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Tuesday, March 27, 2012

CNN's First Quarter Ratings

CNN TOPS MSNBC IN PRIMETIME BY DOUBLE DIGITS DURING FIRST QUARTER 2012*

AC 360 TOPS MSNBC’S LAST WORD AT 10PM FOR THE QUARTER

CNN Sees Solid Gains Compared to Last Quarter


First Quarter 2012 Highlights:
• CNN tops MSNBC in M-F and M-Su primetime in the key demo for the first quarter 2012
• AC 360 at 10pm tops MSNBC’s Last Word in the target demo 25-54
• CNN tops MSNBC throughout dayside (9am-5pm)
• CNN sees gains compared to last quarter (Q4 2011) -- all of the cable news networks are down compared to the first quarter a year ago due to extensive coverage of the Japan earthquake/tsunami and Arab Spring

For the first quarter 2012, CNN topped MSNBC in Monday-Friday primetime (8-11pm) by double digits (+11%) in the key demographic 25-54 (276k vs. 248k). This represents the first quarterly win over MSNBC in M-F prime in a year (since Q1 2011). CNN also bested MSNBC in M-Su primetime this quarter in the key demo (256k vs. 237k).

Anderson Cooper 360 continued to show a strong ratings performance, topping MSNBC’s Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell at 10pm in the key demo (254k vs. 219k).

During dayside programming (9am-5pm), CNN had a +28% advantage over MSNBC in the key demo 25-54 (120k vs. 94k) and outperformed MSNBC in total viewers (456k vs. 405k).

All the cable news networks were down compared to the first quarter a year ago (Q1 2011) due to extensive coverage of the Japan earthquake/tsunami and the Arab Spring. However, compared to the fourth quarter 2011 CNN showed solid gains:


• M-F prime – CNN grew +33% in the demo (276k vs. 207k) and +22% in total viewers (827k vs. 677k)
• Total Day – CNN grew +14% in the demo (140k vs. 123k) and +8% in total viewers (435k vs. 404k)
• Piers Morgan Tonight grew +11% in key demo (182k vs. 164k)
• AC 360 at 10pm grew +19% in demo (254k vs. 213k)`
• Erin Burnett Outfront at 11pm grew +5% in demo (147k vs. 140k).

CNN reached an average monthly cumulative audience of 91 million viewers during the first quarter 2012, FNC followed with 77 million and MSNBC had 74 million.

*Information courtesy of CNN
All content, unless otherwise cited, is © All Things CNN and may not be used without consent of the blog administrator.

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

Now for the real ratings numbers, just log onto TVNewser.
How can you trust a network that spins the numbers. CNN is the last place cable news program across the board. You just can't spin that.
As a matter of fact, HLN is starting to beat CNN in the demo in some of the time slots. Now if that doesn't scare and embarrass those behind and in front of the camera at CNN, I don't know what will.
If I was a shareholder in Time Warner, I would be looking to make some changes in management and would start making those changes at the very top.

There are a lot of post wherein viewers state hire this person or hire that person. I don't think that is necessary, CNN has a lot of talent in house. But this inept management team only sees fit to promote the anchors that truly are incapable of intelligently anchoring a program. Truly incapable of leading a broadcast.

So as long as this current management team is in charge, I just don't see how CNN will improve.

Anonymous said...

WHAT A LIE!!!

Anonymous said...

I also agree that CNN has many talented people - much more than Fox and MSNBC combined. Fox and MSNBC have a message though obviously conservative for Fox and liberal for MSNBC. CNN has all different viewpoints and I guess viewers don't like that.

Anonymous said...

When CNN says it did better this quarter compared to last, it did. The TVnewser article is showing that this quarter was half down compared to last years quarter at this time. To be fair, there was a lot of big news last March with the Japanese Earthquake/Tsunami and the Arab Spring.

Anonymous said...

That is the problem with CNN . Too much talk.
Television is a visual medium. There is zero
substance. CNN is permanently damaged and
likely beyond repair. There is no theme on CNN
all day long, no purpose no concept no nothing.
What is the CNN motto ? Someone has to actually
fix and restore CNN. How do you do that after you
made decisions to break the bond you had with
viewers. Now you have alienated them. CNN has
no one to blame but themselves. Viewers are mad
as hell and not watching CNN anymore. At some
point they will catch on the the pundits are so
not working for CNN. It might already be too
late. CNN was so busy trying to sell Piers
Morgan & Erin Burnett that they lost the network.
All the time forgetting to articulate what the
mission is suppose to be for CNN.

Anonymous said...

CNN needs to do a much better job at spotting talent.
Make a very strong commitment to news. Let's face
it. Early Start/ Starting Point. John King, Out Front &
PMT have to be canceled. The problem for CNN is that
they lack the ability to develop shows. Do a much
better job at presentation and delivery. Work hard on
content, story-telling, better use of video and sound and editing, pre production.

There is not much video on CNN. Redesign graphics, banners, the logo, etc.
Develop a new series of promos that define CNN.Do
a much better job at show titles and format, no more
fake debates that let people lie and misinform
viewers. I think that is why CNN is losing viewers.
The average CNN viewer is likely more informed
than the others. CNN running promos all of the
time for Out Front & PMT tells me I am not
watching a news channel. They are actually
pointless. It is about the viewers CNN. All of
the MSNNBC shows have promos. It is not too
smart promote 2 personalities that get get
a lot of negative press. I think viewers are getting
tired of waiting for CNN to get it's act together.
Where are the adult, smart conversations. POV
can't save CNN That is not why anyone tunes in
to watch CNN I only watch 360 on CNN..

Anonymous said...

CNN Presents has potential. I just wish it would
be more about the reporters and what leads to
them going out to cover these stories. I don't
think you need hosts for the show. Just an intro
from the reporter setting it up and at the end of
each piece tell show us the names of the reporter,
photographer and anyone else involved in the
story. Kaj Larsen was a great hire for CNN. Center
on the original reports. It won the demo for CNN
in it's time slot. CNN should let their reporters go
out and get some news and interesting stories.

Anonymous said...

CNN has NOT beaten MSNBC according to TVN data.
They are lying big time.
They may have a few talented people who are used improperly and focus too much on just one individual who has lost his luster.
That is their main problem.
FOX AND MSNBC mader stars and don't cater to a chosen few.
If you cater to one individual all the time, that's what you get...one person who was relied upon to carry a network.
Thet created the situation and now they have to climb out of the hole they dug for themselves.
Where's the shovel??

Anonymous said...

Yes, CNN has beaten MSNBC compared to last quarter which was Q4 of 2011. The TVnewser article is comparing it to LAST YEARS quarter (Q1 of 2011). Read carefully.

Anonymous said...

TV BY THE NUMBERS has the most telling
headline for Piers Morgan. CNN has some
likability issues. Find the right compatible
shows before and after 360 at 8 PM. Let's
see who long it will take CNN to drop PMT,
Out Front, JK & Starting Point.

Anonymous said...

Within the next 6 weeks, I will be looking to see
if CNN will cancel these shows. At the same time,
I will see if CNN changes management as well.

I wonder if we will hear names like Rome Hartman,
David Neuman, who gave Current TV the originality
and look that helped make it unique. Some Kind of
way he made the TV?internet sync up. You could go
to Current TV on the web and find out exactly when
a particular pod would be airing. There are some
elements of the original Current that CNN could
embrace. CNN could hire Max Lugavere and
Jason Silva in management positions. They were
very involved in the concept of Current. There
is also Chris Licht and Bill Wolff. CNN needs some
brand new ideas.. The pundits only should be
on TSR,SOU. That is it. Besides the world is
bigger than ideological partisans. CNN has to
start putting the viewers 1st and stop acting like
we are in the room. Don't tell me your opinion
but no facts or info about what happened.CNN
is so busy with blah,blah, blah that they never
get around to the actual facts. There are great
books, magazine articles and great stories that
CNN chooses to ignore. It's frightening to think
that CNN's management must be misinformed
and that is why we get a crappy product on CNN.

CBS brought in David Rhodes to run CBS NEWS
but they also brought in adult supervision. No
matter what things can't stay the same for CNN.
They have to change.

Would CNN really give Isha Sesay a shot at
the 7 PM hour or will they continue with Out
Front ? CNN is always to late to shake things
up. They wait until the situation is beyond
repair. It ends up being too little to late.

Anonymous said...

Advice to Soledad: GET RID OF WILL CAIN & ROLAND MARTIN!

I flipped to Starting Point this morning and I was intrigued because I really do want to hear about health care debate at supreme court. Then, Toobin says everyone thought Obamacare would be upheld a few days ago, except Will Cain, and now everything has changed. Will Cain was positively beaming - duh, he thought it would be overturned because we wants it to be overturned. Plus he has absolutely NO expertise or credibility on these big policy issues. I do not care what he thinks. Click, I changed the channel. At least Joe had Gillian Tett as a guest and she is smart and interesting even if I have to listen to Joe sometimes.

Anonymous said...

Just saw the list of top 30 cable shows 1Q12. John King USA outperformed OutFront. Wasn't Burnett brought in to do much better than John King? How long are they gonna stick with this girl? I have no idea why they plucked this 30-something out of relative obscurity to get her own show over all the smart, hardworking 30-somethings that already work at CNN. I think this proves they should have gone with someone with more experience. Morgan and Burnett must be glad that Soledad is stealing the show in the tanking ratings department or management would be looking at them next. Commenters who say that CNN is losing viewers due to likability issues is exactly right. Everytime I see a commercial for OutFront where she says she has to "get out of the bubble" I want to throw something at my TV. CNN promo department must be a fan of irony.

Anonymous said...

Unless you know what you are taking about Joe
does not want you on his show. He is not going
with the silly pointless back and forth. John king
might last a little longer but the writing is likely
on the wall for PMT, Out Front & Starting Point.
Everyone knows that Piers Morgan is not doing
any better than Larry King. CNN management got
it wrong big time with Piers Morgan but they did
not stop there. They hired Erin Burnett. She was
on CNBC and nobody knows who she is but they
can see she is not a good news anchor.

Anonymous said...

Looking at the show rankings it appears that the
troubles start for CNN around 2 PM. News Nation,
Martin Bashir & Dylan are all in the top 30.

Anonymous said...

I was sitting in the doctors office where the office tv had CNN playing. The news reader Brooke Baldwin was on. She has no anchoring skills whatsoever. How is someone like this on a major news program?
I think she would be better suited for HLN where there is less expectation on the news reading capabilities.
This is why no one watches CNN because the people that are the faces of CNN are not highly regarded.

Anonymous said...

CNN needs to understand that chemistry is far more important than ideology. CNN is easily intimidated by
conservatives. MSNBC chose talent over ideology.

Rachel Maddow,Toure,Chris Hayes Alex Wagner,
Ezra Klein Melissa Harris-Perry. Yes MSNBC is liberal
but you can't deny that they are not smart and very
good at their jobs. It is visible that they do their
homework and research. CNN looks silly.Conservatives
have scared CNN into doing their brand of news and
CNN viewers are fleeing. It takes zero talent to deliver
tired old lines, insults and attacks. That is why
CNN is run away from news. It is not news. It is
just an ideological food fight. CNN cozied up to
the tea party Beck Breitbart crowd but forgot
about the CNN brand. Now it is damaged and
CNN is the CRISIS NONSENSE NETWORK. A once
great network is lost. Can't wait for ABC to get
into the game. Everyone knows CNN had a wide
open field to carve out a news niche. Instead
they went with annoying bickering pundts and
even has they come on to play games.

Anonymous said...

If CNN is paying MEDIAITE to print positive PMT
news, they are wasting money. Chris Hayes subbed
for Rachel Maddow. Piers Morgan can't beat TRMS.

Anonymous said...

You guys might just be on to something with MAx
Lugavere & Jason Silva. Young Turks was topping
Countdown in the demo. It was actually helping
Countdown in the demo. Toss in Strombo and you
might be on to something. Maybe a trio of Isha
Sesay, Jason Silva & Max lugavere can work for
CNN at 7 PM. Isha would help give a show news
cred. I have to be honest. I DVR Young Turks. I've
tried but I just can't take Erin Burnett I DVR 360
too but if I'm going to turn from Rachel, CNN
had better have a show that I like. or find comparable to Rachel Maddow. I think you could
go with Isha, Max & Jason at 7 right before 360.
Imagine what that would do for the 360 demo.
Next it would be Strombo following 360 . IMHO
all 3 would draw awesome demos for CNN.