Fox News led the pack of cable outlets airing election coverage on Tuesday, with 9.8 million viewers tuning in to watch Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum deliver the news of Donald Trump‘s path toward—and eventual—victory, according to early Nielsen data.
The conservative network led its competitors by a large margin, as dismal ratings plagued the election night coverage on other outlets.
ABC nabbed second place and first among broadcast networks with 5.67 million viewers. MSNBC trounced CNN‘s linear ratings as it ascended to third place, earning 5.5 million compared to CNN‘s 4.7 million viewers—cutting CNN‘s 2020 election-night TV ratings in half as audiences veered away from TV‘s talking heads on election night.
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The number was a far cry from CNN‘s 9.41 million viewers in 2020, though the network has touted viewership on its website and CNN Max, which it said had its best night since it launched last year. Still, the linear number collapse represents the first election-night total under CEO Mark Thompson, a complete decline even as he‘s emphasized in his quest to reinvent CNN that linear ratings are not its only metric of success.
The numbers will likely change as the national data finalizes, though the four-year decline—a total of 36.6 million viewers, down from 2020’s 50.7 million—represents audiences‘ rebuke of TV news sources in favor of alternative sources in podcasts, streaming, and social media.
That shift was one embraced by the Trump campaign, with surrogate Dana White praising podcasters like the Nelk Boys and Joe Rogan by name during Trump’s victory speech. “I want to thank the Nelk Boys, Adin Ross, Theo Von, Bussin’ With the Boys, and last but not least the mighty and powerful Joe Rogan" for Trump’s victory.
Harris had tried to pivot down a similar lane, appearing on the women-focused podcast Call Her Daddy and trying to nail down a Rogan interview. But the Rogan appearance never materialized, and the UFC commentator endorsed Trump late on Monday.
