New boss, even worse results.
Cable news giant CNN has seen viewership decline in recent weeks under new network president Chris Licht, according to the latest Nielsen ratings.
CNN’s ratings were down in June compared to the previous month — despite the network’s heavy coverage of the ongoing House committee hearings on the January 6, 2021 riots at the US Capitol.
In June, CNN’s primetime programming drew a total of 654,000 viewers per night on average. Of those viewers, only 148,000 are between the ages of 25 and 54 – the key demographic most sought after by advertisers.
The numbers represent a 1 percent drop compared to May, according to The Daily Beast.
CNN’s daytime lineup is also pouring in viewers, recent data shows.
The network’s tuning-in audience shrank 3% month-over-month in June to 487,000 total viewers per day — as well as 2% to 104,000 viewers in the 25-54 demographic.
CNN ratings fall despite intense focus on ongoing House committee hearings on Capitol riots January 6, 2021 The Washington Post via Getty Im
During the week of June 13 through June 19, when the network intensely focused its coverage on the Jan. 6 hearings, it averaged just 480,000 viewers overall — a 13 percent drop from May’s numbers.
The week of June 13 represents CNN’s lowest daily audience since November 2015.
Conversely, MSNBC, which is CNN’s main competition for liberal-leaning viewers, had a banner month in June as viewers flocked to the Comcast property for coverage and analysis of the House hearings.
MSNBC’s daily coverage of the hearings averaged 767,000 viewers, which was second among all major cable channels. This is a 21% increase from May’s average daily viewership.
The network also boasts a combined audience of 3 million people who tuned in to watch the hearings.
MSNBC’s prime time also benefited from the Jan. 6 drama, as the network averaged 1.28 million viewers, good for second place.
Overall, MSNBC had a 30% increase in its primetime audience, as well as a 23% increase in its daytime viewers for the month of June.
Both MSNBC and CNN follow the cable news ratings king, Fox News Channel, which is owned by Fox Corp., a subsidiary of News Corp., The Post’s parent.
Licht was tapped to lead CNN, succeeding Jeff Zucker, who stepped down just weeks before the newly merged Discovery Warner Bros. to take over the reins of the network and its subsidiary media properties.
The former executive producer of Stephen Colbert’s CBS Tonight Show wants to steer CNN away from biased and opinionated commentary and more toward hard news.
According to the online news site Mediaite, Licht instructed CNN producers to avoid describing former President Donald Trump’s claims of voter fraud during the 2020 election as “the big lie.”
CNN’s president suggested the shows instead refer to Trump’s debunked claims as “Trump’s election lie” or “election lies.”
Licht argued that the use of the phrase “the big lie” essentially reiterated the “branding” of the Democratic Party and undermined CNN’s objectivity in its coverage of the issue.
Licht is also reportedly monitoring CNN’s top anchors — including personalities like Brian Stelter and Jim Acosta — to see if they can stick with the network’s new emphasis on less biased coverage. Anchors who can’t adjust to CNN’s change in direction could be fired.
In addition, Licht has ordered CNN producers to reduce the network’s use of “breaking news” banners during live broadcasts, a tactic adopted under Zucker’s watch.
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