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Fox News reaps Trump bump

November 29, 2024

Rupert Murdoch’s Fox News has captured nearly three-quarters of all US cable news audiences in the aftermath of Donald Trump’s election victory. Fox News’ daily audience has lifted by 40 per cent since November 5th, while viewership of MSNBC and CNN have dropped 38 per cent and 27 per cent respectively, according to Nielsen.

Trump’s 2016 election win and first presidency brought a boom across news networks and organisations. Fox News averaged 2 million viewers a day from November 6th to November 22nd, up from 1.4 million for the year through November 4th, reported Nielsen. Over the same period, MSNBC drew 526,000 viewers each day, down from 847,000 before November 5th. CNN’s audience dwindled to 366,000 a day in that time, down from an average of 503,000 before the election.

During ‘primetime; evening hours in the weeks since the election, 73 per cent of the total cable news audience was watching Fox News, while 16 per cent tuned into MSNBC and 11 per cent to CNN.

MSNBC and CNN benefited from Trump’s first administration, successfully positioning themselves as networks of resistance against the president. But early signs suggest these channels will not enjoy a similar boost again. Ratings have sagged even as Trump’s flurry of cabinet nominations have kept the news cycle busy.

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