February 2021 Ratings: For First Time Ever, MSNBC Finishes No. 1 in Total Day Viewers, But Drops to Third in Adults 25-54

By A.J. Katz 

Rashida Jones’ first month as president of MSNBC was a pretty good one. How good? For the first time ever, the politics-focused cable network finished a month as the most-watched cable network in total day viewers, delivering an average of nearly 1.4 million across the 24-hour day.

Not only did it move past CNN in total day viewers, but also in total prime time viewers (nearly 2.2 million).

So, that’s the good news. The bad news? The network fell behind Fox News average total prime time viewers during the month of February, and it continues to lose traction among adults 25-54, finishing third behind both CNN and Fox News in the ad-friendly demo.

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For MSNBC, February 2021 was highlighted by the second impeachment trial of Donald Trump, the first full month of the Biden administration and the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. But compared to January 2021? Not quite as hot. The first month of the year featured an avalanche of breaking news events, including the inauguration of a Democratic party president, and a domestic terrorist attack on the U.S. Capitol—MSNBC dropped -16% in total prime time viewers, -30% in the prime time demo, -18% in total day viewers (despite finishing No. 1 on cable in that category), and -30% in the total day demo.

Compared to February 2020,  the news continues to be positive. The network grew its total prime time audience by +23%, but was only +7% in the demo; +36% in total day viewers, and +31% in the total day demo.

Here are the ratings for February 2021 (Nielsen Live + Same Day data):

  • Prime time (Mon-Sun): 2,193,000 total viewers / 340,000 A25-54
  • Total Day (Mon-Sun):  1,360,000 total viewers / 206,000 A25-54

The Rachel Maddow Show finished February as the No. 1 show across all of cable television for the 2nd straight month, and also averaged the most adults 25-54 on cable news for the month. Maddow grew more than 30% from February 2020 both in total viewers and adults 25-54.

Morning Joe continues to dominate mornings, ranking No. 1 across total viewers and A25-54 across all of cable for the third consecutive month.

The 11th Hour with Brian Williams at 11 p.m. finishing first in the hour for the fifth straight month, while Ari Melber was the most-watched cable news show in the 6 p.m. hour for the third consecutive month.

TVNewser obtained a note Jones sent to MSNBC staff earlier on Tuesday, which is followed by the network’s February ratings press release:

Team,

 

I’m so proud of our coverage the past few weeks.

 

From unpacking the Biden administration’s first month to Trump’s second impeachment trial, the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, and Black history – our coverage of live, breaking news and insightful analysis and perspective are unmatched.

 

Your excellent journalism and dedication to reporting these important stories have led MSNBC to the top. For the first time in our network history, MSNBC was #1 not just in cable news but across all of cable television in February. Many of our programs are #1 in their time slots, we’re leading CNN and FOX News by more viewers, and MSNBC Digital continues to break records.

 

Thanks to everyone for working so hard to make our coverage a success. Keep up the good work.

 

—–

 

MSNBC MAKES HISTORY IN FEBRUARY, WINS ALL OF CABLE FOR THE 1ST TIME EVER

MSNBC is #1 in All of Cable for Total Day (M-Su 6am-6am) and Dayside (M-F 9am-4pm)

“The Rachel Maddow Show” is the #1 Regularly Scheduled Show in All of Cable for the 2nd Straight Month in Total Viewers, #1 in Cable News in A25-54

“Morning Joe” Again Reigns #1 Across All of Cable in Both Total Viewers and A25-54 for 3rd Straight Month, Continues Lead Over FOX News and CNN

“The 11th Hour with Brian Williams” at 11pm is #1 for the 5th Consecutive Month in Total Viewers, Beats FOX News in A25-54 for 3rd Month in a Row

“Deadline: White House” is #1 from 4pm-6pm for the 3rd Month in a Row in Total Viewers, Tops FOX News in Total Viewers and A25-54

“The Beat with Ari Melber” at 6pm Finishes 1st for the 3rd Straight Month in Total Viewers, Beats FOX News in Total Viewers and A25-54

“The ReidOut” is #1 at 7pm in Total Viewers, Bests FOX News in Total Viewers and A25-54

“The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell” at 10pm is #1 for the 3rd Month in a Row, Beats FOX News in A25-54 for the 2nd Month in a Row 

Viewers Watch MSNBC Full Day (M-Su 6am-2am) for an Average 448 Minutes Per Week 

Weekend Total Day (Sa-Su 6am-6am) Grows By Double Digits Over Feb. 2020 

Year-to-Date, MSNBC is #1 in Cable Across Prime (M-F 8pm-11pm), “Morning Joe” (M-F 6am-9am), and Full Day (M-F 6am-2am) Among Total Viewers 

MSNBC Digital Saw Double-Digit Growth in Total Minutes Watched

NEW YORK (March 2, 2021) – MSNBC finished February as the #1 network in all of cable television, according to Nielsen. The historic victory comes during a month of around-the-clock breaking news, including the 2nd impeachment trial of Donald Trump, the 1st full month of the Biden administration and the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

MSNBC averaged 1.4M total viewers during total day (M-Su 6am-6am) (vs. CNN’s 1.2M and FOX News’ 1.3M), propelling the network to the #1 spot in cable for the 1st time ever (ahead of #2 FOX News, #3 CNN and #4 HGTV). Among total viewers, MSNBC increased viewership by +36% during total day while FOX News shed viewers by double digits (-32%) compared to Feb. 2020. A25-54 viewership was up +29% for MSNBC during total day vs. Feb. 20 while FOX News lost -38% of viewers.

MSNBC dayside (9am-4pm) programming was on top of every breaking news story, leading the network to #1 in all of cable (ahead of #2 CNN, #3 FOX News and #4 HGTV). Viewers turned to MSNBC for live, breaking news with 1.53M total viewers tuning in during the time period (vs. CNN’s 1.52M and FOX News’ 1.4M). Dayside increased viewership by +51% over Feb. 2020 while FOX News shed viewers by double digits (-35%). In A25-54, dayside ranked #2 among all cable networks with 231K viewers topping FOX News (209K) for the 2nd month in a row. Compared to Feb. 2020, dayside A25-54 viewership was up by +68% while FOX News was down by -39%.

“The Rachel Maddow Show” at 9pm finished February as the highest-rated regularly scheduled program across all of cable television for the 2nd straight month. “Maddow” averaged 3.7M total viewers (vs. FOX News’ 3M and CNN’s 2.2M) — a double digit gain in total viewers (+32%) over Feb. 2020. FOX News’ “Hannity” lost -31% of total viewers compared to Feb. 2020. “Maddow” also dominated the demo finishing #1 in A25-54 with 593K viewers (vs. CNN’s 510K and FOX News’ 440K). In A25-54, “Maddow” increased viewership by +36% compared to Feb. 2020 while FOX News shed -39% of viewers.

“Morning Joe” (6am-9am) continues to dominate mornings, ranking #1 across total viewers and A25-54 across all of cable for the 3rd consecutive month. In total viewers, “Morning Joe” finished 1st across all of cable for the 3rd month in a row with 1.4M total viewers (vs. CNN’s 717K and FOX News’ 1.1M). FOX News saw double-digit losses compared to Feb. 2020 (-40%) while “Morning Joe” gained +23% total viewers. In total viewers, “Morning Joe” has increased its lead over CNN by more than 600K viewers compared to Feb. 2020. In A25-54, “Morning Joe” was again #1 for the 3rd month in a row averaging 212K viewers (vs. FOX News’ 189K and CNN’s 173K and). Compared to Feb. 2020, “Morning Joe” increased viewership in A25-54 by +18% while FOX News saw a viewership drop (-46%).

Viewers turned to MSNBC’s primetime programming for the latest news, analysis and interviews with leading experts, drawing an average 2.9M total viewers (vs. CNN’s 2M). MSNBC weekday prime increased total viewership by +23% over Feb. 20 while FOX News lost – 32%. In A25-54, MSNBC weekday prime topped FOX News for the 2nd month in a row with 451K viewers (vs. FOX News’ 446K). A25-54 viewership was up +6% vs. Feb. 20 during weekday prime while FOX News was down -40%.

“The 11th Hour with Brian Williams” at 11pm continues its reign over FOX News and CNN finishing 1st in the hour for the 5th straight month. “The 11th Hour” delivered 2.1M total viewers (vs. FOX News’ 1.2M and CNN’s 1.1M), increasing viewership by +18% over Feb. 2020 while FOX News was down by more than twice that (-42%). In A25-54, “The 11th Hour” posted 320K viewers, topping FOX News (228K) for the 3rd straight month.

“Deadline: White House” from 4pm-6pm finished #1 for the 3rd month in a row, dominating FOX News and CNN for the full two hours of programming with 2.3M total viewers (vs. FOX News’ 2.1M and CNN’s 1.6M). Compared to Feb. 2020, “Deadline” grew by +58% while FOX News was down by -27% in the time period. In A25-54, “Deadline” increased viewership by +75% over Feb. 2020 (vs. FOX News -38%).

“The Beat with Ari Melber” at 6pm was #1 in the hour for the 3rd consecutive month delivering 2.1M total viewers (vs. FOX News’ 2M and CNN’s 1.7M) and increasing viewership +38% while FOX News lost -31% over Feb. 2020. In A25-54, “The Beat” topped FOX News for the 3rd consecutive month with 307K viewers (vs. FOX News’ 294K). Compared to Feb. 2020, “The Beat” grew by +39% in A25-54 viewers while FOX News was down -44%.

“The ReidOut” finished #1 at 7pm averaging 2.1M total viewers (vs. CNN’s 1.8M and FOX News’ 1.8M) and topped FOX News in A25-54 for the 3rd straight month with an average 346K (vs. FOX News’ 270K). In total viewers, “The ReidOut” increased viewership by +48% compared to Feb. 2020.

“The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell” at 10pm continues its winning streak finishing #1 for the 3rd month in a row averaging 2.6M total viewers. “The Last Word” saw a +26% increase in total viewers compared to Feb. 2020 while FOX News was down -40%. In A25-54, “The Last Word” delivered 348K viewers, besting FOX News for the 2nd month in a row. Compared to Feb. 2020 “The Last Word” was up +23% in A25-54 viewers while FOX News was down -42%.

MSNBC was the #1 network across all of cable during the entirety of the 2nd impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump (2/9/21-2/13/21). Viewers turned to MSNBC in large numbers for special coverage and analysis with 2.4M total viewers tuning in for the entirety of the trial (6am-2am Tues-Sat), easily topping FOX News (1.6M) and CNN (2M) in total viewers. During the height of the trial from 12pm-8pm, MSNBC averaged 3.1M total viewers (2/9/21-2/13/21) – finishing ahead of all cable networks (#2 CNN 2.9M and #3 FOX News 1.8M). Across all broadcast networks, MSNBC finished #1 all five days last week during daytime coverage (12pm-5pm), besting CNN, FOX News, CBS and ABC.

In February, viewers watched MSNBC for an average 448 minutes per week.

Year to-date, MSNBC is #1 across all of cable in prime (M-Su 8pm-11pm), “Morning Joe” (M-F 6am-9am), extended prime (M-F 4pm-8pm) and full day (M-F 6am-2am) among total viewers.

MSNBC weekend total day (Sa-Su 6am-6am) increased viewership by double digits over Feb. 2020. In total viewers, weekend total day was up by +45% while FOX News was down -18%. In A25-54, weekend total day was up by +31% while FOX News was down -20%. On Saturdays, “PoliticsNation” at 5pm topped FOX News for the 2nd straight month in total viewers. On Sundays, “PoliticsNation” at 5pm topped FOX News for the 4th straight month in total viewers.

MSNBC Digital saw on net total minutes watched grow by double digits in February (+34%). MSNBC Live TVE saw its highest average time spent, growing +54% year-over-year, and beating even November 2020. MSNBC live TVE consumption more than doubled (+132%) year-over-year.

NOTE: February ratings are based on Nielsen most current data day for 2/1-2/28 2021. Individual show data for the month represents regular programming only, excluding specials and breaking news.

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