CNN suffered a double blow in terms of its linear cable TV ratings on election night as part of a major shift of audiences away from mainstream media.
CNN’s coverage of the historic election was co-anchored by presenters Anderson Cooper and Jake Tapper, with 5.1 million viewers tuning in to watch the network’s linear TV coverage of the night, a 44 percent decline in total viewers compared with the 2020 election. From 6 p.m. through 3 a.m., ET CNN had a total of 3.8 million viewers, also a 44 percent decline in total viewers compared to 2020.
CNN’s decline in TV viewership is evidence of the changing shift in the media industry must be regarded in line with shifts in media consumption, as online streaming continues to rise. Linear TV is television that is programmed and watched as per a scheduled order. This is opposed to content that can be streamed on-demand.
CNN continues to enjoy a “substantial and sizable audience on streaming,” a spokesperson for the network told Newsweek. The spokesperson also highlighted that on election night, the same show and program was streamed online on CNN.com and CNN Max by 14 million people.
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a CNN town hall in Aston, Pennsylvania, on October 23. CNN suffered a major decline in its linear TV viewership on election night, though viewership on its online platforms was strong.
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Matt Rourke/AP Photo
On its digital platforms, CNN saw 67 million viewers on November 5 and similar numbers the next day, on par with the digital platform viewership of the 2020 election and above the ratings in 2016.
Newsweek reached out to CNN for further comment.
During the primetime hours of 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET, when many polls closed, CNN had 62 percent fewer viewers than in 2016.
The network also failed to attract many of those in the advertiser-rich 25 to 54 age demographic. Over the course of the night, 2.2 million viewers in that age group tuned in to CNN, compared to the 4.4 million in 2020.
Compared to 2016, CNN had 67 percent fewer viewers in the 25-54 demographic during the primetime hours of 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET.
To compound CNN’s rating declines, MSNBC made network history on election night by having more viewers than CNN for the first time. Overall, MSNBC had an average of 6 million viewers—to CNN’s 5.1 million—and was the second-most-watched network during the primetime slot.
Fox News took the top slot and averaged 10.3 million viewers from 8 to 11. However, this was a decline on the 14 million viewers Fox had in 2020, according to Deadline.
ABC was the second-most-watched channel with 5.9 million total TV viewers.
When approached for comment, CNN pointed out that the declining linear TV viewing figures
CNN was not alone as all major networks, including NBC and ABC, suffered a decline in linear TV viewership on election night.
Neilsen Media Research have revealed that on November 5, an estimated 42.3 million people watched the election across 18 networks. That was down 25 percent from 2020, when 56.9 million viewers watched the election, and a 41 percent decline from 2016, when 71.43 total viewers tuned in.
The election also highlighted the diminished power of the mainstream media, powered by a reduction in public trust for the media and growing consumer preferences for digital media.
Throughout the campaign, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris shunned the mainstream media to some degree. Harris became the first presidential candidate to snub Time magazine, while Trump often opted for podcasters and social media to highlight his campaign.
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