Big events traditionally equal big ratings for CNN, and that certainly happened yesterday with its coverage of the Derek Chauvin trial verdict.
According to preliminary data from Nielsen, 18.4 million Americans watched coverage of the trial during the 4:30-6:30 p.m. ET time period when all of the major networks were covering the proceedings.
The verdict of guilty on all three counts for the murder of George Floyd was announced by Hinnepin County Court Judge Peter Cahill at 5:10 p.m. ET/ 4:10 p.m. local time.
Out of those 18.4 million who watched on TV, 4.03 million watched on CNN, 4 million watched on ABC, 3.4 million on Fox News, 3.1 million on MSNBC, 3 million on CBS and 825,000 on Headline News (HLN).
CNN was also the go-to network for coverage of the final verdict among adults 25-54. The network earned a 31% share of the total A25-54 audience 1.46 million viewers from the demo. ABC followed CNN by averaging 980,000 adults 25-54, with Fox News (742,000), CBS (682,000), MSNBC (562,000) and HLN (309,000) following.
It’s worth noting that NBC also aired coverage of the guilty verdict but Fast National Data is not available for that network from Nielsen.
Total Viewers (4:30-6:30 p.m. ET):
- CNN: 4,028,000
- ABC: 4,003,000
- Fox News: 3,442,000
- MSNBC: 3,066,000
- CBS: 3,017,000
- HLN: 825,000
Adults 25-54 (4:30-6:30 p.m. ET):
- CNN: 1,459,000
- ABC: 980,000
- Fox News: 742,000
- CBS: 682,000
- MSNBC: 562,000
- HLN: 309,000