The coronavirus is helping all broadcasters and OTT streamers win record audiences for their output. Cable news channels in the US are all generating big increases as the viewing public seeks around-the-clock news coverage on the pandemic.

April saw the ‘big three’ news channels register significant increases according to Nielsen on the same period a year ago. Fox News, as far as US viewers were concerned ranked top in both Primetime and Total Day viewing (at 3.68 million in Primetime) and its best-ever month.

msNBC also did well at 2.04 million placing it at second place during Primetime for US news viewers and just ahead of CNN (1.95 million) although the two swapped positions when Total Day numbers were ranked (CNN at 1.36 million and msNBC at 1.28 million).

CNN almost doubled its audience when compared to April 2019 and saw numbers rise some 150 per cent for both Primetime and Total Day.

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