Last weekend it was the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, while this past Saturday saw another day of breaking news coverage as the allied military campaign in Libya began.
CNN, which has seen a lift in the ratings during this busy string of international news, won in younger viewers on Saturday and won both Total Viewers and younger viewers in primetime (8p-11p). Fox News won the Total Viewer count for Total Day viewing (6a-2a).
- Averages for Saturday March 19, 2011.
| Network | Total Day / Total Viewers | Primetime / Total Viewers |
|---|---|---|
| FNC | 1.28M | 1.45M |
| CNN | 1.21M | 1.70M |
| Network | Total Day / A25-54 | Primetime / A25-54 |
|---|---|---|
| FNC | 346,000 | 353,000 |
| CNN | 447,000 | 678,000 |
MSNBC was not in the running on Saturday averaging 512K Total Day and 518K in primetime (Total Viewers) and 254K Total Day and 187K in primetime (A25-54).
Compared to Saturday, March 12, as coverage was dominated by what was happening in Japan, CNN was down -52% in total viewers (Total Day) (1.846M v 1.214M) and down -72% in younger viewers (768K v. 447K). Fox News was down -22% in Total Viewers (Total Day) (1.559K v. 1.280M) and down -36% in younger viewers (470K v. 346K).
One thing this tells us about viewership is that with the dramatic personal video from Japan which continued to be revealed throughout the weekend and excerpted on the cable channels, combined with the growing nuclear threat, more Americans were checking in to see what was happening. Meanwhile, the story of the allied campaign over Libya was driven less by pictures and more by soundbites and headlines: Pres. Obama in Brazil, Secy. Clinton in Paris and updates from the Defense Department.