mocking the Fox News host was an attempt to be 'clever' before calling for the governor to stop obsessing about Trump. He then went on to name-check The Mamas and the Papas and The Beverly Hillbillies while urging Newsom to pay more attention to his state than his social media activity. Perino also couldn't help herself, jumping online to double and triple down on her on-air commentary about the governor's Trump mimicry – all while seeming blissfully unaware of the point of Newsom's parody of the president. Responding to Pod Save America co-host Jon Favreau sarcastically stating that Newsom 'should take a lesson from Donald Trump on this' before asking her what she thought about the president's social media habits, Perino tweeted that 'copying isn't a good look and it isn't working' while suggesting the governor come up with original content. 'I mean, it's pretty clearly a parody of Trump's absolutely insane all caps, often non-sensical posts. Probably why all the people in my life who aren't political junkies keep reaching out to say they don't know much about Newsom but think the tweets are hilarious,' Favreau replied. 'Humor and mockery can be quite effective!' 'Cool if it works and he's your 2028 nom, I will buy you dinner,' Perino reacted. As if to hammer home the point to Perino, Newsom's office responded to Perino's comments by gleefully posting: 'ALMOST A WEEK IN AND THEY STILL DON'T GET IT.' Indeed, the governor himself hasn't exactly been coy about what his intentions are in adopting the online persona of a full-time Trumpian troll. While the social media operation – which is operated by a multi-aide staff – has generated over a billion impressions across a variety of platforms, Newsom has said outright that anyone upset with his account's online insults and trollish behavior should turn their attention towards the White House. 'I'm just following his example,' Newsom said last week. 'If you have issues with what I'm putting out, you sure as hell should have concerns with what he's putting out as president.' He continued: 'To the extent it's gotten some attention, I'm pleased, but I think the deeper question is how have we allowed the normalization of his tweets, Truth Social posts over the course of the last many years, to go without similar scrutiny and notice?' As CNN's Andrew Kirell noted in Tuesday's edition of the Reliable Sources newsletter, Newsom is essentially punking the right-wing media ecosystem right now with this tactic. 'The effort, clearly designed to hold a mirror up to MAGA and 'bully the bullies,' so to speak, has evidently gone over the heads of many conservative media personalities, baiting them into making Newsom's point about Trump's behavior on their own,' he wrote. Meanwhile, after Perino once again revisited the subject during Tuesday's broadcast of The Five by insisting that 'we get the joke' but that 'it's just not funny,' Kirell asserted that this was precisely what the governor's social media operation was meant to expose. 'I'm fascinated by how they don't seem to understand that saying 'it's just not funny' is exactly the reaction his team is aiming for,' he posted on X. 'It's the whole point.' Pointing out that Gallagher and Perino seemed 'oblivious they were criticizing a parody of Trump himself,' Mediaite's Colby Hall explained that Newsom was 'shooting fish in a barrel' at this point. 'Newsom's feed isn't Trumpian—it's an X-ray of Trumpian excess, but as if it were delivered by the king of ironically detached comedy himself, Steve Martin,' Hall stated. 'Newsom didn't just enter the arena of schoolyard retorts; he grabbed the microphone, turned it upside down, and made the absurd impossible to ignore.' While others, such as The Bulwark's Sarah Longwell, have spelled out that Newsom is making MAGA 'uncomfortable because he's holding up a mirror to what you tolerate on behalf of partisanship,' Democrats are increasingly embracing the governor's approach because it shows his willingness to fight. 'That allows Newsom to step out in front and say he is the first one to stand against Texas's actions,' The Independent's Eric Garcia wrote last week, referencing the Texas redistricting battle. 'Specifically, the Texas Democrats who decamped to blue states said they would return to Texas because California would respond in kind if Texas passed their new maps.' He concluded: '2028 is a long way off and plenty could change. Other candidates might be able to prove Newsom is a paper tiger. But then again, plenty of Republicans waited for Trump to implode and he laid waste to them.'
The Hill
4 minutes ago
- The Hill
RFK Jr. on wearing jeans during workouts: ‘Now I'm used to it'
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Tuesday explained why he's often caught wearing jeans during workouts. 'Well, I just started doing that a long time ago because I would go hiking in the morning and then I'd go straight to the gym, and I found it was convenient,' he said during an appearance on Fox News's 'Jesse Watters Primetime.' He added, 'Now I'm used to it, so I just do it.' Kennedy recent posts online showcase him hiking in Colorado, fishing in Idaho and swimming at Rock Creek Park — all in a pair of jeans. His most recent viral post enlists a new workout drill for Americans entitled the ' Bobby Challenge.' The health secretary, who has spearheaded the Trump administration's ' Make America Healthy Again ' (MAHA) agenda, is encouraging people to do 50 pull-ups, 100 push-ups in under five minutes. Kennedy could be seen doing the challenge alongside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday, also in a pair of jeans. 'This is the beginning of our tour challenging Americans to get back in shape,' he said in a clip of the their workout. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy also shared his interest in joining the challenge. ' @SecKennedy and @SecDef — sorry for the late reply, I was busy working double shifts at @USDOT and @NASA. I'm up for the challenge! And I happen to be in Texas with my buddy @WillCain,' he wrote Tuesday on social platform X. 'Let's MAHA.' The initiative also comes after President Trump signed an executive order last month to reestablish the Presidential Fitness Test at public middle and high schools across the U.S. The test is designed to reward students for achievements in physical education.
Yahoo
12 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Following Strong Q4 and Major Contract, Applied Digital Advances
Applied Digital Corporation (NASDAQ:APLD) is one of the 11 Best Short Squeeze Stocks to Buy Now. The company receives a strong Buy rating amid the positive Q4 2025 earnings results and bold sales from the company's top executives. An overhead view of a large-scale data center with rows of servers and blinking lights. Texas-based company, Applied Digital Corporation (NASDAQ:APLD), designs, builds, and operates next-generation digital infrastructure tailored for high-performance computing and AI workloads. The company's focus is on offering purpose-built data center hosting, cloud services, and HPC solutions, among other services. Applied Digital Corporation (NASDAQ:APLD) released its Q4 2025 earnings results on July 30, 2025. The report highlighted a 41% year-over-year revenue growth to $38 million during the quarter. Notably, the company has also secured a 15-year, $7 billion lease agreement with a major player in the AI data centre. With this contract, the company anticipates a significant stronghold in the high-performance computing sector. Applied Digital Corporation (NASDAQ:APLD) also announced its expansion plans to reach a 2GW capacity by 2026, thus gaining a positive outlook among potential investors. In the weeks following the Q4 2025 earnings report, Applied Digital Corporation (NASDAQ:APLD)'s Directors were seen engaging in bold sales of the company's stock. For instance, Douglas S. Miller and Richard Nottenburg sold 10,000 and 11,250 of the company's shares, respectively. On the other hand, CNN recorded 9 analysts giving a consensus Buy rating on the stock, with an upside potential of 20.24%. An intense short pressure is noticeable with the company's short float of 32.70%, making the stock highly susceptible to sharp rallies if sentiment reverses. While we acknowledge the potential of APLD as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: 12 Best REIT Stocks to Buy Right Now and 10 Stocks with Huge Catalysts on the Horizon Disclosure. None. Sign in to access your portfolio
