Fox News was the top cable news network for the week of March 17, averaging 1,732,000 viewers in primetime and 1,094,000 viewers in total day. Fox News placed fifth in primetime and fourth in total day among all ad-supported cable networks for the week.
CNN placed 22nd in primetime and 12th in total day for the week. The network averaged 806,000 primetime viewers and 643,000 total day viewers. MSNBC placed 30th in primetime and 32nd in total day, averaging 617,000 viewers and 362,000 viewers, respectively.
Compared to last week, when cable news coverage of MH370 was at its peak, Fox News and MSNBC were down in the overall rankings: FNC dropped from first to fifth in primetime and third to fourth in total day, while MSNBC dropped from 27th to 30th in primetime and 28th to 32nd in total day. CNN stayed the same in primetime and gained five spots in total day compared to last week.
TBS, TNT and truTV got a big boost this week from the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, which began Thursday. The full ranker is after the jump.