Tuesday, January 25, 2005
CNN Beats FNC In Sunday Primetime
Source: Tv Newser Staffers at both CNN and MSNBC received good Nielsen ratings news today: CNN handily beat FNC in prime-time on Sunday night, and Sharon Tay's MSNBC debut was popular in the coveted 25-54 demo.
Between 8 and 11pm, CNN averaged 1,071,000 viewers on Sunday, compared to 632,000 for Fox News Channel. In the 25-54 demo, CNN averaged 302,000 viewers, compared to FNC's 186,000. CNN's coverage of Johnny Carson's death was extensive, including a taped Larry King interview with the comedian. An insider noted that Sunday marked FNC's least watched prime-time of 2005.
MSNBC earned a 0.4 rating in primetime on Sunday. New entertainment host Sharon Tay was rushed onto the air for a Carson special, and some viewers were turned off by her lack of poise. But the ratings showed otherwise: Tay's show earned a 0.3 and 292,000 viewers in the 25-54 demo, just shy of CNN's 334,000 demo viewers.
# posted by ATN @ 5:41 PM 
