MSNBC did not experience the growth that Fox News, CNN and even HLN did in the month of August. The network was down -1% in viewers and down -14% in the demo for total day viewing, falling to third place in total viewers, behind CNN, and fourth place in the demo, behind HLN.
The ratings for August 2014 (Nielsen Live + Same Day data):
- Primetime (Mon-Sun): 571,000 Total Viewers / 152,000 A25-54
- Total Day (Mon-Sun): 342,000 Total Viewers / 102,000 A25-54
MSNBC did see primetime viewership growth (+10%) and edged CNN in Monday-Friday primetime (8-11pmET) by just 1,000 viewers. “Hardball with Chris Matthews,” “The Rachel Maddow Show” and “The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell” all finished #2 in their timeslots among total viewers. All three shows also saw year-over-year growth after what was a bruising August, 2013. Still, the network was down in the primetime demo (-14%).
More from MSNBC in their release after the jump…
MSNBC TOPS CNN IN PRIMETIME- AUGUST 2014 RATINGS
NEW YORK – September 3, 2014 – MSNBC topped CNN in primetime total viewers (678,000 vs. CNN’s 672,000) for the month of August according to data from Nielsen.
MSNBC’s “Hardball” with Chris Matthews at 7 p.m. ET, “The Rachel Maddow Show” at 9 p.m. ET and “The Last Word” with Lawrence O’Donnell at 10 p.m. ET all ranked #2 in total viewers for the month. All three shows also saw year-over-year total viewer ratings increases.
“Hardball” ranked #2 among total viewers for the month with 699,000 (vs. CNN’s 640,000). “Hardball was up 46% among total viewers compared to August 2013. “The Rachel Maddow Show” was #2 in total viewers with 810,000 total viewers (CNN had 699,000). This is a 31% increase in total viewers compared to August 2013. “The Last Word” was up 14% compared to August 2013 and ranked #2 among total viewers with 682,000 (vs. CNN’s 629,000).
MSNBC also ranked #1 in Weekend Sales Prime (M-Su 7p-2a) among A25-54 for the 16th straight month.
MSNBC continued as the most diverse cable news network. In weekday primetime (M-F 8p-11p), MSNBC ranked #1 in African-American audiences for total viewers and #1 with Hispanic audiences for A25-54 for the month.
MSNBC ranked #1 among African-American total viewers for the 54th consecutive month in M-Su Sales primetime.