MSNBC experienced a dramatic drop in viewership last week following Donald Trump’s landslide presidential election victory. According to new Nielsen data, the network’s daily audience fell from six million on Tuesday to just 596,000 by Thursday, reflecting what appears to be a shift in viewer sentiment after Kamala Harris’s defeat.
The ratings decline occurred as commentators and analysts on the network continued to dissect the election results, often with criticism aimed at conservative voters.
In contrast, Fox News maintained its position as the top choice for election night coverage, drawing an average of 10.3 million viewers on Tuesday and 2.6 million on Thursday—more than ten times MSNBC’s viewership. This comes despite MSNBC analysts, including White House Communications Director Nicole Wallace, asserting during coverage that the race was “in a dead heat.”
CNN, which attracted 5.1 million viewers on Tuesday, saw a similar drop to 419,000 by Thursday, though it still performed slightly better than MSNBC in key metrics. Meanwhile, Fox News experienced a 60 percent year-over-year increase for the day, solidifying its cable news dominance, while MSNBC and CNN suffered year-over-year declines of 23 percent and 40 percent, respectively. MSNBC’s drop was particularly stark, with hosts such as Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski continuing to cling to hopes that Harris could still find a path to victory, even as Trump maintained a clear lead. As key states like Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin slipped away, the coverage reportedly descended into on-air finger-pointing.
MSNBC’s primetime ratings were even worse, with a 54 percent decline compared to the same period last year. CNN also faced struggles but saw a smaller 30 percent decline. On-air figures like Joy Reid drew attention with controversial commentary; Reid attributed Harris’s loss in part to white women voters, asserting that “black voters came through for Harris, white women voters did not” during a broadcast.
By Friday, MSNBC continued to see declining numbers, with seven of its programs hitting their lowest ratings for the year in the wake of Trump’s historic victory. Fox News’s strong performance indicates a continuing trend of viewership preference for the network as Trump prepares to re-enter the White House.
